Marketing and Customer Service Component in Australian Outback - Assignment Example

Service product analysis Introduction In the business world today, there is great emphasis on the quality of service a company or rather any business offers. Before an organization kicks of the process of advertising its services or products, Masterson (pg 56-87) strongly recommends that an inspection be undertaken and a decision arrived at on what exactly they want to offer. However, when we talk about a service, it conjures up different connotations and is subject to varied interpretations depending on the person who is using the service. According to an explanation provided by Shilbury (pg. 78-106), the analysis of a service can be categorized into four main areas i.e. the quality and service; employee of the product; intangible service; and the product. However, in order to maintain and win customers, a company must exactly know what exactly they are selling and promising to the consumer. As such, preparing and analyzing the class of their services and to a certain extent, the product is crucial. In that regard, this paper aims at showcasing one company, the Australian Outback which is a tourist attraction that is a service and not a goods provider with an aim of conducting a service product analysis on the services they offer, critically analyzing the service company using the 7 Ps of services marketing in terms of Product, price, promotion, place, people, processes, physical evidence..In addition, this paper shall be analyzing the customer service component of the business. Based on the analysis, the paper will then provide recommendations on how the service can be improved, paying particular attention to the People component of the 7P’s and other appropriate literature. Lastly, the paper will analyze the tourism venture using the same 7P’s of marketing that are evident in marketing and motivating the employees and similarly develop recommendations based on my analysis. The Australian Outback The Australian Continent Outback is a major tourist attraction with famous attractions such as the Alice Springs, the Uluru Rock, the Olgas, the MacDonnell Ranges, and the Kings Canyon among others. In addition to being a tourist attraction, however, it is also a service provider, offers services such as expeditions and travel accommodations. The Uluru and other available attractions are part of the natural sights in the country that are preserved by the company as part of their contribution in a tourist industry. Additionally, other services the company offers are transportation, camping and various travel related, Moffit, Pg, 56-68. Analysis of Australian Outback using the 7p’s Product To start with, when talking about products in any company, we refer to either the intangible services or goods which a company sells to its customers. For example, Australian Outback being a tour company will be selling intangible services to its customers. It sells the views and attractions that have been preserved so as to make a profit out of them. The outback has preserved Uluru, Alice Springs not only to conserve the environment but also to attract the tourists who in turn pay for their services. Additionally, they also sell rooms, camping sites, four wheel drives for transportation purposes, tour expeditions and credits among other intangible products, which in other terms are known as services, Bingham, Pg, 56-68. According to Taylor and Russell (pg. 78-89), a marketing mix is significant when analyzing a company and comprises of the following: product, price, promotion, place, people, processes and physical evidence and are important concepts which form the entire campaign of marketing a company. It also acts as a guideline for the setting of prices. The Australian Outback company can be analyzed using the 7 Ps of marketing. Price Customers normally accrue the particular services and products they want with money, thus all services/ products need to have a cost attached to them in other words, the price. If an organization exaggerates it prices, then most likely, the customers will turn it down. At the same time, if the company sells their services at a reasonable price, then most likely, the customers will be more than glad to buy the services from them. On the flip side though, a company should be wary of putting prices which are very low as it leaves the customers asking questions on their quality and dependability. As Taylor and Russell (pg 65-99) explain, a high price often gives the impression of high and good quality to the more discerning customers. The Australian Outback offers their customers services which are reasonable and affordable. There are package services that anyone can afford according to one’s economic background. The prices are also flexible and are also seasonal. If the tourist season is low, the company drops its prices and therefore, anyone who cannot afford the prices of high season can make a point of visiting at this time of the year as the Australian Outback has lower prices then. Additionally, the company also accepts early payments and cash discounts. Promotion As expounded on by Taylor and Russell (pg 78-89), promotion as part of marketing mix can represent its communication which in this case is about communicating about the service or product with a main aim of getting feedback from the customer. Customer’s response is very important when it comes to business. This is because an organization is able to assess the perceptions and impressions of what they offer from feedback from their customers. They then may make solid conclusions based on this analysis. For example, when doing their promotions, they can decide to execute some promotional strategies like advertising their services. Australian Outback has a thorough advertising campaign and advertises the products it offers on the internet, television and tourism magazines. The pictures they use are highly appealing and catchy and this attracts a lot of interest in some of the sights on offer. The public relations aspect of Australian Outback is also of superior quality, the personnel who work there know how to handle their customers well and talk with so much enthusiasm and