service journal form

7/28/2019 Service Journal Form

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Over the course of this study I have had a number of service encounters. Some have been

exceptional and some have been traumatic. I have tried to elaborate on 8 of them in the

journal .First I would describe my worst and best service experiences followed by the

lessons I have learnt from the study.

WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE.

The worst service experience that I faced recently was the one in Cinemax , Subhash

Nagar on 21st July,2012.The multiplex in spite of promising world class facilities and

sound system , could not adhere to the basic requirements of ticketing services.(Service

Encounter 2 in the Journal ).Even after paying Rs 15 extra as convenience charge on each

ticket booked online, we had no convenience whatsoever. We were just like others , who

had come to buy a ticket , the only difference being we had assured seats.

The problems I experienced as the customer in this unsuccessful service encounter could

be attributed to several underlying causes. Essentially, the organization failed to

accomplish their primary objective. That is, several of my needs and expectations as acustomer were not met.

The sources of my dissatisfaction stemmed mainly from one of the three elements in the

expanded marketing mix, people. The staff was rude and was not at all helpful in

addressing our complaints. They made us feel responsible for the entire problem. Even

though we were sufficiently before time to collect our tickets which were booked online ,they still tried to put the blame on us for the service failure.Thus , on the service Triangle ,

they failed on the Interactive Marketing level , where the interaction between the

customers and the employees is of prime importance.

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For the second reason for the failure , I would like to refer to the second gap of the GAP

Model which states they are not having the right service designs and standards. They needto have a sequential service design , so that they can avoid these troubles of technical

failures and customers standing in long queues.Also, they need to understand the fact thatevery multiplex has a separate counter for online bookings.They cannot continue their

service design for long if they continue their same style of working.

Before, the firm can make any improvements, however, it is necessary for them to perform

some form of research that can identify common service failure points. First, a simple box

for comment cards encourages customer feedback and provides passive complaint types,

such as myself, an opportunity to make anonymous comments. In addition, using the

critical incident technique, several customers could be asked to provide verbatim stories

about past satisfying and dissatisfying encounters they have had at Cinemax.

Then, Cinemax needs to understand how to prioritise their customers. They should have

separate facility for online bookings. They can let the customer enter the premises of the

multiplex with his e-ticket and then give him the original tickets inside itself.

Also , their staff needs to be polite to the customers and in case of a technical failure from

their side , they should not panic and try to keep a calm attitude in front of the customers

as well. They have to try and understand that the customer has to be dealt with in a special

way .

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BEST SERVICE EXPERIENCE

One experience which recently exceeded my expectations was the one in Caf La Casa,

Rajouri Garden.(Service Encounter 3 in Journal ).I feel since it is an upcoming caf , theyare putting in a lot of effort to make their customer happy.During a recent visit there, my

friends and I were met with prompt, friendly service, adaptable service employees, and

delicious beverages.

Several factors influenced my overall satisfaction with this service encounter, but it was

my perception of the three elements of evidence in service quality people, physical

evidence, and process - that really made the encounter memorable.First, the employees are

trained . We were greeted by our attendant at the entrance immediately and asked for our

seating preference. We were shown the menu right away at the entrance in a Tablet.I n

addition, the employees are encouraged to exhibit spontaneity. They were quick in

responding to our queries about the place and gave us all kind of details we needed.

Second, the physical evidence at the caf is very effective. The servicescape facilitates

interpersonal usage and has a reasonably elaborate set up. The dining area is

relatively small, because the second floor is not operational yet. Still the employees make

you very comfortable. The ambience is very appealing to the youth of today , with a tablet

being placed on each of the tables. Once the order was placed , we could use the tablet for

browsing facility or to listen to songs. There is also a CALL BUTTON system which

ensures the waiter to reach the specified table for the assistance ASAP. The use of tabletsin this cafe , is surely going to add as a point of differentiation for it. With majority of the

youth being addicted to the Internet these days , this particular cafe has surely caught the

right pulse.

