Evaluating Services (7)

Question 1

The characteristics of services — _______, ________, _______, and_________ — cause. consumers to evaluate services differently than they evaluate products or goods.

Answer 1

intangibility, perishability, variability, and inseparability

Question 2

When do consumer’s evaluation of services occur?

Answer 2

usually after consuming them

Question 3

What is one of the most useful ways of looking at the evaluation of goods and services?

Answer 3

The evaluation of goods and services occurs along a spectrum, and one of the most useful ways of looking at this spectrum is by when the evaluation can occur: before or after the purchase.

Question 4

For most products, it’s possible to evaluate their quality______ the purchase. The evaluation of services occurs almost exclusively _____ purchasing and experiencing the service.

Answer 4

before, after

For some services, it is difficult for consumers, even after consumption, to make accurate judgments about the quality of the service.

Question 5

Products and tangible goods have characteristics that allow consumers to search and get answers, or ______ them before they purchase them. Pre-purchase evaluation is _____ possible for services.

Answer 5

evaluate, rarely

When buying shoes, for example, we can try them on, physically inspect them to assure ourselves of materials and construction quality, and in general get answers to most of the questions we have before we purchase them.

Question 6

he evaluation of services occurs almost exclusively after ______ and _______ the service. For services like lawn care, guided tours, dining out, or babysitting, consumers can use the experience with the service to judge the ______ of it.

Answer 6

purchasing, experiencing, quality

Question 7

If a service is favorable, then customers are are… .

Answer 7

• inclined to use the service again
• they are less price sensitive because they had a good experience

Question 8

What do good service outcomes create?

Answer 8

. Good service outcomes create satisfaction and loyalty that limit a consumer’s desire to consider alternatives.

Question 9

For some services, it is difficult for consumers to make accurate judgments about the ______ of the service even after consuming them. Give some examples of these services

Answer 9

quality

• medical, dental, financial, legal, or consulting.

Question 10

Why for some services is it difficult for the consiumer to make accurate judgements?

Answer 10

because the consumer remains uncertain about outcome quality due to the specialized nature of certain services, such as medical, dental, financial, legal, or consulting.

A consumer that uses such services often wonders if the same service was available elsewhere for less money. Or perhaps if another provider could have delivered better service, even if at a higher cost.

Question 11

Consumers rely on the credibility of the provider to make….

Answer 11

• purchase decisions
• to evaluate the quality of service

Question 12

Consumers rely on the _____ of the provider to make purchase decisions, and to evaluate the quality of the service, especailly for specialized services

Answer 12

credibility

Question 13

What are two sources providers can get their credibility from?

Answer 13

Brand reputation and word of mouth are two main sources of credibility for service providers.

Question 14

Customers that purchase specialized services are usually worried less about the _____ and more about the _______ of the provider

Answer 14

cost, credibility

To provide an example, if a loved one has a life-threatening illness, the desire is to find the best doctor, not the cheapest one.