Chapter 12 Customer Service

Chapter Objectives 1.Explain what customer service is and the qualities necessary to providing exceptional customer service 2.Understand why service quality is important to sport managers looking to maximize their organization’s standing in the sport marketplace 3.Identify and describe ways to measure customer service that are useful and easy to understand 4.Identify and describe the consequences of customer service in a sport business marketplace

Defining Customer Service “A series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.” (Turban et al., 2002) – Designed to create and maintain relationships with your customers

Importance of Customer Service Measure of management performance Related to the positioning of the organization Key determinant of ultimate consumer behavior variables such as customer loyalty

Customer Service Qualities

Customer Service Qualities (cont.)

Relationship Marketing “To establish, maintain, enhance and commercialize customer relationships so that the objectives of the parties involved are met. This is done by a mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises. (Gronroos, 1990, p. 5)” An on-going process that goes beyond short term gain and extends to repeated usage

Improving Customer Relationships Conduct regular surveys with your customer database to ensure that you understand the current challenges and needs of your market. Integrate customer feedback as much as possible in order to improve your products and services. Understand the power of social media (yes, even parks and recreation departments should have a social media presence) and maintain active profiles on the major social networking sites. Have effective feedback systems in place. Use a reliable customer relationship management strategy.

Improving Customer Relationships (cont.) Conduct regular training sessions for all members of your staff to ensure that proper customer service practices are being used in every customer encounter. Stay on the cutting edge of new technologies in your field. Embrace high-tech, but ALWAYS maintain “high- touch” by personally (not , text, or social media message) reaching out to your partners, vendors, and customers. Strive for a high customer satisfaction rate. Consistently go out of your way to let your customers know how much your organization values them (beyond their financial contributions).

Ways to Measure Customer Service and Service Quality SERVQUAL: Measures the service quality of sport facilities and events TEAMQUAL: Measure the performance of ticket takers, ticket ushers, merchandisers, concessionaires, and customer representatives SPORTSERV: Assess perceptions of service quality among sport spectators – Tangibles, responsiveness, access, security, and reliability

Ways to Measure Customer Service and Service Quality (cont.) Scale of Event Quality in Spectator Sports (SEQSS) – Game quality (C): Refers to fan perceptions about the excellence of game performance (excitement, drama, etc.) by the athletes/participants – Augmented service quality (P): Refers to the quality perceptions of the of the secondary products offered in conjunction with the event (in- game entertainment, music, concessions, etc.)

Ways to Measure Customer Service and Service Quality (cont.) – Interaction quality (P): Focuses on how the product or service is delivered – Outcome quality (P): What the consumer receives as a result of this interaction with a sport or leisure organization (socialization, overall evaluation of experience; can be tied to outcome of event, enjoyment, etc.) – Physical environment quality (P): Perceptions of facility ambience, design feature, and quality and use of signage/symbols

Outcomes of Service Encounters Satisfaction – “The positive perceptions or feelings an individual forms, elicits or gains as a result of engaging in activities of their choosing” (Beard & Ragheb, 1980). – Five elements of personal satisfaction Reliability Tangibles Responsiveness Assurance Empathy

Outcomes of Service Encounters (cont.) Loyalty and repatronage – Four stages of loyalty Cognitive stage Affective stage Conative loyalty Action stage