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The process is also extremely efficient wherein the customer places his/her order

themselves through a touch tablet , as the menu is digitalised and customised with all the

details of each dish. An attendant was prompt in guiding us through the steps to follow in

placing the order through the tablet.

The caf understands the importance of interaction between the employees and customers

and the staff seem to be well trained in their respective functions.They are spontaneous in

responding to the customers and do a good job of assisting them with the menu. They also

seem to understand what the youth of today require from a caf /hangout joint. Even

though we had finished with our beverages , we were not told to leave or get any such cues

from the staff and they allowed us to be seated for as much time as possible.

I would surely visit this place again and recommend it to my friends and family as well.It

can be a change for a lot of people as they offer multi cuisine as well which I am going

to try on my next visit.

LESSONS LEARNT AS A CONSUMER

Overall, this class assignment have increased my awareness of my service experience

encounters.Before , I rarely paid attention to the factors that influenced my perceptions of

service quality and satisfaction. Now, I realize how important it is for any service firm to

understand the impact of these factors and control them to ensure that they have the

intended effect on customers.

I have started assessing various service encounters based on the GAP model and service

Triangle. I have started to apply the models learnt in class to practical use. Through the

GAP model I am able to give thought as to which aspect the firm is lacking in. Also by

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analysing the Ps , I am able to judge where the organisation is excelling in and how far

they are successful in Tangibilising the intangibles.

Also , I have always been a consumer who does not complain very often , in case of badservice quality. But during the course of MBA and particularly this paper , I have realised ,

it is the customer who has every right to demand excellent services. Thus , I have started

talking to the people involved in the service process to gain insights and also complain in

case of unsatisfactory service.

Not only have I started complaining but also praising the service provider in case of good

service. Now , I always make it a point to ring a bell in Pizza Hut for good service. Also , I

take out time to write reviews on sites like Zomato , Burp to describe my service

experience.

LEARNINGS WHICH WILL HELP ME AS A FUTURE MANAGER

This assignment has not only empowered me as a service customer, but also as a future

employee in the business world. As services continue to become more prevalent in all

business industries, it is important to understand the unique concerns and considerations

that influence customer perceptions and contribute to successful services marketing. The

ability to evaluate service encounters and suggest appropriate strategies for future

marketing efforts is a talent that will assist me in any industry I enter.

Whichever industry I enter in future , customer /clients will always be involved in the

process. I have understood certain concepts which help me analyze what they expect from

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an authority letter with the guard. But he still did not agree. So, I made adjustments and told him that he

can deliver the parcel after 5 pm on a weekday, so that he finds someone at home.

The next day when I reached home, I found a note on my doorstep which said Sorry, but we missed you

.I was surprised to see they had come again the next day, which was a working day and again left after

finding nobody at home. This time I was furious at them. In spite of my explaining my situation so many

times, they were not able to comprehend the same and went ahead with their own ways. This whole

process caused a delay of more than a week in receiving the item. Finally, they delivered the item over the

weekend. I told my experience to the person who came to deliver the item, but he was least interested in

my story. He only stressed upon the point that they were a company who believe in security of the item

and do not deliver it without sufficient proof.

How would you rate your level of satisfaction with this encounter?

Extremely dissatisfied 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely satisfied

What exactly made you feel that way?

After the whole experience I wondered , Is taking so much trouble to verify the identity of a person really

worth it ?The whole point of buying online was the convenience aspect. But the courier service took out

that very aspect from the process .When other courier services are willing to leave the package with the

guard , why couldnt they do the same. But at the same time I felt, that they actually took so much trouble

and made 2-3 trips to my home just for the security aspect. I cannot blame them entirely for the same. But

their inability to comprehend instructions cannot be ignored.

What could the employee / firm have done to increase your level of satisfaction? What

improvements need to be made to this service system?

