Marketing: An Introduction by Rosalind Masterson & David Pickton

Author:Rosalind Masterson & David Pickton [Masterson, Rosalind]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781446297650
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2014-03-25T04:00:00+00:00

SERVICES ARE INCONSISTENT

Physical products aim for consistency in quality, packaging and features and many can rely on advanced manufacturing equipment to help them deliver it. Even physical products are not infallibly the same though. Flaws in ingredients or components may have an adverse effect on manufactured goods. Nature is not always as bothered about consistency as some fussy humans are either – fruit and vegetables come in various shapes and sizes, and often with blemishes despite farmers’ best efforts with pesticides. The EU has rules about the shape of some produce, there was a media fuss about the requirement for straight cucumbers not long ago, and supermarkets demand standard sizes and shapes and have had a major influence on which varieties are grown and sold. Sometimes inconsistencies are viewed positively, as in home-baked goods, where the slightly irregular shapes are proof that they are genuinely hand prepared, but usually standardisation is preferred.

The issue of consistency is even more pronounced for service products. Variability is inherently part of services. They are difficult to standardise. The intangibility of services means that we cannot know exactly what we are getting until it is too late. We can try on clothes to see if they fit. However, if we ask a plumber to mend a leak for us, we will not know whether we are going to receive a good service until after it has been performed. Only then can we tell if the leak is fixed. This is so much more risky and one of the ways that customers reduce the risk is by relying on past performance as a guide to the future (something that the financial services adverts point out that you should never do). If the plumber did a good job last time, we assume that this job will also be good. If our expectations are not met, if the standard of work is inconsistent, then we will be unhappy with it, and possibly protracted and bitter arguments and negotiations will ensue. It is not a question of just putting the trousers back on the rail and trying another pair, the quality of the work is often a matter of judgement.

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