Service Marketing Roundtable - Avoiding the commodity trap in services by differentiating through branded service experiences

Our research shows that the service industry is in the process of transitioning from a traditional market – where it was relatively easy to achieve high margins and high growth – to a market where customers are questioning the value of any service. In summary, the major trends:

• A shift from products to services Increased speed to market of new services
• Move from supplier-driven economy to a customer-driven economy
• Individualism driving personalisation/customisation of service
• Changing demographics of workforce and customer (marked changes in generations caused by the emergence of the digital economy)
• From basic services to “total customer experience” economy, in  which intangibles form the differentiation and the total experience defines the value.

Our research demonstrates that pursuing the right service strategy will deliver profitable growth, and identifies that the two most successful strategies are based around delivering a strong service-based business brand and a people-driven service provision, providing high calibre staff at all customer interface points.  Research also highlights that it is important to identify which strategy is currently being pursued and why.

Delivering customer-centricity requires a proposition focused on and delivering customer needs. Propositions are no longer exclusively product-related; they solve complex business issues, reduce cost and increase value, and can include taking over and running an entire business process that demands specialist knowledge, or application of processes in which economy of scale can provide advantage.

Managing and capturing customer experience can deliver tangible benefits; although challenging, it is important that the customer perceives the value delivered at all touch points with the organisation, consistent with the customer’s expectations created by the brand reputation.

We have seen many trends and their impacts; however what has become apparent (as the perception of service and its role in the business has developed in recent times) is that these trends now have to be considered in the context of service. For example although we have seen a shift from products to services for many years, now there is a shift towards products and service merging so that one cannot be considered without the other.

Our "Service Marketing" research agenda: 

12:30 P.M   Noventum Opening Lunch - Networking 
13:30 P.M.  Welcome to the Service Marketing Roundtable Group
13:45 P.M.  The Brand Driven Service Strategy – Hilbrand Rustema, Managing Director, Noventum Service Management Consultants  

• Participant Challenges:
  
  
  • Will it work for my brand?
  • What is the financial impact?
  
   
• Roundtable discussion  

14:30 P.M. Brand Effectiveness, Service Marketing, and Customer Experience – Mirella Kleijnen, Assistant Professor – VU University Amsterdam

•  Participant Challenges:
  
  
  • Should service be involved in the management of brand identity?  
  
   
• Roundtable discussion
  

15:15 P.M. Break 15:45 P.M. New Techniques to obtain customer insight -  MUZUS/Neele Kistemaker 

• Participant Challenge:
  
  
  • Which technique will work for me?
  
   
• Roundtable discussion  
  

16.30 P.M  Observing Customer Experience with Video Feedback  – Jan Van Veen, Partner & Hilbrand Rustema, Managing Director, Noventum Service Management Consultants  

• Participant Challenge:
  
  
  
  • Can I manage Customer Experience with this tool?
  
   
• Roundtable discussion

17:15 P.M.  Questions to the world: Input to the world-wide survey

 

• Discussion

18:00 P.M. Close - Drinks
19:00 P.M. Optional dinner for those interested in attending

All topics for our research will be defined by the participating companies and will be driven by the direct value of new insights in their actual business and open roundtable discussions.

Fees and Hotel Information

Service Directors, Service Managers, (Service) Marketing Managers