Bluedart firstly needs to improve the communication skills of their staff. They are not able to understand

instruction from the customer neither is they able to put their point forward in an effective way. On the

service Triangle, their Interactive Marketing approach needs to be improved.

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On the Gap Model, I would say they are on Gap 1, where they do not what the customers expect from

them, due to which they fail on other levels as well.

Also they need to make some provision for leaving the parcel with the guard. They can ask the customer

to leave an authority letter and photocopy of i-card with the guard, to act as sufficient proof.

How likely is it that you will go back to this service provider?

Extremely Unlikely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely Likely

After this Moment of truth, I have made up my mind never to buy from Landmark books again. Though

there was nothing wrong with their site, but the courier service they have tied up with has made mesceptical. The core service of any e-commerce site is timely delivery and they defaulted on the same.

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SERVICE ENCOUNTER 2

Date: July 21st

Name of Firm / Service Provider: Cinemax Multiplex , Subhash Nagar

What specific circumstances led up to this encounter?

Cinemax Multiplex is located in Pacific Mall in Subhash Nagar. The multiplex is relatively new and is

extremely nice in terms of seating , rates , sound and picture quality. But the hall is extremely crowded on

weekends and it becomes extremely difficult to get tickets for a new release.

Over one suck weekend , my friends and I decided to watch The Dark Knight.The movie being a muchawaited one , we knew getting tickets for the weekend would be extremely difficult. Hence , we went

bought the tickets online one day before. We now had comfortable seats and we thought we wouldnt

have to stand in a long queue to get out tickets

Explain the whole service experience with details .

We arrived half an hour before the show and saw a long line in the ticket counter. We had to show our e-

ticket to redeem our original ticket. We started looking for the counter for online bookings.To our

amazement , there was no such counter and we had to stand in the normal queue itself to get our tickets.

We were extremely disappointed with the outcome. After paying Rs 15 extra as convenience charge on

each ticket, we had no convenience whatsoever. We were just like others , who had come to buy a ticket ,

the only difference being we had assured seats.

There were only 2 counters operational and the queues were so long , that it seemed that would miss the

first 5 10 mins of the movie. The staff at the counter was also taking a lot of time in giving out tickets to

each of the customers. There seemed to be some kind of a technical failure also the same day.

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When we finally reached the counter after waiting in the queue , we complained to the staff. We asked

them as to why there was not a separate counter for online bookings.They replied that they did not have

any such arrangement and we should come in advance to collect our tickets.

After collecting our tickets and entering the multiplex , we spotted a manager standing.We reported our

problem to him and told him that there was no point buying tickets online of we had no advantage. He

had no empathy towards us. He replied rudely in Hindi that we should arrive 45 min before and redeem

our tickets.

I have been to other multiplexes as well and they have a separate counter for online bookings. I told the

manager the same thing but he was not willing to hear anything and wanted to prove his point as correct.

We also decided not to waste much time arguing as we were already getting late for the movie.




The staff was extremely rude and they were not bothered about the customers time. They were only trying

to prove their point correct and did not accept the mistakes that were present in their service design.



On the Gap model , they are on Gap 2 , where they are not having the right service designs and standards.

They need to have a sequential service design , so that they can avoid these troubles of technical failures

and customers standing in long queues.

Also, Cinemax needs to understand how to prioritise their customers. They should have separate facility

for online bookings.They can let the customer enter the premises of the multiplex with his e-ticket and

then give him the original tickets inside itself.

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SERVICE ENCOUNTER 3

Date: 5th August , 2012

Name of Firm / Service Provider: Cafe La casa , Rajouri Garden


Cafe la Casa is an upcoming chain of cafs in Delhi and Ncr. I visited its very first outlet in Rajouri

Garden this week. It is a high end caf with the CAF & BAR concept and a multi cuisuine caf with a

live kitchen concept. The target audience are high end customers and families.

Since I was with a couple of my friends , we were looking for a place to spend some time after lunch.Wespotted this caf while heading towards CCD , and decided to try it for a changel.


