Verified Document

Marketing Comparing Two Measures Of Term Paper

Marketing

Comparing Two Measures of Customer Quality

In comparing two distinct measures of quality from the customers' perceptive, there is a wealth of "hard metrics" or those that are easily quantified and measured over time. This collection of metrics often form the foundation of Total Quality Management initiatives to streamline and make customer-facing processes and programs more efficient (Terziovski, 2006). The heavy reliance marketing and services companies have on metrics and key performance indicators that are leading to the development of dashboards for managing the quantifiable aspects of a company are gaining in popularity. Marketing's role in being accountable for service performance is one of the main factors driving this en masse adoption of dashboards.

In contrast, there are many factors and attributes of customer service that are "soft" or not as easily measured and reported on dashboards. These factors are in fact the essence of transforming the intangible aspects of service into tangible benefits. As a result of their not being as quantifiable they are often ignored and therefore much more difficult to sustain as competitive advantages in many services businesses (Vandermerwe, 1994). Ironically however these are the most critical aspects of any service encounter as they are the most memorable moments of any customer purchasing a service. While they defy quantification, these "soft" factors are those that make customers loyal, companies profitable, and reflect positively on a culture of putting customers first in any organization. The bottom line is that for any service business to be effectively managed, both the "hard" metrics need to be monitored yet the "soft" measures of performance are where the greatest potential for differentiation from competitors is, in addition to the opportunity to create legendary service, thereby earning customers for life.

Bibliography

Terziovski, M (2006). Quality management practices and their relationship with customer satisfaction and productivity improvement. Management Research News, 29(7), 414-424. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1105565451).

Vandermerwe, S (1994). Quality in services: The "softer" side is "harder" (and smarter). Long-Range Planning, 27(2), 45. Retrieved March 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 881043).

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Financial Analysis Suppose You Are Comparing Two
Words: 572 Length: 2 Document Type: Other

Financial Analysis Suppose you are comparing two firms within an industry. One is large and the other is small. Will relative or absolute numbers be of more value in each case? What kinds of statistics can help evaluate relative size? Gibson, Charles H. (2012-05-10). Financial Reporting and Analysis (Page 217). Cengage Textbook. Kindle Edition. When comparing two firms that are unequal in size, the relative financial ratios are more appropriate for any type

Marketing Decisions and Strategies Embraced
Words: 1836 Length: 6 Document Type: Business Proposal

This he can do by engaging in extensive advertising, public relations, sales promotion, personal selling, internet marketing, and sponsorship. Depending on the resources available, the client can use any form of mass media that is within his means. He can also go for the services of public relation companies to obtain favorable publicity within the media. The client can also make use of money off coupons or special offers

Marketing Company G. Wishes to Launch a
Words: 1841 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Marketing Company G. wishes to launch a line of small appliances. The marketing plan is designed to guide the process of bringing that line to market. The line will initially begin with a couple of products, but will eventually expand to fill a broad portfolio of products. Within Company G, the small appliances line has been developed not only to take advantage of an opportunity in the market, but is designed

Marketing Plan the Project Is
Words: 8576 Length: 28 Document Type: Research Proposal

Once the report is analyzed, we have a sense of how the SWOT will shape up. However, this must be supplemented with sources that have less bias. For a company analysis, this tends to be the financial news, of which there are dozens of quality sources. Academic research seldom provides sufficient or timely insight into a company's operations, but may have value for broad-based issues. The insurance industry, for example,

Marketing Plan: Dropbox
Words: 2057 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Marketing Plan Item Page Product Description Value proposition 3 Features and Benefits Target market Competitive Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Marketing objectives Measures Pricing strategy Distribution strategy Marketing promotion The Budget Sales Forecast Table 5.1.2 Marketing Expense Budget The founders of Dropbox Inc. have formulated this three-year marketing plan with an aim of securing additional funding for growth as well as to inform potential investors, as well as existing customers of not only the service's direction but also its current status. Initiated only six years ago, Dropbox has

Marketing Plan This Marketing Plan
Words: 4494 Length: 15 Document Type: Marketing Plan

The company tried breakfast food with little success, and failed at branching out into music as well. Overall, there is little evidence that Starbucks can be anything other than a coffee company. Despite the weaknesses, there are a number of great opportunities in the market. The best is the opportunity that Starbucks is already pursuing in emerging markets. There is a strong focus on Asia and the Middle East. The

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now