DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What distinguishes service offerings from customer service? Provide specific examples.
Service offerings are intangible products offered for sale to customers. These can be services sold to
business customers (e.g., consulting services, shipping services, maintenance services) or to end
Customer service can also be offered by service, IT and manufacturing businesses. It is service
It is important to distinguish between these two types of service for several reasons. First, there is a
tendency in service marketing and management courses to become overly focused on customer
2. How is technology changing the nature of customer service and service offerings?
This question focuses on the major section of chapter 1 titled “Service and Technology” and its
several sub-sections: Technology-Based Service Offerings; New Ways to Deliver Services; Enabling
Both Customers and Employees; Extending the Global Reach of Services; The Internet Is A Service;
3. What are the basic characteristics of services compared with goods? What are the implications of
these characteristics for Marriott or General Electric?
Discussion of the basic differences between goods and services can be rather abstract without a
specific context to focus in on. The opening vignette can provide examples. For undergraduates,
The types of questions to be addressed within the specific context could include: What are the
challenges in marketing a service like this? Why is it different from marketing a consumer product
4. One of the underlying frameworks for the text is the service marketing mix. Discuss why each of the
three new mix elements (process, people, and physical evidence) is included. How might each of
these communicate with or help to satisfy an organization’s customers?
The instructor should focus on making sure the students have a clear understanding of each of the
5. Think of a service job you have had or currently have. How effective, in your opinion, was or is the
organization in managing the elements of the service marketing mix?
This discussion question can focus on making sure the students have a clear understanding of the
To allow all students a chance to share their examples, the instructor can begin with a general
6. Again, think of a service job you have had or currently have. How did or does the organization
handle relevant challenges listed in Table 1.1?
This question could be used instead of Question 3 to focus students on the basic differences between
7. How can quality service be used in a manufacturing context for competitive advantage? Think of
your answer to this question in the context of automobiles or computers or some other manufactured
product you have actually purchased.
The purpose of this question is to get students to focus on the relevance of service for competitive
strategy in all types of businesses. When they can see the importance of service in their personal
Another way to use this question is as a lead-in to a lecture on current service strategies of such
8. Where does a college education fit on the continuum of evaluation for different types of products?
Where does computer software fit? Consulting? Retailing? Fast food? What are the implications
for consumer behavior?
A college education fits far to the right (close to the “difficult to evaluate” end of the continuum).
Computer software fits in the middle, since there are technically some physically tangible aspects of
software. Consulting fits far to the right, since it is almost entirely intangible. Retailing fits in the
9. What are examples (other than those given in the chapter) of services that are high in credence
properties? How do high credence properties affect consumer behavior for these services?
Services high in credence properties include all those that are technical and difficult for novices to
evaluate. Automobile repair, higher education, consulting, medical services, legal services,