As I was visiting this place for the first time , I first decided to enquire about the menu at the entrance

itself.Though the first floor is still under construction , they have made the ground floor operational.

Though it just has 4 tables right now , the final outcome looks very promising to me. I was surprised to

see that the attendant at the entrance had a touch tablet , in which he showed me the full menu. When I

entered the cafe I realised that the unique feature of this cafe is that the customer places his/her order

themselves through a touch tablet , as the menu is digitalised and customised with all the details of each

dish. An attendant was prompt in guiding us through the steps to follow in placing the order through the

tablet.

The menu has a wide variety of dishes , from starters to desserts , though I just went for coffee that

particular day. The menu is priced at a premium but in return they do provide exceptional service and a

great ambience.

Once the order was placed , we could use the tablet for browsing facility or to listen to songs. There is

also a CALL BUTTON system which ensures the waiter to reach the specified table for the assistance

ASAP.The use of tablets in this cafe, is surely going to add as a point of differentiation for it. With

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majority of the youth being addicted to the Internet these days , this particular cafe has surely caught the

right pulse.

Even after having my coffee I sat there for a long time with my friends and the staff did not have

problems with us overstaying. When it was time for us to leave , they got a feedback form filled on the

tablet itself. We gave them good ratings.




After leaving the place I felt that this is a place which is surely going to come up in a big way .They knowexactly what the customer wants and what kind of service should be provided. It felt like I was visiting an

Indian Starbucks.

They seem to understand the fact that the youth today need a place where they can relax and catch up with

each other. The staff was extremely courteous and served us with a smile. They told us details about the

cafe when we asked them. They told us that they have reservation system as well and we could book a

table on phone or online through their website



Till now I didnt see any pitfalls from their side except for the fact that they need to setup their entire

operations.



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I would surely visit this place again and recommend it to my friends and family as well. After visiting this

place I wrote a small review about it on Zomato.com and found that many other people shared my views

about the place.(Refer Annexure 2)

SERVICE ENCOUNTER 4

Date: 30th June , 2012

Name of Firm / Service Provider: Jabong.com


There was a major sale on Catwalk shoes in many online stores. I was very tempted to buy a shoe but I

was apprehensive about the size. At last , I did purchase a sandal of a size 6 which generally fits me and

there was an option of returning the product within 30 days. So , I was assured that I could return the

product if it does not fit me.


Even though I bought the product, I was very sceptical as to how genuine these return policies were. I was

worried that they might not accept the product back giving some reason or the other. Ultimately after I

purchased the product and it was delivered , the size was a little big for me. So , I started the whole return

process.

I first sent an email to their customer care center asking for an exchange of sandals.I got a reply within 24

hrs (Refer Annexure 1 ), which states they do not do exchanges ,but returning the product in an

appropriate condition is an option.

Hence , I started the return process . A representative from the company arrived home to take the product.

I gave him the sandals , intact with its wrapping and tags. He said he would revert , once the quality

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check is performed at their office. I gave a preference that the amount be refunded to my account through

Netbanking.

Within 5 days , I got a call from them saying that the product was in good condition and they have started

the refund process and they would be debiting the amount to my account soon.

When I checked after 3 days, I had the amount back in my account.




On the whole , the process was smooth. Even though I made a wrong judgement about the size , theJabong team corporated with me in the entire process.

The people in the e-commerce industry know what the customer wants. They seem to have identified the

first gap in the Gap model and they have tried to bridge the gap between customer expectation and what

the service provider offers. With products like apparels and sandals being available online , it is evident

that size issues can always creep in. Thus ,they have kept an effective mechanism to address this issue.

For people who use the cash on deliver mode, the process becomes even simpler , as they can try the

product immediately and make the return if it is not upto the mark.



I feel this was the best they could do in case of a return policy.



