The way consumers evaluate a service brand depends largely on the extent to which they participate in the delivery of the service. If a yachting enthusiast did not get on too well with an instructor at Club Med, this interaction would affect their view of the brand. When subsequently hiring a dinghy at the end of the course and having difficulties rigging the sail, he may complain to his friends about ageing equipment. Yet the real reason for his problems is that he did not pay proper attention to his instructor.
The level of consumer participation varies across services. In service sectors such as airlines and fast-food restaurants, the level of consumer participation is low, as all that is required is the consumer’s physical presence and the employees of the organization perform the whole service. In sectors such as banking and insurance, consumers participate moderately and provide an input to the service creation through providing information about their physical possessions. When consumers are highly involved in the service, for example participating Weight Watchers, they need to be fully committed and actively participate.
Consumers can be regarded as productive resources and even as partial employees of the service organization, because they provide effort, time and other input for the performance of the service. They are also contributors to the quality and value of the service thereby influencing their assessments about the service brand. Consumers who believe they have played their part well in contributing to the service tend to be more satisfied. The IKEA brand is built on the principle that consumers are willing to be involved in ‘creating’ the service, not just consuming it. Since actively-involved consumers feel the responsibility is theirs when the service turns out to be unsatisfactory, they are particularly pleased when the service provider attempts to redress the problem.
You must know that to involve consumers in the service- delivery process, organizations can implement different strategies which are based on the following three factors –
- Defining the role of consumers
- Recruiting, educating and rewarding consumers
- Managing the consumer mix
The organization needs to determine the level of customer participation by defining the consumer’s job. Some strong brands such as Federal Express and DHL are built on low consumer involvement, as consumers rarely see the service provider’s facilities and have only very brief phone contact with its employees. In these cases, as consumers are minimally involved in the service delivery process and their role is extremely limited, strong service brands can be developed through standardized offerings and precisely defined procedures. On the other hand, for service organizations like business school and health clubs, there are higher levels of consumer participation and more tailored offerings can be developed.
Last but not the least; effective consumer participation may require that consumers go through a process similar to a new company employee-a process of recruitment, education and reward. In telephone banking, consumers are first recruited, and then they receive formal training and information about the service. Only then will they be rewarded with easier access to financial services. Brands such as First Direct have been successful because they have effectively communicated the benefits consumers can gain from their participation. Service brands can be strengthened through an effective management of the mix of consumers who simultaneously experience the service. All major airlines, for example, are aware of the need to separate different segments.
