64  Service Marketing

64.1 What is Service Marketing?

Service = any act or performance that one party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything — Kotler. Service Marketing is the area of marketing dealing with services. Christopher Lovelock, Valarie Zeithaml, A. Parasuraman, Leonard Berry are the foundational scholars.

Services contribute over 53 % of India’s GDP and 60-70 % of global GDP.

64.2 Characteristics of Services — The 4 Is

TipFour characteristics of services
Characteristic Implication
Intangibility Cannot be seen, touched before purchase
Inseparability Produced and consumed simultaneously
Heterogeneity / Variability Quality varies by provider, time, place
Perishability Cannot be stored for later use

A 5th is sometimes added — Lack of Ownership.

64.3 Services Marketing Mix — 7 Ps

Booms & Bitner (1981) added three Ps to McCarthy’s 4 Ps for services:

Tip7 Ps of Services Marketing
  • Product — service offering.
  • Price.
  • Place — service delivery.
  • Promotion.
  • People — employees and customers.
  • Process — service delivery procedures.
  • Physical Evidence — tangible cues (servicescape, uniforms, brochures).

64.4 Servicescape — Mary Jo Bitner (1992)

TipBitner’s Servicescape dimensions
  • Ambient conditions — temperature, music, scent.
  • Spatial layout and functionality.
  • Signs, symbols, artefacts.

64.5 Service Quality — SERVQUAL

Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (PZB, 1985, 1988) — the SERVQUAL model — service quality is the gap between expectations and perceptions across 5 dimensions (RATER):

TipSERVQUAL — RATER dimensions
  • Reliability — accurate, dependable.
  • Assurance — knowledge, courtesy, trust.
  • Tangibles — physical facilities, appearance.
  • Empathy — caring, individualised attention.
  • Responsiveness — willingness to help, prompt.

Originally 10 dimensions (1985) reduced to 5 (RATER) in 1988.

64.6 Service Quality Gaps Model — Parasuraman et al. (1985)

TipFive service quality gaps
  • Gap 1 — Customer expectations vs Management perceptions.
  • Gap 2 — Management perceptions vs Service quality specifications.
  • Gap 3 — Service quality specifications vs Service delivery.
  • Gap 4 — Service delivery vs External communications.
  • Gap 5 — Customer expectations vs Customer perceptions (overall service-quality gap).

64.7 Service Profit Chain — Heskett (1997)

James Heskett, Earl Sasser, Leonard Schlesinger — The Service Profit Chain (1997). Links internal service quality → employee satisfaction → employee retention & productivity → external service value → customer satisfaction → customer loyalty → revenue growth & profitability.

64.8 Service Delivery Models

TipLovelock’s classification of services
  • By nature of service act — Tangible vs Intangible × People vs Things.
  • By relationship — Continuous (subscription) vs Discrete.
  • By customisation — High vs Low.
  • By demand — Peaks vs Steady.
  • By delivery — Customer goes to provider; provider goes to customer; remote.

64.9 Customer Expectations and Zones of Tolerance

TipLevels of expectation
  • Desired service — what customers hope to get.
  • Adequate service — minimum acceptable.
  • Predicted service — what they expect to actually get.
  • Zone of Tolerance — gap between desired and adequate.

64.10 Service Recovery

TipService recovery
  • Service recovery paradox — customers who experience service failure followed by excellent recovery may be more loyal than those who never had a problem.
  • Tax-Brown service recovery process.
  • Hart-Heskett-Sasser recovery framework (1990).

64.11 Indian Service Industry

TipIndian services landscape
  • IT/ITES — TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL.
  • Healthcare — Apollo, Fortis, Aravind Eye Care.
  • Banking — SBI, HDFC, ICICI.
  • Hospitality — Taj, Oberoi, ITC Hotels.
  • Telecom — Jio, Airtel, Vi.
  • Aviation — IndiGo, Air India, Vistara.
  • Retail / E-commerce — Reliance, Flipkart, Amazon India.
  • Logistics — Delhivery, Blue Dart.
  • Education — BYJU’s, Unacademy, IITs/IIMs.
  • Aravind Eye Care — global benchmark for service operations.

