Defining Service

by Claire Belilos, CHIC Hospitality Consulting Services

- Is it the way a company or a clerk answers your questions?
- Is it the way the product is delivered?
- Is it the way a company stands by its guarantees and warranties?
- Is it the way a complaint is registered and resolved?
- Is it the way the product can be used?
- Is it the behaviour and attitude of the employees?

What exactly is service? Before we promise to the customer something that is subject to so many interpretations, maybe we should clarify this term to ourselves.
We can begin by sub-dividing the service concept into four main categories:
- A. The product itself
- B. The quality and service attributes that back the product
- C. The employee as a product
- D. The intangible service.
In order to win and maintain customers, we must know exactly what we are selling and what we can promise. We cannot materialize our market positioning without thoroughly analyzing and preparing our specific class of product and service. We should not make promises unless we are well organized to realize them. Today's customer is a more discerning and demanding customer : What we offer the customer is what the customer expects.
A. The customer expects the product to:
- - answer customer needs
- - be priced reasonably
- - have an aesthetic/attractive appearance
B. The product should be backed by the following quality and service attributes. The customer expects the product to be:
- - available
- - durable/fresh
- - easy to use
- - easy to locate
- - safe
- - accompanied by clear operating instructions/clear explanations
- - subject to an uncomplicated refund policy
- - offer good value
  (value as being the quality of the product & the service in relation to price paid) and carry:
  - additional gimmicks and bonuses
  - guarantees and warrantees.
C. Customers regard employees as our product, from whom they expect the following qualifications:
- - broad general knowledge
- - know-how
- - people skills
- - technical skills
- - competition awareness
- - positive attitude
- - involvement
- - motivation
- - loyalty
- - team-spirit
- - initiative
- - ingenuity
- - punctuality
- - license of responsibility
- - professional presentation
- - cultured language
- - sense of ethics
- - salesmanship.
D. The intangible service is as important to the customer as the product itself. It is experienced the moment it is delivered - before, during, or after a sale. It cannot be recalled. It is the most difficult to define, but for practical purposes we can categorize it as follows:
- - attention to the customer
- - courtesy
- - an atmosphere of hospitality
- - employee's knowledge of the product
- - helpfulness / assistance to customers
- - an interest in customers' opinions and feedback
- - complaints resolution
- - company policies that work for customers and not against them
- - order and cleanliness.
Copyright 1999 - All Rights Reserved by Claire Belilos. This article is not to be sold, uploaded, used for public viewing, reproduced or distributed in any form or manner without the author's written permission.

Claire Belilos specializes in employee training and development, employee motivation, supervisory coaching, Customer Service, and the design of job, training and evaluation tools. She created and moderates the Customer Service Viewpoints discussion forum at www.visitweb.com/customerservice and can be reached at:

Contact: Claire Belilos
Email: chic @ easytraining.com
Telephone: (604) 687-8442
Web site: http//www.easytraining.com
Mailing Address: #2007-1011 Beach Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V6E 1T8, Canada

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