Services Marketing and the Covid-19 Pandemic

During the pandemic of 2020, many businesspeople have realised that the marketing and management of services present issues and challenges not faced in the marketing and delivery of products. In particular, challenges have been witnessed for those in airlines, hospitality, education, health services, retailing and in the management of sporting and entertainment events. At the same time, the pandemic has also demonstrated how the economies of many countries are dependent on the service sector rather than on manufacturing. In addition, manufacturing companies that, in the past, have depended on physical products for their livelihood now recognise that service, in terms of speedy delivery alongside the provision of advice and support, provided one of their few sustainable competitive advantages.

The fourth European edition of the highly successful Services Marketing text is for students and businesspeople who recognise the vital role that services play in the economy and our lives. The foundation of the text is the recognition that services present special challenges that must be identified and addressed. The issues covered such as the inability to inventory, the difficulty in synchronising demand and supply, and challenges in controlling the performance quality of human interactions were all evident in service organisations during the pandemic. In particular, the health sector in many countries faced these challenges during the early stages of the crisis.

The pandemic has also highlighted the increasing importance of technology in the delivery of services. We have seen a significant uptake in payments being made through online and mobile banking, resulting in a significant reduction in the use of cash and branch banking facilities.  Mobile apps have been used to monitor health conditions and trace people with Covid-19, chatbots have increasingly been used to support under-staffed call centres and many retail purchases have moved online through digital platforms. This use of technology is likely to become embedded within societies and continue in a post-pandemic world. Therefore, this new edition of the Services Marketing text interweaves new technology innovations and their uses within the book and is supported by cases on organisations such as Amazon, McDonald's and Citizen M. 

Many service organisations have had to rethink their processes and operations due to issues such as social distancing and capacity constraints. They have had to consider some of the elements covered in the book such as service blueprinting; customer co-creation and co-production; and cross-functional treatment of issues through integration of marketing with disciplines such as operations and human resources. These have implications for both the role of the customer and the service employee. The book’s content focuses on the knowledge needed to implement service strategies for competitive advantage, but in 2020, these same strategies were simply needed for survival.

In the field of education, the pandemic has also meant that many of us are teaching online and require digital resources to support course delivery. To complement the core text, additional materials are available on McGraw Hill’s Connect platform, to develop students’ ability to critically apply the concepts found in the reading material. A series of Application-Based Activities encourage students’ decision-making skills, while videos and associated concept check questions allow for reflection and application of knowledge. For those looking to make use of adaptive tools, the SmartBook provides students with targeted learning pathways through the core text material. There is also a package of supporting resources available for instructors such as Instructor Manuals, PowerPoint presentations and a fully updated Testbank of questions.

Whatever the nature of the service and the technology or service environment through which it is delivered, the development of strong customer relationships through a quality service are at the heart of any successful organisation.  This is also at the heart of the book’s content through the inclusion of frameworks for customer-focused management, and strategies for increasing customer satisfaction and retention through service. No matter what transpires in 2021 and beyond, these topics will continue to be critical to the success of tomorrow’s service businesses.

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