Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach

Perreault−McCarthy: Basic
Marketing: A
Global−Managerial
Approach, 14/e

19. Implementing and
    Controlling Marketing
    Plans: Evolution and
    Revolution

Text © The McGraw−Hill

Companies, 2002

Implementing and Controlling Marketing Plans: Evolution and Revolution 557

that by posting signs that show how long the wait will likely be, it reduced cus-

tomer frustration. And it allowed people to know how to pick another ride with

less waiting time.

Customers often tolerate a delay and remain satisfied with the service when they

are given a full explanation. Most airline passengers seethe at the announcement

of a takeoff delay but are happy to wait and stay safe if they know the delay is caused

by a thunderstorm high over the airport.

Implementation usually involves some routine services and some that require spe-

cial attention. Customer satisfaction increases when the two types of service

encounters are separated. For example, banks set up special windows for commercial

deposits and supermarkets have cash-only lines. In developing the marketing plan,

it’s important to analyze the types of service customers will need and plan for both

types of situations. In some cases, completely different strategies may be required.

Increasingly, firms try to use computers and other equipment to handle routine

services. ATMs are quick and convenient for dispensing cash. American Airlines’

Dial a Flight system allows customers to use a touchtone phone to check schedules

and arrival times—without the need for an operator. Similarly, the UPS website

(www.ups.com) makes it easy for customers to check the status of a delivery.

Firms that study special service requests can use training so that even unusual

customer requests become routine to the staff. Every day, hotel guests lose their keys,

bank customers run out of checks, and supermarket shoppers leave their wallets at

home. A well-run service operation anticipates these special events so service

providers can respond in a way that satisfies customers’ needs.

Quality implementation—whether in a service activity or in another activity—

doesn’t just happen by itself. Managers must show that they are committed to doing

things right to satisfy customers and that quality is everyone’s job. Without top-level

support, some people won’t get beyond their business-as-usual attitude—and TQM

won’t work. The top executive at American Express had his board of directors give

him the title Chief Quality Officer so that everyone in the company would know

he was personally involved in the TQM effort.

Separate the routine

and plan for the special

Pozzi wants its artisans to be

proud of the high-quality

windows they produce, so they

often have their photos taken

with their handiwork before it’s

shipped. Balboa wants producers

of spas to know that its controls

meet ISO 9001 quality standards

and that, as a supplier, it is

dedicated to satisfying the needs

of the spa producer’s final

consumers.

Managers lead the

quality effort