The French VIDEOTEX system TELETEL started operation in France some five years ago. There will soon be almost 3 million Minitel terminals in service. From its inception it was the intention to use this communication facility to conduct surveys. Various experiments were carried out and at least 2 permanent systems have been in existence for the last two years. This paper concerns a new system called VISAGE which went into operation in September 1987. Once the main characteristics of a survey system by VIDEOTEX have been discussed, the VISAGE system, its innovative features and the resulting advantages will be described. The last section of the paper covers some of the applications made possible by using VISAGE.
The author proposed a number of theses, concerning the marketing of the marketing research profession. Based on his experience with INTER/VIEW Holland, he provided a number of practical guidelines for developing a marketing oriented research operation.
Today, the search for efficiency and productivity has taken on new forms. For equal technical and financial attitudes and potentials, this competition is hereinafter based on new criteria: the quality of the data-transmission and the service offered in general. In the service industry, these notions have become essential. This naturally applies to SOFRES which, in its profession of data gathering, data processing and data analysis, must master new technologies in order to continue being the leader in the French market . Today the use of videotex is a necessary condition for success. In order to situate SOFRES strategy within the general context, this paper will first present the French videotex universe (in French "TELEMATIQUE" hereinafter referred to as "TELEMATICS"), the structures and functions of the companies involved in telematics, and the explanation of how these new techniques can be applied to market research.
It is a great honour for me to have been invited to take part in this ESOMAR seminar which, during its three days, gathers together marketing professionals, consultants and company managers to discuss what is, for me, a very important subject. Indeed, I am sure that the theme selected for this session - "Marketing in Today's Competitive Service Environment" - implies a permanent research and action basis for constantly improving the results and performances of service companies, and at the same time, for obtaining an optimal development in a more and more competitive economic context.
Let us just think about the specificity of services : how to manage, and how to implement a much more efficient marketing and strategy for a service company.
In order to set the scene for the topic on which I am going to speak I will have to give you a few details about SAS Service Partner. The Catering Company which today operates under the name SAS Service Partner was established in 1961 as SAS Catering It was and still is wholly owned by SAS. The new company took over all SAS's catering operations which mainly consisted of inflight catering to SAS and a number of other airlines out of Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen. Since then we have developed considerably in Scandinavia and at airports around the world. Our core business is production and distribution of meals.
The result of the study is derived from interviews with some thirty service companies which are members of the Swedish Coaliation of Service Industries. The study has focused on service development with the underlying assumption that this is the basis for the companies' business to come. The assumption has also been that this is the most important type of investment for a service company.
The paper describes how retailers in the automotive business who are generally action oriented, overly concerned with prices charged and wanting to see real results in a short time frame can be made aware of their store image. Store image is here defined as the consumers' evaluation of all salient aspects of the store as individually perceived and weighted. An instrument used in 69 studies generating information for strategic decision making is described. An analysis of aggregated results is presented and interpreted as evidence that automotive retailers are in the business of services marketing. Where services marketing is defined as an interactive process in which the benefit is provided to the customer through that individuals interaction with the physical environment and personnel provided by the retailer. The view is taken that an automotive retailer should lay emphasis on the human interface of his operation and on providing customer oriented after-sales services in order to achieve a successful store image.
The consumer has ambivalent feelings about the new car dealer, who has long been protected by the exclusive franchise system. In the U.S. market there are signs that the dealer franchise system is already undergoing a revolution, caused by changes in the industry and in the broader consumer environment. In a crowded market the product must be redefined and broadened to include the service element. Customer satisfaction with individual dealers Is now being monitored by market research studies carried out by the manufacturers. Such studies can monitor progress within a franchise, but it requires a larger, industry wide CSI survey to show the position of the franchise relative to competition. Some of the larger multi-franchise dealers are also seeking to build a corporate identity based on quality of service, which may in time conflict with the manufacturers image objectives.
The basis of my paper concerns the development of Service Management Strategies. With this in mind, my presentation is split into three distinct parts.
The purpose of this paper is to give some guidelines of how one can set suitable levels of service components. It is too much to say that we will present a methodology for this purpose. We provide some indications of what can be done. In the paper we will empirically focus on the employee resource. It is though clear that our way of dealing with the problem has more general applicability. The paper is arranged in the following way. We will continue by discussing some aspects of quality in services. After this we will briefly cover three independent studies, where we point out that a high standard of the personnel does not convey value or utility to consumers in the expected way. This leads to a discussion on how one can assess quality levels, in order to achieve more successful results in operating a service business.
This paper outlines the research programme which has been instituted to monitor the multifarious aspects of the Customer First Programme instituted in Lloyds Bank. This is initially planned to span two and a half years. The elements of the research are related both to staff, at whom the programme is aimed and customers, who are the ultimate 'consumers' of the service the Bank provides. In addition to qualitative monitoring of the impact and effectiveness of all of the training and instructional activities, there is a continuous monitor of the staff attitudes to the Programme. Customer evaluation of service standards are monitored through the medium of a massive two year research study which commenced in March 1987, following an intensive pilot phase. Samples of personal customers are surveyed by means of a self-completion postal questionnaire. All branches will be covered over the two years in twenty four matched groups.