Service Quality, Standards, and Branding Flashcards

A comprehensive collection of 100 vocabulary flashcards covering service quality standards, gap analysis models, control charts, Six Sigma methodology, service blueprinting, service branding, and flower of service concepts.

Service Quality (Operations-Driven)

Quality defined by conformance to internally developed specifications that are tightly aligned with productivity and cost-containment goals.

Productivity

Using resources efficiently to deliver services.

Profitability

The financial gain achieved when service quality is high and productivity is improved.

Service Quality-Productivity-Profit Triangle

A model showing the interconnected relationships and potential trade-offs or alignments between service quality, productivity, and profitability.

Functional Quality

Christian Grönroos's term for the process of service delivery.

Technical Quality

Christian Grönroos's term for the actual outcome or output of the service.

Perceived Service Quality

The result of an evaluation process where customers compare their perceptions of service delivery and outcome against their expectations.

Gap Model of Service Quality

A framework proposed by A. Parasuraman, Valarie Zeithaml, and Leonard L. Berry in $1985$ identifying major satisfaction gaps in service delivery.

Knowledge Gap (Gap 1)

The difference between customer needs/expectations and management's definition of those needs.

Standards Gap (Gap 2)

The difference between management's definition of customer needs and the translation into design or delivery specifications (also called the Policy Gap).

Delivery Gap (Gap 3)

The difference between service design/delivery specifications and the actual execution of those specifications.

Internal Communications Gap (Gap 4)

The difference between advertising and sales promises made to customers and the actual service delivered.

Perceptions Gap (Gap 5)

The difference between actual service execution and customer perceptions of that service execution.

Interpretation Gap (Gap 6)

The difference between communication promises made by the firm and the customer's interpretation of those communications.

Service Gap (Gap 7)

The overall gap representing customer experience relative to expectations, which is the accumulated outcome of closing Gaps 1 through 5.

Soft Service Quality Measures

Qualitative standards that cannot be easily observed directly and must be collected by talking to customers or employees, such as courtesy and trustworthiness.

Hard Service Quality Measures

Process activities and outcomes that can be counted, timed, or measured, such as delivery time or response time.

Key Objectives of Customer Feedback Systems

Assessment and benchmarking of service quality, customer-driven learning and improvements, and creating a customer-oriented service culture.

Customer Feedback Collection Tools

Tools used to collect customer data, including total market surveys, annual surveys, transactional surveys, service feedback cards, mystery shopping, unsolicited feedback, focus group discussions, and service reviews.

Control Chart

A tool used to bring a process into a state of statistical control by understanding and reducing process variation.

Dr. Walter A. Shewhart

A Bell Laboratories engineer who introduced the basic concept of control charts in the $1920\text{'s}$.

Fishbone Diagram

A visual technique representing cause-and-effect relationships, named for its structural resemblance to a fish skeleton.

Kaoru Ishikawa

The creator of the cause-and-effect (fishbone) diagram.

Fishbone Diagram Main Categories

The six primary cause branches: Manpower, Material, Machine, Measurement, Method, and Mother Nature.

Pareto Principle

The rule stating that for various cases, $80\%$ of consequences come from $20\%$ of the causes.

Vilfredo Pareto

The Italian economist and sociologist after whom the Pareto Distribution and $80-20$ Rule are named.

Pareto Diagram

A bar chart that arranges causes from highest to lowest frequency combined with a cumulative percentage line to identify primary problem drivers.

Service Blueprint

An applied process chart showing the service delivery process step-by-step from the customer's perspective.

Customer Actions (Service Blueprint)

All of the explicit steps that customers take as part of the service delivery process.

Onstage/Visible Contact Employee Actions

Actions taken by service contact employees that are directly visible to the customer.

Backstage/Invisible Contact Employee Actions

Actions taken by service contact employees behind the scenes, separated from customer view by the line of visibility.

Support Processes (Service Blueprint)

Internal operations and support activities required for contact employees to deliver service.

Physical Evidence (Service Blueprint)

Tangible items and service environments that customers and employees come into contact with during service delivery.

Line of Interaction

The blueprint boundary separating customer actions from onstage employee actions.

Line of Visibility

The blueprint boundary separating onstage visible contact employee actions from backstage invisible contact employee actions.

Line of Internal Interaction

The blueprint boundary separating contact employee actions from internal support processes.

Return on Quality (ROQ)

An approach assessing quality expenditures under the assumption that quality is a financial investment that must produce sensible financial returns.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A manufacturing and service improvement approach originally developed in Japan to attain service excellence, increase productivity, and innovate processes.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

An organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, comprising $162$ member countries that promotes global standardization to facilitate international trade.

ISO 9000 Definition of Quality

The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy a stated or implied need.

Six Sigma

A structured, data-driven system developed by Motorola to improve quality, eliminate defects, and optimize business processes.

DMAIC Model

The Six Sigma process improvement methodology consisting of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control phases.

Define Phase (DMAIC)

The Six Sigma step focused on clarifying the problem, process, scope, and project goals.

Measure Phase (DMAIC)

The Six Sigma step focused on quantifying the problem and mapping out the current process.

Analyze Phase (DMAIC)

The Six Sigma step focused on analyzing data to determine the root causes of defects or problems.

Improve Phase (DMAIC)

The Six Sigma step focused on implementing solutions to solve root causes and verifying performance gains.

Control Phase (DMAIC)

The Six Sigma step focused on sustaining gains through ongoing standard procedures and continuous monitoring.

White Belt (Six Sigma)

The introductory Six Sigma belt level focusing on foundational Six Sigma ideals.