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I have been a regular buyer at Jabong always and the service provided in the return mechanism has only

instilled my confidence further in the company. Though I have decided never to order shoes online as size

can be an issue , but for any other product , I trust this site completely. Their prompt delivery mechanism

and regular updates about the tracking of the order , makes things further simplified.

.

SERVICE ENCOUNTER 5

Date: 1st July . 2012

Name of Firm / Service Provider: Dr. Lal Path Labs


Last month , someone in my family had to undergo some minor medical tests which included taking

Blood pressure and some blood tests. But due to the busy schedule of all family members the tests were

getting delayed.

I finally called Dr Lal Path Lab in Dwarka ,which is near my home, to take an appointment for the next

day. During the conversation with the attendant , I came to know that they have a facility wherein they

come to your house and take your sample , in case of tests which do not require major medical

equipments. The charges of taking the sample from home were very nominal.I readily agreed for the

process as it would save time and would be hassle free.


When the lab attendant arrived home , he was pretty fast with the entire procedure. He quickly took he

blood sample and monitored the BP. He told us the report would be available within 24 hrs.

He also gave us a unique 7 digit numeric code. With this code, we could access our report online as well

on their website. The report would be available on their website upto 7 days after the date of receipt. We

could use this online report to consult our doctor.

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I was amazed at they way even a sector like Healthcare is adopting the digital medium. In todays time

everyone wants results immediately and going online is the best way to address this issue. As promised

by them , the next day we were able to access the report online and we also got a hard copy of the report

from the lab.On the whole , we were very satisfied by their services and the way they treat the customer.




I was pretty intruigued by this whole model and gave it some thought. Dr Lal Path Lab knew that

majority of the people who get tests done are senior citizens , for whom travelling becomes a big

challenge. Also , even for middle aged people , the fast paced lifestyle does not allow them to have time

for many important tasks. Thus , this model could be very promising for them if they provided doorstep

services in the locality they were operating in.

Also the person who came to our house was extremely understanding and gave details about the whole

procedure. He made the patient feel comfortable and adhered to proper levels of hygiene.



I feel this was the best they could do in a situation of doorstep services and providing immediate results to

patients.



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Healthcare , is a very important aspect of life and with such services being provided , life can also get

simpler.

SERVICE ENCOUNTER 6

Date: The experience is of over an year with most recently being in the month of June

Name of Firm / Service Provider: Airtel Digital Tv


We took the Airtel IPTv connection last year.We bought this connection as it provided dual benefits of

Internet and Tv.Also, we had a bouquet of channels along with a Time shift tv option.This Time shift Tv

option had 16 selected channels , which could be viewed later anytime. It provided us the benefit of

catching up our favourite programmes later in case we missed them.

We applied for online purchase of Airtel Digital TV connection along with 1 year subscription of Mega

HD pack. But recently there have been problems with the connection as well as the number of channels

being provided , due to which I had to contact the Airtel Customer care team.


The technician came for installation but he did not activate the channels which had suddenly gone

missing.. On enquiring he suggested me to call the customer care for activating the same and left.

I tried contacting the customer care and they said that I need to talk to local dealer for activating the

channels. I had to make at least 10-15 phone calls to get the information to activate the channels and in

the end I failed to get a decent reply from anyone. I tried talking to customer care but couldn't get a

satisfactory answer. Finally, the installation was done after 2 days.

After a few months , problems started occurring again. The connection would fail often and we would

have to miss our favourite programmes. Everytime there was a connection problem , we would have to

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contact the Airtel customer care. The representative would arrive the next day and resolve the problem

somehow.

After this problem settled , we realised that two of our favourite channels Star world and star movies had

been removed from the time shift option. They had promised that these channels would be included in the

Time shift range but they were removed after an year without any prior notice. When we asked the

customer care center about this , they had no idea about what Time shift even meant. They were some call

center employees who were just there to address general queries. Removal of these channels was a big

disappointment for our family members as we loved catching up programmes on these 2 channels.




