SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Teaching Services Marketing:Practicing What You Preach!

Dwayne D. GremlerBowling Green State University

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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What Do We Preach?

• Customer Expectations

• Customizing Services

• Co-Production

• Service Quality

• Service Guarantees

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Customer Expectations

• Setting Expectations realistic service preview

first day – detailed overview of syllabus some students self-select out of the class

reducing anxiety and uncertainty essay exam study questions provided one week in advance a subset of questions selected

• Exceeding Customer Expectations first day – punch & cookies course web site PowerPoint overheads

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Customizing Service Delivery• Students select teams (for in-class assignments)• Students select from a choice of assignments

service encounter journal international service watch company complaint letter & analysis service blueprint new service development case analysis

• Students select from among questions on the exam select four questions to answer from among six

• Students evaluate themselves on their class participation each student assigns his/her own class participation score

and justifies it with a one-page paper

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Co-Production

• Student Presentations students identify business press articles and new services

of relevance to the course

• Discussion Questions (on course web) students can anticipate (and prepare for) what will be

discussed in class

• Customer Roles in Service Delivery Instructor as student!!!

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Co-Production Role Reversal

• Instructor as student:

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Service Quality• Reliability

do what you promise! come early to class, keep your office hours, always be prepared,

hold to dates in syllabus as much as possible• Responsiveness

provide next day turnaround on evaluation of assignments, exams, quizzes, etc.

• Assurance know what you are taking about…be prepared, be confident

• Empathy learn students’ names

• Tangibles pay attention to classroom, lighting/temperature, syllabi use stamps!

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Service Guarantees

• Service Guarantee = a formal promise made to customers about the service they will receive

(Zeithaml and Bitner 1996)

• Why provide a service guarantee in the classroom? (the ultimate way to) practice what we preach learning exercise accountability WOW! factor reach disillusioned students competitive advantage/differentiation

(Gremler and McCollough 1997; McCollough and Gremler 1999)

Service Guarantee 

Business 327 – Services MarketingDr. Dwayne D. Gremler, Instructor

Spring Semester, 2000 

If you are dissatisfied with the instructor’s performance you are entitled to receive your money back. 

-- Terms -- 1. The student must be a “good customer” and not abuse the product.  2. This guarantee covers the instructor's performance. The instructor is not responsible for occurrences outside his control. Such events include, but are not limited to, student illness, personal emergencies, or financial hardship that may require the student to withdraw from the class or the university. Likewise, the activities of other students are not guaranteed. 3. This guarantee does not apply to the student’s satisfaction with his/her final course grade.  4. A student invoking the guarantee will receive his/her earned grade and credit for the course.  5. The guarantee may be invoked by submitting, in person, a written request to the instructor or to C. Randall Byers (Chair, Department of Business). Students who wish to remain anonymous to the instructor may do so.

Offer void after July 1, 2000

SERVSIG Services Marketing Consortium – October 2001 - Dwayne D. Gremler

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Services Marketing Syllabi

• SERVSIG Web Site:

http://www.gremler.net/SERVSIG/Syllabi/List.htm