Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
CHAPTER 3:
CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS OF SERVICE
CHAPTER TOPICS
Service Expectations
Factors that Influence Customer Expectations of Service
Issues Involving Customers’ Service Expectations
Technology Spotlight: Customer Expectations of Airport Services Using Technology
Global Feature: Global Outsourcing of Personal Services: What Are Customers’ Expectations?
Strategy Insight: How Services Marketers Can Influence Factors
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
1. Recognize that customers hold different types of expectations for service performance.
2. Discuss the sources of customer expectations of service, including those that are controllable and
uncontrollable by marketers.
3. Acknowledge that the types and sources of expectations are similar for end consumers and business
customers, for pure service and product-related service, for experienced customers and inexperienced
customers.
4. Delineate the most important current issues surrounding customer expectations.
LECTURE TIPS & AIDS
1. To illustrate the notion of differing expectations, the instructor might want to provide an example
other than those at the beginning of Chapter 3 (related to restaurants). For example, university classes
are something with which students in the class should have extensive experience. One avenue of
generating class discussion might be to have students talk about differing expectations for various
classes. For example, students might compare and contrast expectations for an introductory
marketing class versus a bowling class. Or, alternatively, students could compare their expectations
for the introductory marketing class with an advanced marketing management class. Another route to
go might be to talk about differing expectations students have of various instructors, or differing
expectations across size of classes (e.g., 20 students versus 75 students).
Expectations could also be discussed in terms of specific components of a particular class. For
example, expectations about turn-around time on projects, papers, or exams could be discussed.
Indeed the students could talk about what their desired level of expectations on turn-around time for
getting feedback is, what is considered adequate, and what influences their expectations for both
desire and adequate levels.
2. An alternative way to discuss the information in this chapter is to have students divide into teams
of two to four (depending on the size of the class) and have each team discuss the influencing factors
on both desired service and adequate service expectations. There are 11 different topics that could be
discussed, including:
personal needs
personal service philosophy
derived service expectations
perceived service alternatives
situational factors
explicit service promises
implicit service promises
word-of-mouth communication
past experience
predicted service
perceived service
A particular service could be chosen to illustrate various points. For example, a hair cut or a trip to
Disney World could be selected as a focus for illustrating how these factors might come into play as
influencing customers’ expectations. By giving students the opportunity to become experts on one of
these twelve topics, they can take an active role in leading the class discussion without being
burdened with being responsible for too much information.
3. An interesting question posed in Chapter 3 is should a service provider simply try to meet
customer expectations or exceed them? Obviously there is no right answer to this question, so an
interesting topic for debate would be to have the students in the class discuss this. One easy way to
do this would be to divide the class in half and assign each a specific side on this issue. The class
would then be given five to ten minutes to prepare an argument supporting their view and a
spokesperson would then present the arguments for each side. Their arguments might include
examples to illustrate the points each side is trying to make.
QUESTIONS TO USE WITH CHAPTER OPENING VIGNETTE
Chapter 3: Expectations
1. Have you ever experienced a gap between your expectations and your perceptions of a service
provider while traveling in a different country or culture? Describe.
2. What are some things that the service provider you mentioned in #1 could have done to better manage
your expectations?
3. What are are some ways in which service providers who cater to customers from other countries or
cultures can better manage expectations? In general? For specific services?
ACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Think of a service encounter that you have had recently.
What were your expectations going into the encounter?
What were your desired expectations?
What were your adequate expectations?
What were your predicted expectations?
Was your tolerance zone wide or narrow in this case? Why?
Where did your expectations come from?
POTENTIAL VIDEO CLIPS TO USE IN ILLUSTRATING CHAPTER 3 CONCEPTS
“Jerry Seinfeld” television show – In a famous scene from the 1991 season (Episode 10,
entitled “The Alternate Side”) show, Jerry Seinfeld attempts to pick up a car he had reserved, but the
car rental company did not reserve a car for him woman goes behind glass door to “speak with her
supervisor.” It is a great example of what a customer expects when they reserve a car—that is, to
have the reserved car available for rental at the requested time. This clip could also be used for
service recovery discussions.
“Just Married” – Young American newlyweds attempt to plug a device with an American plug
into an electrical outlet at a French chateau…causing damages to their room and a power outage at
the chateau. They expected there would be English signs (not just French signs) telling them what
they could and could not do in the hotel. The manager asks them to pay for damages; they refuse.
“Couples Retreat” (2009). Clip length = 5:45. A couple on the brink of divorce, the
Smiths, is giving a slideshow presentation to try and convince their friends to join them on this
couples retreat. The group selects the 'Pelican Package' but realizes once they get to the resort, that it's
not what they thought it would be. Because there is confusion, the couples' escort explains that the
resort will refund their money but not the airfare. Illustrates customer Expectations
POSSIBLE WEB SITES FOR CHAPTER 3
Listed below are Web sites for companies known to have outstanding service. Students may be asked
to evaluate these sites in terms of whether the sites themselves meet their expectations for service, and
whether they signal that the companies creating the sites offer services that meet their desired or
adequate expectations.
Company Location
Amazon www.amazon.com
American Marketing Association www.marketingpower.com
Paytrust www.paytrust.com
Pebble Beach Resort www.pebblebeach.com
Ritz-Carlton www.ritzcarlton.com
APPROPRIATE CASES FOR CHAPTER 3
From previous Zeithaml, Bitner, and Gremler Services Marketing texts:
Shouldice Hospital Limited (Abridged) [included in the fifth edition of this text: Zeithaml, Bitner,
and Gremler (2009) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies]
Hong Kong Disneyland ) [included in the fifth edition of this text: Zeithaml, Bitner, and Gremler
(2009) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Companies]
Virgin Mobile USA: Pricing for the Very First Time [included in the fifth edition of this text:
Zeithaml, Bitner, and Gremler (2009) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across
the Firm, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies]
easyCar.com [included in the fourth edition of this text: Zeithaml, Bitner, and Gremler (2006)
Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Companies]
The Quality Improvement Customers Didn’t Want [included in the fourth edition of this text:
Zeithaml, Bitner, and Gremler (2006) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across
the Firm, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies]
Virgin Atlantic Airways [included in the third edition of this text: Zeithaml and Bitner (2003)
Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Companies]
Northwest Airlines and the Detroit Snowstorm [included in the third edition of this text: Zeithaml
and Bitner (2003) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill Companies]
EuroDisney: The First 100 Days [included in the second edition of this text: Zeithaml and Bitner
(2000) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Companies]
Chartered Bank of Canada [included in the first edition of this text: Zeithaml and Bitner (1996)
Services Marketing, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies]
Cederbrae Volkswagen—Quality of Service [included in the first edition of this text: Zeithaml
and Bitner (1996) Services Marketing, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies]
From other sources:
Alaska Airlines: For the Same Price, You Just Get More... [Harvard Business School Case,
9-800-004, 2000]
Golden Arch Hotel: McDonald’s Adventure in the Hotel Industry [American Graduate School of
International Management (Thunderbird) Case, A02-05-0017, 2005]