love for nature and wildlife which draws potential customers to sample the sights for themselves. Place This refers to the exact place where a customer can find or buy a company’s products or services. It is refers to ensuring the services get to the customer. It can also be in terms of logistics, distribution channels, warehousing and other market coverage (Masterson, pg 56-87). In this case, the Australian Outback advertises the place with exact location and kilometers making sure the directions are easy to follow. In addition, it has made sure that their road is clear and therefore, a customer will not complain of any mishaps on the way. During me course of research, I was impressed to fins how enjoyable and interesting the journey was to their locality with the serene trees, nature and the whole green. Therefore, in terms of place, the Australian Outback has made it possible for their customers to go buy their service making available service in term of transportation from anywhere around the region, if one wants to drive there, the road and the directions are clear. Therefore, place is a very significant element when it comes to accessing of the company services and Australian Outback has managed to ensure the same. People People as another marketing mix factor and basically refers to the good use of the available personnel as well as customers. Customer’s satisfaction always comes first when it comes to business. This is because; the very first target of a business is to serve as many customers as possible in order to get a lot of profit. Without them there is no business. As Needles and Powers (pg 34-89) point out, companies should recruit the right staff as well as train them accordingly. This will help in such a way that they will deliver the appropriate service to their customers, because this really matters. If the company staff do not know how to handle their staff, then it ends up losing the customers as well and in so doing, be unable to obtain the kind of competitive advantage that it needs from other companies giving out the same service. This therefore means that, if the customers conclude and judge the service of a certain company based on their staff, they inevitably terminate the relationship. Based on my analysis of the Australian Outback, the customer is always made to feel at home by the staff because the reception I get always makes me feel welcome in the place. I doubt if there is any tourist who would not love the treatment. This means that, the company has invested heavily on the training of their staff in terms of etiquette and how to treat their customers. As the old adage goes, the customer is King, and always right. The staff at Australian Outback undoubtedly has the appropriate attitude, service knowledge and interpersonal skills that helps them to interact with the customers at ease. From my research, I discovered that this as a result of the training they receive from a British company, the Investors In, which trains staff to a certain high standard called accreditation of people. Processes Processes are the systems in place used to assist an organization to deliver their services smoothly. The Australian Outback offers their services very timely and this points to highly efficient systems. From my primary research after using their services first hand, I have not experience inefficiency. When customers order or ask for something, the request is satisfied within minutes. This is one of the most crucial components of a marketing mix that any company should work on for customer retention. If customers keep complaining of a company service being poor and slow, most probably it is going to lose these customers and thus end up not making profits as so desired. Undoubtedly, an efficient service provider company fosters his customer’s confidence and loyalty in the company (Taylor and David, pg 78-89). Physical Evidence In terms of Physical evidence, Needles and Powers (pg 34-89), explain that the kind of service the company gives to its customers allows the customers to judge the company. If one walks into a hotel and its environment is friendly and clean, they can be able to judge on what first catches the eyes. A customer can decide to change his or her mind about buying the service or vice versa. The Australian Outback has the most serene environment I have ever seen. The environment that is available, while driving tells it all. It is fun driving to the place because the company has taken the initiative of constructing a smooth road as well as taken care of the environment in between the road. To add to this, when one enters the outback, the fresh air is enough to tell you the type of care put in making it inviting. It is well taken care of, no garbage around, attractive flowers grown, trees, among others. Therefore, customers can form a perception based on the physical evidence of the company, and it has a great impact on company’s plan of what it sells. Adjustments in terms of 7 Ps That said, Australian Outback is not perfect and among the potential adjustments to the marketing of the services the Australian outback can offer to its customers in terms of making adjustments using the 7 P’s of marketing is to first of all to always remember not be lax in their strengths, therefore since they have a great people culture, the People component as one of the marketing mix needs to be maintained. Customers and the people it employees comes in hand in making a company successful. Therefore, Australian Outback managers should be keen in conducting regular performance appraisals of those staff who does not know how to deal with customers. In addition, the managers should be keen to take the concerns and complaints of their customers seriously. For example, the second time I went to Australian Outback, I lost one of my pieces of luggage and when I made a complaint about the issue, the cleaners verbally abused me. Upon taking the matter to the managers, all they told me was that they are going to look for it but in vain. I never got my luggage and until now they have never called to ask for forgiveness. Such issues should be dealt with immediately. If the company does that to three more people, a bad