The Pursuit of Service Marketing Excellence in the Indian Context - a Snapshot

The Pursuit of Service Marketing Excellence in the Indian Context

- A Snapshot

By

Srikant Kapoor

PGDM(Mktg.), HDSM(NIS), DHMCT

Faculty-Management

BCIHMCT, New Delhi

E-mail: srikapoor_0111@yahoo.co.in

Prof. R.K. Bhandari

PGDM(HR), BSc, CHE(USA)

Asst.Professor

BCIHMCT, New Delhi

Genesis

India today is uniquely poised to take a quantum leap globally thanks to the recent awakening in the services sector. India which has been an agrarian economy did well in the manufacturing sector after independence, but its emergence as a player of note in the global arena is mainly due to the services sector. Service economy is now considered the golden key to India's future.

Advantage to India

The technological advancements of the last century have been bestowed an unheard of premium on the human resource which came as a windfall for the Indian economy, especially for its service industry. India has a definite resource advantage to meet the growing global opportunities in the services sector. With the rise of new economy, outsourcing has flooded the employment channels. India's comparatively young population is well educated in diverse fields and that specific class of professionals is also well versed in the language which the world speaks i.e. English. Being a developing nation rearing to make a mark globally our services have the leverage of wage differential. This phenomenon makes Indian professionals much sought after in the world market. For domestic economy too, opening of the services sector is advantageous as it absorbs the teaming millions reducing the possibility of educated unemployed stuck with limited options in agriculture and manufacturing sectors of the economy.

Elements of Service and Distinction

Service as we know is done for one to another for a consideration without giving ownership. Service can be basically of three types-pure service, derived and value added. The service industry differs from manufacturing industry in several ways, as services focus on people and adopts the strategy of retention being interactive in its processes. The manufacturing industry being non-interactive has transaction as its main objective unlike relationships, which forms the basis of services.

Services Marketing

Under the P's of marketing whereas product is tangible, standardized and storable, the service class is its opposite in nature. Under promotion, a product remains buyer focused unlike service's user focus where the outcome, not attribute is benefit. The services marketing being more individualized become to that extent more difficult to accomplish. Success factors in service excellence thus need a different set of marketing tools and strategy.

Defining Excellence?

Excellence is varyingly understood in meaning. It is said to be merit or quality, a state of being extremely good at something. As it is synonyms, the Collins Thesaurus mentions attributes such as, distinction, eminence fitness, goodness, greatness, high quality, merit, superiority, supremacy, virtue and worth.

Even through excellence is superlative it is still achievable. It may not be correct to relate it to glamour. All that glitters may not be Gold after all. Service excellence involves people, the most demanding and discerning entity in society. The sacred matra is to impress an individual excellence can be embedded in small gestures which excelling expectation may create surprise.

Excellence: Present Context

The service industry has provided significant impetus to changing the old paradigm of excellence, to the new one. To put it simply, the organization monolith no more swamps the hapless individual. It is the sensitive and demanding individual (customer?) who moulds the organization and nurtures it as per his changing needs and preferences.

The nature of demand and competition is the compelling reason for this transformation. The socioeconomic environment and the legal framework of a democratic society have been strengthening it. India has an open economy with an improving rate of literacy of its citizens. The purchasing power of Indian middle class is on the rise and so is their awareness of their rights as buyers and users. This has been made possible by high exposures to prevailing influences brought about by global media. Other factors,