83) Susanna wanted to check out a new salon in her locality, so she decided to go for a hair
styling session. She was very happy with the way her stylist connected and related with her
concerns. She is judging the service based on its ________.
A) promotional marketing
B) functional quality
C) technical quality
D) search qualities
E) external marketing
84) In which of the following does a customer respond to the technical quality of a service?
A) Sara’s preferred hair stylist is some miles away, but Sara goes to him because his styles suit
her looks.
B) Kathy tries out a new restaurant every week because she likes to experience the variety.
C) Bill has gone to the same chiropractor for the past fifteen years because he is friendly and
takes the time to listen to Bill.
D) Ray avoids going to the bank as far as possible because the manager is rude and unhelpful.
E) Alex has no interest in theater, but goes often because her best friend loves plays.
85) In which of the following does a customer respond to the functional quality of a service?
A) Sara’s preferred hair stylist is some miles away, but Sara goes to him because his styles suit
her looks.
B) Kathy tries out a new restaurant every week because she likes to experience the variety.
C) Bill has gone to the same chiropractor for the past fifteen years because he is friendly and
takes the time to listen to Bill.
D) Ray’s mechanic charges high prices for service, but his work is good and worth the price.
E) Alex has no interest in theater, but goes often because her best friend loves plays.
86) Firms have decided to raise fees and lower service for those customers who barely pay their
way and to coddle big spenders to retain their patronage as long as possible. This is an example
of organizing customers by ________.
A) retailer convenience
B) profit tiers
C) psychographic characteristics
D) social influence
E) customer preference
87) Charles Schwab’s best customers are instantly directed to customer service representatives,
while other customers have to wait longer. Charles Schwab is trying to ________.
A) monitor its service systems
B) empower the customers
C) retain the patronage of profitable customers
D) increase consumer participation
E) standardize the service-performance process
88) The ________ rates the various elements of the service bundle and identifies required
actions.
A) company performance analysis
B) voice of customer measurement
C) customer factor measurement
D) importance-performance analysis
E) customer importance analysis
89) Customers who view a service as homogeneous ________.
A) only patronize a preferred service provider
B) judge services on the basis of the providers
C) care less about the provider than about the price
D) pick a service provider based on functional attributes
E) opt for the service with the highest price, irrespective of quality
90) Belling Hotels provides a complimentary breakfast buffet to all guests. This is an example of
a ________.
A) primary service package
B) service interface
C) service support
D) service frequency
E) secondary service feature
91) When the recent recession hit, Zappos decided to stop offering complimentary overnight
shipping to first-time buyers and offer it to repeat buyers only, which is an example of the
________ best practice of top service companies.
A) strategic concept
B) profit tiers
C) top-management commitment
D) high standards
E) monitoring systems
92) External marketing describes the training and motivation required by employees in order to
properly serve the customers.
93) Interactive marketing describes the employees’ skill in serving the client.
94) In the hotel industry, primary service features include merchandise for sale, free breakfast
buffets, and loyalty programs.
95) Clients judge service not only by its technical quality but also by its functional quality.
96) Importance-performance analysis rates the various elements of the service bundle and
identifies required actions.
97) The answer to the question “was the surgery successful?” represents the technical quality
aspect of interactive marketing, one of the three broad areas of service excellence.
98) Customers who view a service as fairly homogeneous care less about the provider than
about the price.
99) What the customer expects from a service is called the primary service package.
100) Secondary service features are the features that the customer himself or herself adds to the
service.
101) Marketing excellence with services requires excellence in three broad areas. List and
explain the three areas.
102) When Hayley had some problems with the applications on her cell phone, she gave her cell
phone to the service center for a software update. The service center returned the phone to
Hayley the next day, with the software update complete. Two days later, the service center called
Hayley to enquire if the phone was functioning well. Which area of services marketing does this
incident illustrate? Why is this important?
103) What are the expert recommendations for e-mail responses to customers?
104) Some WesternSlope Cleaning customers have long-term contracts for full-service cleaning,
while others call the company as and when they require a particular service. The long-term
customers have their queries handled by the company’s customer service representative. The rest
of its customers are directed towards voice messages when they want their inquiries to be
processed. What strategy is the company adopting to achieve marketing excellence?
105) Retail chain REB wants to find out how its customers perceive its services and what it can
do to improve these. What methods can the company use to discover this?
106) Although Brenda previously used the US Postal Service because it offered better prices on
package shipping, she now uses only FedEx, because it gives her the facility of shipping from
any FedEx location 24 hours a day. Which of the following factors led to Brenda’s customer
switching behavior?
A) inconvenience
B) pricing
C) response to service failure
D) ethical problems
E) involuntary switching
107) Angela switched to a new hair stylist after getting a bad haircut from her previous stylist.
This is an example of which of the following factors leading to customer switching behavior?
A) service encounter failure
B) core service failure
C) response to service failure
D) involuntary switching
E) competition
108) Dean recently had a BRZ broadband connection installed. However, the connection was
poor and he didn’t get the quality he required. He contacted BRZ about the problem, but the
company did not solve his problem. Dean switched to Blue Broadband. Which of the following
was the cause of Dean’s switching behavior?
