16-1

MANAGING SERVICE
PROMISES
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Integrated Services Marketing

Communications
 The Need for Coordination in Marketing
Communication

 Key Service Communication Challenges

 Five Categories of Strategies to Match

Service Promises with Delivery
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Provider Gap 4
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Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 4

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Communications and the Services

Marketing Triangle
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Integrated Services Communications

 Integrated Services Communications
 a strategy that carefully integrates all external and internal
communication channels to present a consistent message to
customers
 This means coordination across:
 sales and service people
 print
 Internet
 other forms of tangible communication including the servicescape
 How is this done in services?
 advertising  public relations
 sales presentations  pricing
 service encounters with employees  service guarantees
 servicescape and other tangibles  customer education
 Internet and web presence
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Five Major Approaches to Overcome

Service Communication Channels
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(1) Approaches for Addressing

Service Intangibility
 Use narrative to  Use buzz or viral marketing
demonstrate the service  Leverage social media
experience  Aim messages to
 Present vivid information influencers
 Use interactive imagery  Create advertising that
 Focus on the tangibles generates talk because it is
 Use brand icons to make humorous, compelling, or
the service tangible unique
 Use association, physical  Feature satisfied
representation, customers in the
documentation, and communication
visualization  Generate word-of-mouth
 Feature service employees through employee
in communication relationships
Services Advertising Strategies Matched 16-9

with Properties of Intangibility

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(2) Approaches for Managing Service

Promises

 Create a strong service brand

 Co-ordinate external communication

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Service Branding Model

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(3) Approaches for Managing Customer

Expectations
 Make realistic promises

 Offer service guarantees

 Offer choices

 Create tiered-value service offerings

 Communicate the criteria and levels of

service effectiveness
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(4) Approaches for Managing Customer

Education
 Prepare customers for the service process

 Confirm performance to standards and

expectations

 Clarify expectations after the sale

 Teach customers to avoid peak demand

periods and to seek slow demand periods
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(5) Approaches for Managing Internal

Marketing Communication
 Create effective vertical communications
 Sell the brand inside the company
 Create effective upward communication
 Create effective horizontal communications
 Align back-office and support personnel with
external customers through interaction or
measurement
 Create cross-functional teams of sales, service,
and operations people when developing new
services or engaging in service improvements
 Maintain a customer focus throughout all functions
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Best Practices for Closing the

Communication Gap (Gap 4)
 Employing integrated services marketing
communication strategies around everything
and everyone that sends a message or
signal.
 Manage customer expectations effectively
throughout the experience.
 Develop mechanisms for internal
communication to avoid over-promising and
ensure successful delivery.
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“Relax, It’s FedEx” Campaign

 Campaign objective:
 demonstrate that FedEx’s portfolio of services will help
businesses meet their needs more effectively
 Aimed at all businesses:
 from small businesses to corporate customers
 Integrated marketing communications campaign
involves TV, print, and radio ads
 the message: the reliability that customers have come to
expect is now more certain than ever, so they can “relax”
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FedEx Print Advertisements

Ad copy:

Keeping costs down is the most

important thing.
Right after the 107 other things.
Give your customers what they want, when
they want it with FedEx Ground and the vast
FedEx® transportation portfolio. It's a
variety of services that is sure to meet your
variety of transportation needs. Like giving
you product visibility throughout the delivery
process via FedEx InSight® so you can
increase customer expectations and
customer service all while keeping costs
down. To find out everything we can do for
you call 1.800.Go.FedEx
(1.800.463.3339).

distribution.fedex.com/01

Relax, it's FedEx.

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Sports Sponsorship

 Does not tie in directly with the “Relax, It’s FedEx”

campaign, but increases brand awareness
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FedEx: IMC Campaign Effectiveness

 Consistency of message
 Use narratives to demonstrate service
experience
 Presents vivid information
 Promises what is possible
 Encourages word-of-mouth communication
 Indirectly features service customers
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FedEx: Internal Communications

 Service employees must be well versed in what
ads are promising
 Knowledge of services offered across the
organization
 call centers
 web design
 e-mail response mechanisms
 InSight (new service offered)
 Cross-functional communication
 operations
 public relations/marketing