Service Reviews Customer Responses to Term Paper

At the second dealership, Carol felt the salesperson respected her knowledge about cars and answered her questions without talking down to her. She was very pleased with her purchase and told the salesperson she would be happy to recommend the dealership to her friends.

Kathy, a plus-sized lady who is sensitive about her size, was shopping for a dress to wear to her son's wedding. She went into an independently-owned dress shop that had come highly recommended. A young saleswoman "breezed by" and told Kathy to let her know if she needed help with anything, then promptly disappeared. Kathy felt overwhelmed by the choices among dresses and left the shop within a few minutes. She drove to David's Bridal, a move she had been resisting because she likes to shop independent stores rather than chains if she can. As soon as she walked in the door, Kathy was greeted by a pleasant young saleswoman who asked questions about the wedding venue, colors for the bridal party, and Kathy's preferences for colors and styles. Kathy tried on several dresses and really appreciated the fact that the saleswoman was objective in her assessments, rather than merely telling Kathy that everything looked wonderful on her. Kathy felt that, with the saleswoman's help, she eventually chose a beautiful dress that was perfectly suited to her taste and body type.

In all three cases, the individuals interviewed were satisfied with service experiences with which they were treated respectfully.They each felt vulnerable, Ken because of his age, Carol because of her gender, and Kathy because of her size. They had positive experiences when they felt accepted and valued, not diminished. As Morrison and Crane (2007) point out, "It is the marketing of services where emotions play a key role." Ken was initially offered a different kind of service than what he requested, i.e., dental implants instead of dentures. For Carol and Kathy, however, the products in their unsuccessful and successful experiences were the same. They could have gotten the car and the dress, respectively, from any number of retailers. Service made the difference.

References

Morrison, S., & Crane, F.G. (2007). Building the service brand by creating and managing an emotional brand experience. Brand Management 14(5), pp.….....