chapter 10: services: the intangible product

Question 1

what is a service

Answer 1

any intangible offering that involves an act, performance, or effort that cannot be physically possessed

Question 2

inseparable production and consumption

Answer 2

production and consumption are simultaneous
-little opportunity to test a service before use
-lower risk by offering warrantees

Question 3

inconsistancy

Answer 3

the more humans required to provide a service, the more likely that the service quality will be inconsistent because the quality may vary each time

-can reduce variability through training and replacing people with machines

Question 4

service gap

Answer 4

when a service fails to meet the expectations that cultures have about and how it should be delivered

Question 5

gaps model: knowledge gap

Answer 5

reflects the difference between customers’ expectations and the firm’s perception of those expectations

Question 6

gaps model: the standards gap

Answer 6

pertains to the difference between the firm’s perceptions of customers expectations and the service standards it sets

Question 7

gaps model: the delivery gap

Answer 7

the difference between the firm’s service standards and the actual service it provides to customers

Question 8

gaps model: the communication gap

Answer 8

refers to the difference between the actual service provided to customers and the service that the firm’s promotion program promises