A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z All
Havaldar, Krishna K.
- Exploring a New Dimension of Customer Service and its Impact on Sales Growth and Loyalty
Authors
1 Management Science, School of Business, Alliance University, Karnataka, IN
2 Marketing, School of Business, Alliance University, Karnataka, IN
Source
International Journal on Customer Relations, Vol 2, No 1 (2014), Pagination: 14-22Abstract
The term 'basic customer service' encompasses those services that are provided to customers free of charge, along with the core product and/or service offering. The concept is similar to that of supplementary customer service, developed by Parashuraman (1998).
The primary objectives of the present study are
(1) to examine the characteristics of organisations providing superior basic customer service as opposed to organisations delivering inferior basic customer service, in terms of customer complaint handling systems and culture, and
(2) to analyze the impact of such basic customer service on customer loyalty.
The study is based on primary data collection using a structured questionnaire from a sample of business organisations in Bangalore, India. The sample companies were elicited from a panel of consumers who were asked to identify organisations providing superior basic customer service as opposed to organisations delivering inferior basic customer service, and what elements distinguished these two groups.
Some of the indicative findings are:
(1) Organisations providing superior basic customer service had a higher frequency of daily reviewing of customer complaints (56.7%) than organisations delivering inferior basic customer service (46.9%), but this narrows down when considering weekly review (81.7% and 79.7%, respectively). Thus, establishing a proper and timely customer complaint review system would enable organisations to provide superior basic customer service.
(2) Organisations providing superior basic customer service had inbuilt corrective processes and/or actions for handling customer complaints (88.3%), as opposed to organisations delivering inferior basic customer service (76.6%). Thus, instituting an inbuilt corrective process for handling customer complaints would definitely provide greater satisfaction to the stakeholders and would thereby enable organisations to provide superior basic customer service.
(3) Organisations providing superior basic customer service had a higher frequency of informing customers regarding customer complaint resolution within a day (35.0%) than organisations delivering inferior basic customer service (23.4%), and this gap widens when considering weekly information (58.3% and 42.2%, respectively). Streamlining the process of informing customers on complaint resolution would further enable organisations to provide superior basic customer service.
(4) Organisations providing superior basic customer service fostered a customer-centric culture amongst employees, and in many such organisations it was top management's involvement through periodic review of customer complaints that made the difference. In particular, organisations providing superior basic customer service strongly believe that customer service must be backed with top management commitment, with full employee involvement.
(5) Organisations providing superior basic customer service had a higher rate of customer retention (51.83%) than organisations delivering inferior basic customer service (46.33%). Of course, customer retention/repeat purchase varied considerably with core product/service; superior basic customer service contributed to customer retention by providing a solid foundation for customer relationship.
The study indicates that systems for frequent reviewing of customer complaints, with inbuilt corrective processes for handling customer complaints, and for providing adequate and timely information to customers on their complaints status, and a customer-centric organisational culture are crucial in delivering superior basic customer service, thereby enhancing customer retention and loyalty.
Keywords
Basic Customer Service, Customer Complaint Handling System, Customer-Centric Organisational Culture, Loyalty.
References
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- Establishing and Allocating the Marketing Communications Budget in Indian Organisations
Authors
1 Management Science, School of Business, Alliance University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, IN
2 Marketing, School of Business, Alliance University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, IN
Source
International Journal of Marketing and Business Communication, Vol 3, No 3&4 (2014), Pagination: 81-87Abstract
Two of the most critical decisions facing marketing managers are how much to spend on communications or promotion (i.e. to determine the marketing communications budget), and how to allocate it over the major tools or elements of the communications mix (viz. advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, personal selling, public relations, and publicity).
There are four common methods used by companies to decide on the communications budget. These are the affordable method, the percentage-of-sales method, the competitive parity method, and the objective-and-task method. Many companies employ more than one method to arrive at relatively accurate budget figure.
Companies consider several factors when they allocate the communications budget, including the market size and potential, market share objectives, product market type, product life-cycle stage, and buyer-readiness stage.
The present study is undertaken to understand the usage of different communications budgeting methods and the allocation of the communications budget to the different promotional elements in Indian companies. These are further compared between consumer durables and non-durables, industrial products, and services.
Keywords
Social Media, Customer Complaints, Customer Perceptions, Customer Behaviour.References
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- Buying Attributes for Automotive Products and Banking Services
Authors
1 School of Business, Alliance University, Karnataka, IN
2 Management Science, School of Business, Alliance University, Karnataka, IN
Source
International Journal of Applied Marketing and Management, Vol 2, No 1 (2017), Pagination: 1-8Abstract
A buying decision depends upon certain attributes that a buyer considers before making a choice. The question arises as to whether these attributes are same or different for products and services. This paper examines the buying attributes for automobile two-wheelers and four-wheelers representing product category and banking service representing service sector, and compares them. The buying attributes considered were based on literature review, including quality of core product/service, product/service features, quality of basic customer service, brand name, price, availability, quality of supplementary service;for banking services, location and brand name were also considered.
The most important attribute found when buying an automotive was quality of the core product, followed by product features, quality of basic customer service, brand name, price, availability, and finally, quality of supplementary service. The most important attribute found when availing banking service was quality of the core service, followed by quality of basic customer service, location, quality of supplementary service, and finally, brand name. The paper will help management researchers and professionals in the consumer behaviour area to better understand the buying attributes of consumers for automotive products and banking services. The knowledge of decision-making attributes will benefit marketers who struggle to understand the consumer mind in competitive environment.
Keywords
Buying Attributes, Automotive Product, Banking Service, Core Service, Basic Service, Supplementary Service.References
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