Yellow Belt (Six Sigma)

A Six Sigma belt level demonstrating a solid understanding of basic principles and practical applications.

Green Belt (Six Sigma)

A Six Sigma belt level possessing training and practical experience in advanced statistical analysis techniques.

Black Belt (Six Sigma)

A Six Sigma belt level qualified to lead project teams, analyze complex problems, and train members in Six Sigma concepts.

Master Black Belt (Six Sigma)

A high-level Six Sigma belt level that manages projects, advises black/green belts, and shapes overall company strategy.

Champion (Six Sigma)

The organizational leadership role responsible for guiding and driving Six Sigma initiatives across the business.

Malcolm-Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA)

A quality recognition award developed by NIST to promote best practices in quality management among US firms.

NIST

National Institute of Standards and Technology, the body responsible for developing the Malcolm-Baldrige National Quality Award.

European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM)

A widely used European quality assessment framework comparable to the US Malcolm-Baldrige award.

Malcolm-Baldrige Assessment Areas

The seven evaluation criteria: Leadership, Planning, Information and Analysis, Human Resources Management, Process Management, Customer and Market Focus, and Business Results.

Service Product

A bundle of physical and intangible performance elements that combinedly create value for customers.

Core Product

The central component of a service product that supplies the primary problem-solving benefit or desired experience.

Supplementary Services

Services that augment the core product, facilitating its delivery and enhancing its overall value and appeal.

Delivery Process

The system design addressing how service components are delivered, customer roles, delivery duration, and overall service style.

Service Branding

A strategic approach used by service providers to emphasize intangible service benefits and reduce perceived consumer risk.

Brand Architecture Models

Strategic frameworks used to organize parent brands, sub-brands, and offerings under a single structure.

Branded House

A brand architecture where the parent organization acts as the master brand across all sub-brands using unified descriptor names (e.g., Google).

House of Brands

A brand architecture where a parent company owns a collection of distinct, standalone individual brands targeting different segments (e.g., Procter & Gamble).

Endorsed Brand

A brand architecture where the individual product brand dominates, but receives support and endorsement from the master corporate brand.

Sub-brands

Defined product lines within a parent brand that maintain their own identity while aligning with parent brand values (e.g., Nike Air Jordan).

Brand Equity

The total perceived value, image, and recognition built by a brand over time through customer experiences and marketing.

Service Branding Model Elements

The model comprising presented brand, external communications, customer experience, brand awareness, brand meaning, and brand equity.

Brand Promise

The core value proposition and emotional experience offered by a firm to guide every aspect of customer interaction.

Flower of Service Model

A visual framework depicting a core service surrounded by petals of facilitating and enhancing supplementary services.

Facilitating Supplementary Services

Supplementary elements required for service delivery or aiding in the use of the core product.

Enhancing Supplementary Services

Supplementary elements that add extra value, appeal, and customization to the core product.

Information (Flower of Service)

A facilitating supplementary service providing details needed to obtain and use the product or service.

Order Taking (Flower of Service)

A facilitating supplementary service allowing customers to check availability, place orders, or make reservations.

Billing (Flower of Service)

A facilitating supplementary service providing accurate, clear, and intelligible account statements.

Payment (Flower of Service)

A facilitating supplementary service making financial transactions easy, convenient, and prompt for customers.

Consultation (Flower of Service)

An enhancing supplementary service offering tailored advice, counseling, and dialogue specific to individual customer requirements.

Hospitality (Flower of Service)

An enhancing supplementary service reflecting warm reception, courtesy, and care for customers as welcome guests.

Safekeeping (Flower of Service)

An enhancing supplementary service providing care for physical possessions brought to the service site by customers.

Exceptions (Flower of Service)

An enhancing supplementary service handling special requests, non-routine situations, complaints, and service recovery.

Intangibility

The service characteristic where services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled prior to purchase.

Inseparability

The service characteristic where service creation and consumption cannot be separated from the service provider.

Variability

The service characteristic where quality varies depending on who provides the service, along with where, when, and how it is provided.

Perishability

The service characteristic where service capacity cannot be stored or saved for future sale or use.

Price Strategy (Services)

Setting clear, confident pricing structures and adapting strategies across various service tiers to retain customers.

Product Mix Strategy

Developing a structured line of varied service offerings rather than relying on a single standalone service.

Promotion Mix Strategy

Utilizing personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, and publicity to inform target markets about service features.

Distribution Strategy

Selecting suitable locations and channels to efficiently connect service producers with consumers.

People Strategy

Investing in employee skills, intelligence, training, and motivation to consistently achieve organizational service goals.

Physical Strategy

Managing the operational processes and environment in which services are delivered based on service characteristics.

Main Areas of Brand Building

The four main areas: Market Research, Positioning, Development, and Integrated Communication.

Main Steps in Branding Process

The key sequential tasks: Name Selection, Logo Design, Brand Protection, Brand Identity Development, Monitoring, and Rebranding.

Trademark

A legal protection registration that secures product/brand names to prevent competitors from selling under identical names.

Copyright

Legal protection awarded to original works of authorship (such as logos, music, or written text) preventing unauthorized use or display.

Patent

A legal right granted to inventors excluding others from making, using, or selling an invention for a specified time period.

Intellectual Property

Legal assets consisting of creations like logos, identities, processes, and original works protected by patents, copyright, and trademarks.

Logo

The graphic mark, emblem, or symbol representing an organization in its simplest and most recognizable form.

Brand Identity

The cohesive set of tangible physical elements (business cards, ads, uniforms, website, store design) that customers touch and observe.

Brand (vs Identity/Logo)

The overall concept and emotional relationship representing what people feel and think when experiencing a company.