Probably
the fastest growing sector in the economy is the services
sector. Almost 50% of the country's GDP is contributed
by the services. Majority of the organizations, are
experiencing ever growing expectations on price &
performance. As the tangible differences between the
"Products" are diminishing, wrapping it with
"intangibles" - Services, has become
a major source of a competitive advantage, leading to
a deeper customer relationship.
Today,
more profits are earned from the services build
around the "Product", than from the product
itself.
Let's
look at some of the service opportunities any organization
can offer,
|
Service
Labor.
|
Materials.
|
Information.
|
|
Installation
& Commissioning.
|
Replacement
Parts
|
Parts
Management.
|
|
Technical
Support.
|
Service
Kits.
|
Maintenance
scheduling.
|
|
Dealer
Service.
|
Accessories.
|
Service
administration.
|
|
Product
Maintenance
|
Product
up-gradation
|
Calibration
Services.
|
|
System/Performance
audit
|
Buyback.
|
System
integration
|
|
Annual
maintenance.
|
|
Product
configuration.
|
Although,
services are the fastest growing segment in the country's
economy, yet it has been generally much slower than
manufacturing segment in applying the principles of
marketing. Although product-marketing processes are
well established, marketing of services don't get adequate
attention it deserves. In most of the cases I have observed,
the marketing is conducted as if services is another
'product'.
For
many organisations, marketing of services a major challenge.
Apart
from the traditional 4 P's of marketing ( Product, Price,
Promotion & Place) which we are well aware of, the
unique nature of services' brings into focus 2 more
P's.....;
People
& Processes.
*People:
For most of the Services, people are the vital element
of services maketing mix. The areas where there is high
level of contact with the customers the 'people' element
is the only differentiator between the competing service
providers. During each customer contact you face the
moment of truth. Each impression, the service providers
makes is temporarily at least the last. So its critical
to have people in the organisation, who will make these
interactions a lasting one !
*Processes:The
production processes in a manufactured product, are
usually of little concern to the customer. However they
become critical for consumers of 'service'. Services'
are essentially about processess rather than tangible
outcomes, & for many services consumers are closely
involved in the production process. Hence the design
& flawless execution of service processes, is crucial
for customer satisfcation for a Service 'product'.
Some
thoughts on services marketing.
- The core of Services' marketing is the service itself
!
- Every act is a marketing act. Make every empoyee a
marketing person.
- Setting your price for the service is like setting
a screw. A little resistance is a good sign.
- Give your service a name not a monogram.
- Watch what you show.
- Make your service easy to buy.
- Write mission statements, but keep it private.
- Don't raise expectations you cannot meet.
__________________________________________________________
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experience of two decades, read
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