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The services Industry can tutorial competition only when tools are provided that engender It for continued repressions excellence (Service Innovation, 2009). Does the Consumer have Buying Power? In a study acknowledged by Boohoos (1997), more than 70% of consumers who complained or expressed dissatisfaction with service, were persuaded to remain as customers when the effort was made to compensate for what was perceived as a loss.
Little, however, is known about what strategies to employ, or how these interact to influence customer perceptions and attitudes; especially in a services marketing environment, more specifically airlines (Boohoos, 1997). A loss or gain of 70% Is significant. A Blueprint for Success A key component of efficient processing Is electronic procurement technology, which promotes resourceful utilization of services (Boohoos, 1997). Furthermore, technology has proven to create more value for the customer by being more accessible, efficient, faster and affordable. How?
Service design has been enhanced by software, which is utilized by home and office computers, potentially serving as a reasonable or good substitute for personal service (Boohoos, 1997). This begins as a thread in the planning process and continues to be woven until the final destination. However, any system can be plagued with inadequacies, discrepancies, and operational inefficiencies. Still, one must remember not everyone is programmed for the electronic world, so therefore, airlines must continue to provide a high level of non-electronic service (Getting, 2003).
Customer Service Contacts with Frontline Staff Essentially, three specific phases, Before, During and After In purchasing allure services Involving frontline employees must be Identified and developed. Referring to Table l, one may see these three phases displayed. The Before Phase Involves emitted interaction with frontline staff. The Before Phase: Phone prompting messaging Kiosk retrieval, usually at the airport before a flight Person to person scheduling at the airport or travel agency Online check-in from most computers The During Phase involves significant interactions, relationships, exchanges and communications.
The During Phase: A planning, scheduling and information session with a Customer Service Representative (CARS) who will assist in the service delivery process This phase incorporates a question and answer process with resolution by addressing concerns ND issues This can be a speedy process as a result of internet and computer capabilities This phase has added obsolesce to frontline staff making many baseline staff The After or Final Phase continues to involve interactions, relationships, exchanges and communications, but not to the degree one sees in the second phase.
The After Phase: A CARS should follow up to ascertain if the process was expeditiously executed This phase is limited as the purchase is finalized A CARS supervisor may do well to maintain customer longevity and satisfaction A Blueprint of the Service Delivery Process at Southwest Airlines and Customer Service Contacts with Frontline Staff during Purchase Options TABLE I Source: Julian Deal Who’s on First?