市场营销毕业论文外文翻译--提高服务质量的十项建议

市场营销毕业论文外文翻译--提高服务质量的十项建议市场营销毕业论文外文翻译--提高服务质量的十项建

议

Ten Lessons for Improving Service Quality

Leonard Berry, A. Parasuraman, and Valarie Zeithaml, 2003 [03-104] Between 1983 and 1993, Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml conducted a comprehensive, five-phase study of service quality in America under the sponsorship of the Marketing Science Institute. They have published a series of MSI monographs, journal articles, and several books based on this research. They reflected on their research journey in an MSI commentary that was published in 1993 and republished in 1994 by the Academy of Management Executive, and is now reprinted here. In the preface below they re-visit their reflections of ten years ago.

Preface

Quality service helps a company to imize benefits and minimize burdens for customers―the essence of delivering value. Because it is important to most customers and defies imitation by competitors, quality service offers a key competitive advantage. Indeed, firms in every industry have demonstrated the differentiating power of excellent service. Yet, despite this, price competition seems to dominate company efforts to provide value. The meteoric growth of Wal-Mart Stores―and the tendency of many firms

to lower prices as a first response to softening de mand―has focused so

much marketing energy on price competition that it has become

difficult not to assume that customers care only about price.

A singular focus on price competition means that the firm is competing only on the “burden” component of value and ignoring the “benefit”

component. Rather than investing in quality service to “decommoditize” the business, firms are emphasizing low price which serves to further “commoditize” the business. Service in America would be much improved if managers would embrace one central operating principle: the tougher the price competition in our industry, the more important quality service is to our company―because superb service gives customers non-price

reasons to do business with us.

In 1993, our purpose in writing a commentary was to consider our research findings and experience holistically as a foundation for offering guidelines to managers on improving service.

We presented our guidance in the form of service quality “lessons,” identifying ten that applied across service industries and were essential to service improvement. They are as follows:

1.Lesson of listening ,understand what customers really want

through continuous learning about the expectations and perceptions

of customers and noncustomers e.g...by means of a service quality information system .

2.Lesson of reliability,reliability is the single most important

dimension of service quality and must be a service priority.

3.Lesson of basic service,service companies must deliver the basics and do what they are supposed to do?,keep promises, use common sense, listen to customers informed, and be determined to deliver value to customers.

4.Lesson of service design,develop a holistic view of the service

while managing its many details.

5.Lesson of recovery,to satisfy customers who encounter a service problem, service companies should encourage customers to complain and make it easy for them to do so , respond quickly and personality, and develop a problem resolution system.

6.Lesson of surprising customers,although reliability is the most

important dimension in meeting customers’ service expectations, process

dimensions e.g.. assurance responsiveness, and empathy are most important in exceeding customer expectations, for example, by surprising them with uncommon swiftness, grace, courtesy, competence, commitment, and understanding.

7.Lesson of fair play ,service companies must make special efforts

to be fair and to demonstrate fairness to customers and employees.