64.13 Practice Questions

Q 014 IsEasy

The "4 Is" of services do NOT include:

  • AIntangibility
  • BInseparability
  • CInelasticity
  • DInventory perishability
View solution
Correct Option: C
Intangibility · Inseparability · Heterogeneity · Perishability.
Q 02SERVQUALMedium

SERVQUAL was developed by:

  • AKotler
  • BParasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry
  • CChristopher Lovelock
  • DHeskett
View solution
Correct Option: B
Parasuraman, Zeithaml, Berry (1985, 1988).
Q 03RATERMedium

In RATER, "E" stands for:

  • AEfficiency
  • BEmpathy
  • CExcellence
  • DEndurance
View solution
Correct Option: B
Reliability · Assurance · Tangibles · Empathy · Responsiveness.
Q 047 PsEasy

The 3 additional Ps for services are:

  • APeople · Process · Physical Evidence
  • BPerformance · Promotion · Place
  • CProfit · People · Place
  • DProductivity · Process · Place
View solution
Correct Option: A
Booms & Bitner (1981).
Q 05ServicescapeHard

The Servicescape concept (1992) was developed by:

  • AMary Jo Bitner
  • BBooms
  • CBerry
  • DLovelock
View solution
Correct Option: A
Mary Jo Bitner (1992).
Q 06GapsMedium

PZB's Gap Model identifies how many gaps?

  • A3
  • B4
  • C5
  • D7
View solution
Correct Option: C
Five gaps; Gap 5 is the overall service quality gap.
Q 07SPCMedium

Service Profit Chain (1997) was developed by:

  • AHeskett, Sasser, Schlesinger
  • BPZB
  • CLovelock
  • DBitner
View solution
Correct Option: A
Heskett, Sasser, Schlesinger (1997, HBS).
Q 08PerishabilityEasy

An unsold airline seat is an example of:

  • AIntangibility
  • BInseparability
  • CHeterogeneity
  • DPerishability
View solution
Correct Option: D
Cannot store for next flight → perishable.
Q 09InseparabilityEasy

A haircut is consumed simultaneously with production. This illustrates:

  • AInseparability
  • BPerishability
  • CIntangibility
  • DHeterogeneity
View solution
Correct Option: A
Production and consumption simultaneous.
Q 10India servicesMedium

India's services share of GDP is approximately:

  • A25 %
  • B35 %
  • C53 %+
  • D80 %
View solution
Correct Option: C
Services ~53 %+ of GDP.
Q 11RecoveryMedium

The "Service Recovery Paradox" means:

  • ACustomers always leave after a failure
  • BExcellent recovery can produce loyalty greater than no failure
  • CRecovery is impossible
  • DAll recoveries fail
View solution
Correct Option: B
Strong recovery → high loyalty.
Q 12AravindMedium

Aravind Eye Care is a global benchmark for:

  • ALow-cost high-volume service
  • BLuxury healthcare
  • CTele-medicine only
  • DCosmetic surgery
View solution
Correct Option: A
Cataract surgeries at scale, low cost (Madurai).
Q 13ServitizationHard

Rolls-Royce's "Power by the Hour" model exemplifies:

  • ASubscription services
  • BServitization of products
  • CLeasing
  • DFranchising
View solution
Correct Option: B
Product sold as outcome service (engine uptime).
Q 14Zone of toleranceHard

"Zone of Tolerance" is the range between:

  • AAdequate and desired service
  • BPrice and value
  • CCost and revenue
  • DProfit and loss
View solution
Correct Option: A
Adequate (minimum) ↔ Desired (hoped).
Q 15Servicescape partsMedium

Bitner's Servicescape includes all EXCEPT:

  • AAmbient conditions
  • BLayout and functionality
  • CSigns and artefacts
  • DPricing structures
View solution
Correct Option: D
Pricing is not part of Servicescape.
Q 16HeterogeneityEasy

Service quality varies by provider and time. This is:

  • AIntangibility
  • BPerishability
  • CInseparability
  • DHeterogeneity
View solution
Correct Option: D
Variability across deliveries.
Q 17SDLHard

Service-Dominant Logic (2004) is by:

  • AVargo & Lusch
  • BPZB
  • CHeskett
  • DLovelock
View solution
Correct Option: A
Stephen Vargo & Robert Lusch, JM 2004.
Q 18Gap 1Medium

Gap 1 in PZB is between:

  • ACustomer expectations vs management perception
  • BSpecifications vs delivery
  • CDelivery vs communication
  • DExpectations vs perceptions
View solution
Correct Option: A
Gap 1 — knowledge gap.
Q 19LovelockMedium

Christopher Lovelock's classification considers:

  • ATangible vs intangible × people vs things
  • BPrice × quality
  • CB2B × B2C
  • DPublic vs private
View solution
Correct Option: A
Lovelock's 4-cell service classification.
Q 20Match scholarsHard

Match:

(i) SERVQUAL / Gaps (a) Vargo-Lusch
(ii) Servicescape (b) Heskett et al.
(iii) SDL (c) PZB
(iv) Service Profit Chain (d) Bitner
  • A(i)-(c), (ii)-(d), (iii)-(a), (iv)-(b)
  • B(i)-(a), (ii)-(b), (iii)-(c), (iv)-(d)
  • C(i)-(b), (ii)-(c), (iii)-(d), (iv)-(a)
  • D(i)-(d), (ii)-(a), (iii)-(c), (iv)-(b)
View solution
Correct Option: A
SERVQUAL — PZB; Servicescape — Bitner; SDL — Vargo-Lusch; SPC — Heskett.

64.13.1 Advanced Format Questions

AR 1Assertion-ReasonHard

A: Service marketing requires 7 Ps not just 4.
R: Booms-Bitner added People, Process, Physical evidence.

  • ABoth true; R explains A
  • BBoth true; R does not explain A
  • CA true, R false
  • DA false, R true
View solution
Correct Option: A
S 1Statement-basedMedium

Service characteristics (IHIP): (i) Intangibility. (ii) Heterogeneity. (iii) Inseparability. (iv) Perishability.

  • AAll four
  • B(i) and (ii) only
  • C(iii) and (iv) only
  • D(i) only
View solution
Correct Option: A
S 2Statement-basedHard

SERVQUAL dimensions (Parasuraman): (i) Reliability. (ii) Assurance. (iii) Tangibles. (iv) Empathy. (v) Responsiveness.

  • AAll five (RATER)
  • B(i), (ii), (iii) only
  • C(iv) and (v) only
  • D(iii) only
View solution
Correct Option: A

64.14 Quick Recall

ImportantQuick recall
  • Services = intangible acts (Kotler). India: 53 %+ GDP. Scholars: Lovelock · Zeithaml · PZB · Heskett.
  • 4 Is: Intangibility · Inseparability · Heterogeneity · Perishability (+ Lack of Ownership).
  • 7 Ps (Booms-Bitner 1981): + People · Process · Physical Evidence.
  • Servicescape (Bitner 1992): ambient · spatial · signs/symbols.
  • SERVQUAL (PZB 1985, 1988) RATER: Reliability · Assurance · Tangibles · Empathy · Responsiveness.
  • Gaps Model (PZB 1985) — 5 gaps.
  • Service Profit Chain (Heskett-Sasser-Schlesinger 1997) — internal SQ → satisfied employees → SQ → CSAT → loyalty → profit.
  • Lovelock classification: nature of act · relationship · customisation · demand · delivery.
  • Zone of Tolerance — adequate ↔︎ desired.
  • Service Recovery Paradox.
  • India: IT/ITES, healthcare (Apollo, Aravind), banking, hospitality (Taj), telecom (Jio), aviation (IndiGo), e-commerce, edtech (BYJU’s).
  • Modern: digital · AI · SST · omnichannel · personalisation · servitization (Rolls-Royce) · subscription · SDL (Vargo-Lusch 2004) · CX · voice · AR/VR.