Ask ITSMA: What Are the Attributes of a High-Quality Service Offering?

Each month, ITSMA receives a number of queries through Ask ITSMA, a resource designed to give members a quick and easy way to get insight on important services and solutions marketing questions they face. In this column, we will publish some of our favorite questions along with excerpts from our replies.

From the client’s perspective, what are the attributes of a high-quality service offering?

Service quality is evaluated on both the outcome (Does the solution work?) and the process of service delivery (Did they work collaboratively with me? Did they add value through their previous knowledge and experience?).

Quality services mean:

• Technological expertise (competence)
• On time, on budget (reliability)
• Keep customer informed/detailed project status reports (communication)
• Proven track record (credibility, trustworthiness)
• Responsiveness
• Professionalism/courtesy
• Risk mitigation
• Understanding and knowledge of the customer

There is a good book on this topic: Delivering Quality Service, by Valarie A. Zeithaml, A. Parasuraman, and Leonard L. Berry.

In our customer research, we stopped asking about many of the elements of quality services, such as technology expertise, because we found that they are table stakes that do not differentiate among providers.

	Do you have a services marketing question? Visit Ask ITSMA to access our experience, insight, and research results.

Recently Published ITSMA Thought Leadership

Services Marketing Budgets and Benchmarks: 2008 Trends and Outlook

FREE DOWNLOAD
http://www.itsma.com/research/abstracts/U0060.htm

Although the economy is definitely losing air, there is good news for marketers. The optimism from 2007 is carrying over to 2008 with predictions of increasing budgets, services revenue, and staff, according to ITSMA’s 2008 Budget Allocations and Trends Survey. In addition, after a few lean years, marketing’s stature and acceptance within the organization have improved. Learn more in this free download.

Permission to Play: Penetrating New Accounts

Presentation and playback available
http://www.itsma.com/research/abstracts/OLB080311.htm

In this Online Briefing, marketing veteran Jeff Sands shares the latest ITSMA research and his many years of accumulated wisdom on the key issues in finding and keeping new customers, including understanding the processes your customers and prospects use to select their services and solutions providers and picking the sales enablement tools that are most effective at supporting the new account acquisition process.

The Software Gap: How Emerging Generations and Markets Will Impact Marketers—An Interview with Bruce Richardson

http://www.itsma.com/research/abstracts/V0039.htm

Many emerging trends, not only in the software industry but in all businesses, are causing companies to change the way they work. Baby Boomers are on their way out, transferring their power to the younger generation. As these younger groups join the workforce, they are bringing with them new communication and collaboration technologies. Bruce Richardson, Chief Research Officer at AMR Research, has been studying the software industry for over 20 years. In this Viewpoint, Bruce shares his thoughts on what exactly will be different and gives some examples of how some companies are already embracing these changes.

News & Notes

Marketing Excellence Awards Entries due June 13!

Share your services and solutions marketing successes with ITSMA by submitting an entry to our 2008 Marketing Excellence Awards program. Learn more at http://www.itsma.com/News/mea/default.htm.

Upcoming ITSMA Events

To view all events, please go to http://www.itsma.com/aspfiles/events/calendar.asp.

The View from the Other Side: B2B Marketing Practices from Other Industries

Web Briefing
June 12, 2008 (11:00 a.m. ET)
Free for ITSMA members

Hosted by ITSMA’s Chris Koch, this Web Briefing will examine other industry sectors beyond technology to discover tools and techniques to help us all improve.

http://www.itsma.com/Events/event_desc/08OB06G17.htm

Making Marketing “Atomically Global”: How the “Flat World” Is Changing the Way Marketing Is Organized and Managed

Roundtable: Invitation-only for ITSMA members
June 18, 2008
Boston, MA

How do the economic climate and the flattening of the world impact the way your marketing team is organized and managed? At this Executive Roundtable, ITSMA’s Dave Munn and Ajit Maira will share the results of ITSMA’s latest research on marketing operations and management and will facilitate discussion with a group of your peers.

http://www.itsma.com/Events/event_desc/08RT06N18.htm

The Role of Brand in Shaping Customer Experience

Inner Circle Meeting: Invitation only for Executive Sponsors
June 24, 2008
London, U.K.

http://www.itsma.com/Events/event_desc/08DM06E19.htm

Pump It Up: Generating Increased Demand for Services and Solutions

Breakfast Briefing
June 24, 2008
Boston, MA
Free for ITSMA members

Join ITSMA’s Jeff Sands during this Breakfast Briefing for a discussion of best practices in retaining current accounts and acquiring and penetrating new accounts.

http://www.itsma.com/Events/event_desc/08BB06N36.htm

Taking Solutions to Market: Best Practices for Developing, Marketing, and Selling Solutions

Workshop
July 29-30, 2008
San Francisco, CA

This advanced workshop includes ITSMA’s proven approach to marketing a wide range of solutions and will engage you in the models, tools, and examples you need to effectively grow your solutions business. Led by ITSMA’s Ajit Maira and Tammy Ribaudo, the workshop is infused with practical exercises, case studies, best practices, and lessons learned.

http://www.itsma.com/Events/event_desc/08WS07N20.htm