Marketing Management, Millenium Edition - epiheirimatikotita.gr

206 CHAPTER 11 DESIGNING AND MANAGING SERVICEScustomers are flocking to no-fee credit cards with frequent-flier miles and otherbenefits. Fighting back, Amex has launched a walletful of new products,including the “Blue Card,” aimed at upscale 25- to 35-year-olds. And the firm hascarefully retained all of the positive things its brand stands for, such as goodservice, prestige, and value, making them relevant to the young, hip, affluentconsumer. 19Managing Service QualityAnother way for a service firm to succeed is by delivering consistently higher-qualityservice than that of its competitors and by exceeding customers’ expectations. Theseexpectations are formed by the firm’s past experiences, word of mouth, and advertising.After receiving the service, customers compare the perceived service with theexpected service. If the perceived service falls below the expected service, customerslose interest in the provider. If the perceived service meets or exceeds their expectations,they are apt to use the provider again.Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry formulated a service-quality model that highlightsthe main requirements for delivering high service quality. 20 The model, shownin Figure 4-7, identifies five gaps that cause unsuccessful service delivery:Figure 4-7Service-Quality Model