Service Brands are not built through mass media but the 3Ps of Service Marketing. Read on to learn more..

1. The real Gurus of Customer
Centricity

2. The real Gurus of Customer
Road Side Cobbler
Knows his customers one on
one - all based on trust
(probably runs a frequent
buyer program)

3. The real Gurus of
Customer
Neighborhood Tobacconist
Has unique customer ids, credit
ratings, special offers, discount de
home delivers and runs long term
relationship programs with top en
customers - all manually

4. The real Gurus of
Customer
Around the Corner Laundry Service
Highly evolved one to one
marketing techniques - Knows how
to crease your trousers in that
special way, picks up and home
delivers - has a credit facility and
what’s more gets his kid to clean
your car for free !!

5. The real Gurus of CRM Neighborhood Grocer
Runs the most efficient CRM
program - Has more refined
customer knowledge than some
of our sophisticated data
vendors

6. Consider the
following…

7. Why do we love our favorite bookstore?
A
 Largest collection of
books
 The best rates in town
 The most convenient
location in town
 The best advertising
amongst all
B
 People know me there,
even remember my name
 Go the extra mile to help
me find my book
 Go the extra mile to help
me get my book
 They understand my
taste, and make good
recommendations too!
 The best service in town
OR

8. Why do we hate airlines more? Is it
because…
A
 Their planes are awfully
old?
 They have lesser
legroom?
 The lounge area looks
pathetic?
 The seats are very
uncomfortable?
B
 It delayed / cancelled
flights?
 The staff behaved rudely
with us?
 They lost our baggage?
 They had to be reminded
3 times before they got
our coffee / suits?
 They refused to redeem
our loyalty points?
(We love them for these same set of reasons,
when we get a favorable response)
OR

9. Truth about Brands in a
Service Economy
“Consumers aren’t loyal to the company that
provides the service, they are loyal to the
people who provide them the service.”

10. It’s so true about
finance brands
They are all service brands
- Intangible products, lots of
and continuous consumer
interactions

11. To what extent would our
impressions of finance brands be
impacted by…
…TV Advertising?
…Print Advertising?
…Radio Advertising?
…Direct Mailers?
…Easy-to-remember toll-free numbers?

12. To what extent would our
impressions of finance brands be
impacted by…
…The telemarketer pestering us?
…The insurance advisor who we meet?
…The person on the helpline?
…The customer care officer who went the extra mile?
…The timely reminders on mail / SMS?

13. There’s more to finance brands
than brand communication

14. Because it’s all about people:
people delivering the service and
people consuming the service

15. Delivering to Customer

16. The 3 additional P’s of customer
centricity for service brands
 People
 How are the employees, sales, after-sales and
customer service staff of your company handling your
company brand?
 Process
 How are the rules, procedures and systems of your
company handling your brand?
 Physical Evidence
 How is the physical evidence (your forms, account
statements, etc.) of your service handling your brand?

17. People
 Does the staff know and feel the
difference in their service versus the
competition?
 Does the staff believe in customer
centricity and its values?
 Is the staff empowered to customize and
deliver the service to its different
customers?

18. Even the telemarketer
who mispronounces a customer’s
name, contributes to quality of
service delivered
Ditto for the customer service representative,
who says he does not have the authority
to modify the database information

19. Process
 Does the process allow for customization?
 Is it customer-friendly?
 Is it employee-friendly?
 Is it in sync with the overall brand
promise?
 Is there a service recovery process / plan?

20. Is the process a hurdle or an
enabler of the brand’s promise of
‘fast service’?
Or is the company policy coming in the way of flexibility in
options enjoyed by the customer for paying premium?

21. Physical Evidence
 Do the application / claim forms make life
easy or difficult for the customer?
 Are the account statements and
documents easy to understand?
 How many asterisks are there next to the
brand’s promise?