Part 5 Ch11 Employee's roles in service delivery

Question 1

3 Drivers and challenges for service culture

Answer 1

1. Exhibiting service leadership
2. Developing service culture
3. Transporting service culture

Question 2

Exhibiting service leadership

Answer 2

Leaders should embody (service) values, beliefs through their doings, because culture is what employees perceived that management really believes.

Question 3

Developing service culture

Answer 3

Constantly striving for service and
attitude toward details.
It takes year to build a true service culture and to shift the organization from its old patterns to new ways of doing (service) business

Question 4

Transporting service culture

Answer 4

International business expansion require understanding of local diversities (e.g. legal, cultural and languages)
because services depend massively
on human interactions

Question 5

The Critical Importance of Service Employees

Answer 5

• They are the service (e.g., haircutting).
• They are the organization in the customer’s eyes (e.g., restaurant or flight companies).
• They are the brand (e.g., Ikea).
• They are the part-time marketers (i.e., product, price, promotion, place).
• Their importance is evident in:
• The services marketing mix (people).
• The service-profit chain.
• The services triangle.

Question 6

The effect of employee on service quality

Answer 6

Customer´s perception on service quality is influenced by customer-oriented behaviours of front-line employees.

Question 7

5 key dimensions of service quality

Answer 7

• Reliability: critical for making sure things are as they should
• Responsiveness: willingness to help
• Assurance: inspire trust and confidence
• Empathy: listening, caring, understanding
• Tangibles: appearance and decor

Question 8

Boundary spanners

Answer 8

The front-line employees
They are the “link” between the external customer - environment - the internal operations of the organizations

Question 9

What these jobs are like?

Answer 9

1. Emotional labour
2. Many sources of potential conflict:
   * Person/role.
   * Organization/client.
   * Inter-client.
3. Quality/productivity tradeoffs.

Question 10

Emotional labour

Answer 10

Labour that goes beyond the physical or mental skills needed to deliver quality service.
- Delivering smile
- Making eye contact
- Showing sincere interest
- Engaging in friendly conversations

Question 11

Strategies for Managing Emotional Labour

Answer 11

• Screen for emotional labour abilities in the (potential) employee.
• Teach emotional management skills and appropriate behaviours (routines and professionalism).
• Construct the physical environment to reduce stress.
• Allow employees to “air” their views (sharing frustrations).
• Put management in the front line (working alongside with employees).
• Give employees a break (rotation strategy, team-building).
• Hand over demanding customers to managers (problem escalations).

Question 12

3 Sources of conflict

Answer 12

• PERSON/ROLE CONFLICTS
  (human values/beliefs contrasting the nature of service or human being)
• ORGANIZATION/CLIENT CONFLICTS
  (organization interests and client interests)
• INTER/CLIENT CONFLICTS
  (incompatible expectations both customer and organization)