Though we still have the connection and there has been no default over the last 3 months, we still feel

betrayed due to the promises made by Airtel.There were several faults with the connection over the year

and the call center representatives are clueless about majority of them.

Though the technicians who visit home are knowledgable and rectify the problems , but even they cannot

guarantee protection against a next default.



Airtel firstly needs to improve the skills of its customer care executives. They do not have appropriate

technical knowledge and are not able to address the queries of the customer effectively.

Also they need to focus on the quality of their product offering and connection. Their connection defaults

often and I have noticed similar complaints from people in my area. This is already spreading negative

word of mouth for them .Thus , they need to focus on improving their product offering.

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Also they should not make promises to the customer which they cannot fulfil. When they had to remove

2 channels from Time Shift TV they should have consulted the consumer first or atleast given prior

notice.

They fail in their Interactive Marketing approach and they are unable to identify gaps in their business

model.



I would not recommend anyone to go for IPTV in the Dwarka region.Though we still have the

connection, we always regret the fact that we could have probably gone for Dish TV or Tata Sky.

SERVICE ENCOUNTER 7

Date: 15th July , 2012

Name of Firm / Service Provider: Ferns n Petals , Flower Shop


I had to send flowers to my cousin sister on her birthday, so I wanted to give her flowers from my

side.Since her house was far from the place where I had picked the flowers , I had to ensure that the

flowers dont dry up.


When I walked in they immediately said hi and asked what they could do for me . While I

was placing the order I had to make sure that the roses would last for a while out of water so I asked them

and they told me what to do and then the lady asked me how far I was going and where, so I told her. She

was very nice and thought what I was doing was very sweet . Then once everything was done as I was

leaving they said have a nice day and safe trip.

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The service they provided was very good in the respect that they catered to my needs and how I wanted

the flowers to be. Also, they cared enough to a sk what I was doing for the girl I was getting the flowers

for and how to make sure they would last for that long of a trip.

Also they added a special message from my side along with the flowers .In the end they added a special

touch by saying Wish your sister a very Happy Bday



There was only one attendant who was arranging the flowers and this took time as I got my turn after 2

people. Though I was not in a hurry but I felt that there could have been more employees who could have

been handling the flower arrangement for better service.



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SERVICE ENCOUNTER 8

Date: 29th June

Name of Firm / Service Provider: HDFC Bank

What specific circumstances led up to this encounter? .

My father has an account in the HDFC , Gurgaon Branch. Recently he lost his ATM Card. Due to this we

had to undergo a long procedure with a lot of hassles with HDFC Bank.


We called up the customer case more than 50 times. Its a long call and you have to cross several optionsto reach the ultimate help desk. Once, I called them up, I was told we'll call you back and their call never

came. Then we went to their Gurgaon and their the executive told us that we will get the card within 7

working days and we would call you once it arrives.

Till date I havent got a call from her. After this again I called up at the customer care to know about the

status of the pin and everytime it was a "We'll give you a call back Ma'am". Then again no calls. After 4

days he got his card but this time no pin. We were told by the executive that we have to apply for a new

pin. Finally we got a new pin after a week after a lot of quarrels with the bank representatives.




Their customer care representatives made us wait for a long time over the calls.They did not attend to our

problems till the 20 th call or so.

The representative at the Gurgaon branch did not keep her promises and we did not receive the card

within 7 working days.We had to make a second trip to the gurgaon branch to get our pin and this was

completely uncalled for.The representative whom we met this time told us that we should have contacted

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phone banking to avail our pin after receiving the card.We were not informed about this procedure before

and hence we had no idea.



Proper step by step approach should be followed in handling the grievances of the customers. They

should have properly trained staff who handle the customer queries and do not have long waiting times.

Also the staff in he branch should be corteous enough to handle the complaints. They should not give

false deadlines and adhere to proper timelines.



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Annexure 2

Review of la casa on Zomato

service journal form

Documents