A) involuntary switching
B) competition
C) response to service failure
D) service encounter failures
E) inconvenience
109) Which of the following represents an aspect of the Empathy dimension of SERVQUAL?
A) providing service as promised
B) readiness to respond to customers’ requests
C) giving customers individual attention
D) making customers feel safe in their transactions
E) visually appealing facilities
110) MGC Inc. organizes a company-wide picnic once a year. The organizers arranged for the
best possible menu thinking that food would be a priority, but the staff were disappointed
because the activities were very poorly planned. What kind of a gap is apparent here?
A) gap between perceived service and expected service
B) gap between service delivery and external communications
C) gap between service-quality specifications and service delivery
D) gap between management perception and service-quality specification
E) gap between consumer expectation and management perception
111) Which of the following is an example of a gap between management perception and the
service-quality specifications?
A) The college brochure showed state-of-the-art classrooms, but when the visitors walked in,
they saw peeling walls and dull lighting.
B) A nurse visits a patient to show care, but the patient interprets this as an indication that
something is very wrong.
C) The hotel administrators think that guests want better food, but guests are more concerned
with the courtesy of the waiters.
D) A service center manager has asked his subordinates to provide fast service, but has not
specified a time for the service to be performed.
E) Customer service representatives are asked to give ample time to each customer, but must
serve a minimum of 50 customers a day.
112) The customer service representatives at a call center have been asked to handle each call
within five minutes. A recent customer survey by the company revealed that customers
appreciate it when employees take the time to answer their questions fully and listen to their
grievances. What kind of service gap is apparent here?
A) gap between perceived service and expected service
B) gap between service delivery and external communications
C) gap between service-quality specifications and service delivery
D) gap between management perception and service-quality specification
E) gap between consumer expectation and management perception
113) The customer service representatives at a call center have been asked to handle each call
within five minutes. At the same time, they have been asked to answer all customer queries in
detail and provide appropriate solutions. What kind of service gap is apparent here?
A) gap between perceived service and expected service
B) gap between service delivery and external communications
C) gap between service-quality specifications and service delivery
D) gap between management perception and service-quality specification
E) gap between consumer expectation and management perception
114) Which of the following is an example of a gap between service delivery and external
communications?
A) The employees at GBL have been asked to take time to listen to customers, but they must
serve them fast as well.
B) Amanda chose to shop at Alison’s Fashions because the store’s Web site offered on-the-spot
alterations. However, when she did buy a dress, she had to wait a week to get it altered.
C) Customers at LUX appreciate the personalized services the salespeople offer, but do not like
the store design.
D) Clearwater Spa attendants are well-trained in massage therapy and the services they offer, but
customers rarely return because they don’t like the attendants’ impersonal service.
E) When sales dropped, Styx modernized its stores in order to retain customers, but didn’t realize
that the product quality was the main problem.
115) Ellen came across an ad for a new restaurant that promised authentic French cuisine. When
she ate there, however, she was disappointed to find that the food was mediocre and not very
authentic. Which of the following gaps of service performance does this demonstrate?
A) gap between service-quality specifications and service delivery
B) gap between perceived service and expected service
C) gap between service delivery and external communications
D) gap between consumer expectation and management perception
E) gap between management perception and service-quality specification
116) When Aaron went to his doctor for his annual checkup, he was asked to undergo a number
of tests. Although the doctor assured Aaron that the tests were routine, Aaron thinks that the
doctor is hiding a grave problem from him. What kind of a gap is apparent here?
A) gap between perceived service and expected service
B) gap between service delivery and external communications
C) gap between service-quality specifications and service delivery
D) gap between management perception and service-quality specification
E) gap between consumer expectation and management perception
117) The most important determinant of service quality is ________ which refers to the ability to
perform the promised service dependably and accurately.
A) empathy
B) assurance
C) responsiveness
D) reliability
E) tangibles
118) The customer service representatives at G.K.’s customer service center must know as much
about the products as possible, so that they can help customers solve their difficulties without
sounding hesitant or unsure of themselves. Which of the following determinants of service
quality are they being asked to demonstrate?
A) responsiveness
B) assurance
C) empathy
D) reliability
E) tangibility
119) Josh gets his bike serviced at Dean’s Garage even though there’s another garage much closer
to home. He prefers Dean’s because the work is usually done quickly and the staff try to solve the
issues with the bike as soon as possible. Dean’s Garage excels at which of the following five
determinants of service quality?
A) reliability
B) responsiveness
C) assurance
D) empathy
E) tangibles
120) The ________ determinant of service quality refers to the knowledge and courtesy of
employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence in the service they provide.
A) conscientious
B) assurance
C) empathy
D) reliability
E) responsiveness
121) Leo’s manager has asked him and his teammates to demonstrate caring towards customers.
They are instructed to learn customers’ names, and use names while interacting with them.
Repeat customers should get special attention, and the team members should remember their
preferences and habits. The manager is asking the team to be ________.
A) assuring
B) candid
C) empathetic
D) reliable
E) responsive
122) Gloria goes to the same bagel shop every morning because the workers there remember her
name and remember her order. They always make her feel welcome. The employees of this bagel
shop excel at which of the following determinants of service quality?
A) reliability
B) responsiveness
C) assurance
D) empathy
E) tangibles