Service Marketing & Relationship Marketing-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Service Marketing and Relationship Marketing. Answer: Starbucks Front Stage Service Process Systems Significance of the Front Stage Service Encounter The primary role of the front stage service encounter is to be able to provide the consumer with a satisfying experience when they approach the company. Most organizations will opt for using front-stage employees who are stationed on site to deal with the consumer needs or sometimes, the organization may rely solely on technological appliances to serve the consumer (Teboul, 2006). As portrayed, Starbucks depends on both technology and employees at the front stage to be able to serve the consumer. In fact, most of the activity is done by the front stage employees who form most of the consumer relations at the front stage level. Accordingly, Starbucks outlets usually have employees who wear uniforms that represent the company and are responsible for setting up the premises in a manner that confirms to the consumer that they are receiving services from Starbucks Company (Carrie, 2012). The main significance of the front stage employees is that they are primarily responsible for the cons umer experience of the service and have a role in determining the reputation of the company outlets. For Starbucks, the outlets are meant to serve coffee products giving the consumer the full barista experience. Therefore, the main idea behind Starbucks front stage service is to ensure that the employees are able to relive the vision of their directors in providing the barista service while also ensuring that they work according to the consumer preferences. The implications are not as complex but the front stage employees also have to work with the demands of the consumer to ensure that they maintain a positive consumer relationship which may not auger with their employer requirements (Glushko R.J., and Tabas L., 2008).Nevertheless, the front stage processes are rather focused on the consumer experience such that the director requirements are mostly in line with what the experience the consumer expects to get. As in a normal barista, the Starbucks Front Stage experience is based on the manual services as opposed to more optimized services supported by technology. The approach is rather traditional of the barista outlets by other companies. (Zomerdijk, L.G. and Voss, C.A., 2010) explains that there are benefits to the use of technology in the sense that it results in convenience on both the consumer and the company. However, consumer still tend to prefer front stage services that rely more on front stage employees other than technological appliances, probably due to the fear of technical failures. The idea may form the basis of having a cashier and a barista to serve the coffee. Furthermore, (Stern, 2017) reports that Starbucks did not have a successful start in Australia due to the saturated market and the increased preference for barista coffee over instant coffee. The company therefore opts to provide the Australian consumer with a barista experience to ensure that they are able to retai n their new consumers. The use of front stage employees is therefore a flexible manner in which the company is able to change its consumer experience to differentiate itself from other barista outlets. Furthermore, the front stage system process allows the consumer to make real life connections to the company through a favorite barista or a friendly and satisfactory service which is more lasting than a simple money-service transaction. Starbucks Backstage Service System Process Significance of Back Stage Service Process The back store service processes have to complement the desired front stage service encounter. Starbucks barista coffee is aimed at providing the consumer with the quality product but at minimal financial loss which makes the back stage process an important aspect of the service delivery. The main significance of the back stage process is that it is the main driving machine of the service design. The activities in the back stage are what make possible the service that the consumer experiences at the front stage. Therefore there is always a need for a level of coordination and sometimes integration between the back stage and the front stage to deliver the best service experience to the consumer (Glushko, R.J. and Tabas, L. , 2009). Service design is important for Starbucks primarily because the barista coffee industry is rather competitive in Australia and most of the outlets provide their coffees at price ranges that are uniform across the companies. The service design is also, there fore, dependent largely on the back stage processes such that it forms part of the tangible and intangible brand experiences that keep the users loyal to the company. For Starbucks, the backstage processes involve keeping the premises welcoming for the consumer and ensuring that all the required resources are available to deliver service to the consumer on request. Some of the back stage processes include equipment maintenance, arrangement of working spaces, organizing for coordination of the payment and service process as well as face aspect of the outlets involving use of branded uniforms and menus. The perception of service encounters as information exchange may lead to the assumption that intense encounters may lead to a better service. However, the back stage process at Starbucks is focused on efficiency. The consumers are allowed to make their payments first as a means of alleviating the employee and space costs for waiters. The service is therefore delivered by a minimum number of employees who receive payments and prepare orders. (Zomerdijk, L.G. and Voss, C.A., 2010) suggests that intense interaction with the consumer is not only tedious but bears the risk of failing to satisfy consumer desires, contrary to expectations of most company owners. In this back stage process, Starbucks is focused on putting products and ingredients as well as equipment in place and working towards efficiently getting the consumers services as quickly as possible. After the consumer has made a decision on their order, the barista (but mostly, the cashier) quickly invoices their payment and make s receipts which the consumer uses to receive their orders. (Carrie, 2012) suggests that barista outlet owners should have an idea the most demanded types of coffee beforehand to be able to deliver quicker service. The back stage process therefore influences the front stage orderliness and timeliness in provision of services. As the consumer receives payment and waits to be called for the order the barista works on making the coffee such that the consumer gets the barista experience in terms of suggesting their own ingredient and art preferences. Bibliography Glushko, R.J. and Tabas, L. . (2009). Information Systems and E-Business Management, 407-427. Carrie, D. (2012). What a Starbucks Barista Can Teach You About Good Customer Service Skills. Carrie Dils, n.d. Glushko R.J., and Tabas L. (2008). Bridging the "front stage" and "back stage" in service system design. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Proceedings of the 41st Annual, 106. Glushko, R.J and Tabas, L. . (n.d.). Bridging the "front stage. Stern, M. (2017). Is Starbucks pasing the buck to barista on consumer service. Retail Wire, n.d. Teboul, J. (2006). Service is front stage: positioning serices for value advantage. n.d, n.d. Zomerdijk, L.G. and Voss, C.A. (2010). Service design for experience-centric services. Journal of Service Research, 67-82