Services Marketing Integrating Customer Focus

Question: Discuss about theServices Marketing for Integrating Customer Focus. Answer: Introduction: Taking into consideration the marketing mix strategy of Qantas Airways Limited and flag carrier airline of Australia for carrying passengers to and fro and flying under the Qantas brand. Being the largest airline company in Australia, it carries considerable 30 million number of annual passenger in and out (Bienstock, Mentzer Kahn, 2015). Qantas marketplace consists of international and domestic passengers characterized by a cut throat competition. Since the company has a monopoly over the market almost 60 regional locations are serviced by Qantas Link. Despite of its competitors like Virgin Australia, Regional Express Airlines and SkyWest its popularity is unquestionable (FISK, 2013). 3P of Marketing Promotion In the case of marketing mix, promotion provides the trend in aspects of marketing communication. Therefore, absolute information is required in order to generate positive response from customer. In terms of advertising agents like TV, radio, brochures, magazines etc. they reflect the purpose of branding and also using the customized message to hit them at personal level. Another activity like sales promotion is usually consumed during low seasonal changes (Lovelock Patterson, 2015). Moreover social networking and email marketing are getting closer to customer these day, they imprint higher efficiency. PR activities, engagement with sports, and event art and other related programs, and various other involvement are used for charitable purpose. Qantas airlines needs to keep the image of the country, its scenic beauty, tourist attraction, culture heritage that would attract number of tourists. As a public representative like travel agents, media people they publicize the business (Wi rtz Lovelock, 2016). Even the tour operators, frontline staffs contribute lot to the promotion. As such, Qantas brand name holds as a powerful marketing tool and helps distinguishing Qantas from their competitors thereby attracting international customers to have a well-known brand name. It also participates in short term inducement for increasing sales promotion particularly in period of dejected demands (Shani Chalasani, 2013). The generation of new channels of media along with the internet has led to diminish the large scale advertisement and thus Qantas has started to focus on other promotional strategies. People Most customers come in contact with Qantas employees that give a big impact over how it is taken into perception. Qantas being a service industry consists of two different customers: external customer that are the passengers and internal customer as employees. Here the cabin crew plays a major role as they deliver the services and thus are the walking billboards of every organization (Wilson et al., 2012). It provides uniform to improve the professional appearance thereby implementing effective process and ensuring efficient customer friendly. Because of competent, reliable and caring attitude they make an impression with everyone they come in contact and so these staff members has profound effect over customer satisfaction. Even the reputation of the brand must be well suited for the role. It also formulates the policies for online interaction and ground especially through ticketing, check-in and baggage handling and making sure of everyone presence. For making happy customer and ex cellent advocates it provides responsiveness, is initiative, can solve problem and have good will (Lovelock Patterson, 2015). Thus the quality of Qantas services mostly depends upon the human resources capital. Having around 33000 staffs the company provides appropriate personal attributes and relevant training by spending around $275 million a year on staff training (Kumar et al., 2013). Qantas also demonstrates its adherence to consumer willingness over its influence through its service choice and specialist for those accompanied with varied culture. Process Qantas implements effective processes and ensures delivering the product or services in a timely and fashionable manner. Usually an airline is judges based upon its efficient and customer friendly possessions (Lovelock Patterson, 2015). In the same way for the company has invested an entire experience that starts from the moment of discovering and stays till purchase and beyond. Important sources for consideration lying here are reservation, baggage handling, facilities at Airport, information regarding flight, entertainment in flight, meal services, delivering quality service, etc. For example Q Bag tags have allowed passengers to check in baggage without attaching the bag tags (Wirtz Lovelock, 2016). This process is convenient and stores your flight details there by letting your bags to be easily traceable. Few more efficient processes are booking flights online (accompanied by searching for available flights and passenger details and payment), online check in (selecting passenge r and flights, change seats any warning and printing boarding pass), and mobile check in (involves visiting the website and selecting domestic check in, retrieving the booking. References Bienstock, C.C., Mentzer, J.T. and Kahn, K.B., 2015. How are Service Firms Measuring and Managing Service Quality/Customer Satisfaction?. In Proceedings of the 1996 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 161-161). Springer International Publishing. FISK, R.P., 2013. Lmpression management 26 in services marketing: A Dramaturgical Perspective.Impression management in the organization, p.427. Kumar, V., Chattaraman, V., Neghina, C., Skiera, B., Aksoy, L., Buoye, A. and Henseler, J., 2013. Data-driven services marketing in a connected world. Journal of Service Management,24(3), pp.330-352. Lovelock, C. and Patterson, P., 2015.Services marketing. Pearson Australia. Shani, D. and Chalasani, S., 2013. Exploiting niches using relationship marketing.Journal of Services Marketing. Wilson, A., Zeithaml, V.A., Bitner, M.J. and Gremler, D.D., 2012.Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm. McGraw Hill. Wirtz, J. and Lovelock, C., 2016. Services marketing: people, technology, strategy.