reputation will start going around and the company will slowly start losing their customers. Therefore, People issues when it comes to marketing should be dealt with keenly putting in mind that customers are the most important people in a business. Without them there would be no profits or any use of operating a business. All staff, including subordinate ones such as cleaning staff, should also be trained on how to deliver the services a company sells in a professional way. Interpersonal skills in this case are very important (Taylor and David, pg 65-99). The training should start immediately the staff starts working in the Australian Outback company. During the induction process, the managers will identify the need of the individual in terms of communicating and dealing with the customers. The company should therefore, make adjustments to People as the most significant element in their service by adding value to it, in terms of customer service, personal selling and training of their staff members. Secondly, the Australian Outback can also make adjustments in terms of their products. Selling intangible services needs critical analysis of the place as well as a lot of marketing. Shilbury (pg. 78-106) claims that selling a service is hard than selling a product. This is because there is much advertising needed in order to make your services known to the public. The public relations aspect of the company should make a point of advertising their services all over the world, because international tourism is an area they lag behind and this presents a great opportunity for growth. Emerging economies such as Asia, Latin America and Africa are markets yet to be fully tapped. There are amazing sites at Australia Outback unique to it which will never be seen anywhere, therefore, the company should consider advertising these sites in a strategic manner, so that the place can be well known all over the world. I like the promotion the company offers. This is because it enables anyone who is interested to visit the place when he can afford it. Their prices are flexible in such a way that when the season is low, in terms of tourists, they lower their prices and therefore, if a person is interested, he can visit the place at this time of the year. Additionally, there are promotion packages that they do offer. For example, a night two package, where newly wed can consider the place a good joint for their honeymoon. This is because it has everything any person would look for, incase they want a peace of mind. They should only make a point of adjusting these packages to other people as well for them to make a large profit. In addition, whereas in terms of physical evidence, my findings from the research indicate that think the company has tried to make use of their surroundings in terms of making its existing environment clean. The fresh air and the amazing sites are incredible. However, the company should consider making their environment more superb in terms of attracting their customers. This is because the physical evidence, which is the outside surrounding of any given company, tells more of what a company can offer. Therefore, a small adjustment is needed in their advertising part of it. The company should also make adjustments in terms of place, this being the exact place where a customer can buy a companies goods. In this case, many individuals do know of the Australian Outback and therefore, it should consider advertising the place in such a way that anyone can be aware of such a place where they are selling their services from. As much as they have tried to put direction all over, when we were driving to the place, we somehow got confused at to which road lead to where, in that we kept asking other passersby. Therefore, for it to make it easier for their customers, they should think of another strategy to advertise its services in a clear manner (Taylor and David (pg 65-99). Recommendations Based on my analysis of the Australian Outback, I would recommend 4 of the 7Ps of services that I think the company may work on improving their services. The most important 4Ps according to Jain (pg. 34-117), are promotion, process, physical evidence and People are the most important factor of the marketing mix. In Marketing, the four P’s are the ones used to control a managing manager in all the areas. The Australian Outback offers services which are of benefits and features that are relevance to specific market. However, when it comes to developing a service package to their customers the company should improve its services in terms of promotion. This is part of marketing mix represents a company’s communications, where the Australian Outback public relation officer should communicate well about the services they offer. In this regard, he should communicate about the services with an aim of getting a feedback from their customers as to how they feel about their services. As, Masterson, Pg 56-87, notes out that customer’s response is very important in any business. This is because the company gets to know its strong and weak points, and can make the necessary adjustments with customer’s feedback. In terms of people, the company should continue training their staff with the same British standards on how to handle customers. As explained earlier, customers are very important when it comes to a business. You treat them bad; you lose them the next day. Rumors can also spoil or make a company’s name. If the staff of the Australian Outback treats their customers bad, a rumor will spread and therefore, the company will end up losing its customers. Therefore, the company should make the necessary adjustments when it comes to People as one of the most significant element in the marketing mix. In addition, when it comes to their physical evidence, the outer part of the company should attract the customers by only setting their eyes on it. If a place is badly kept, customers will not be attracted to pay a visit to the place, unlike if the outside surroundings have been properly arranged. As explained earlier, the physical evidence is what the customers see before purchasing a service or a product. Therefore, the Australian Outback should work on its work on its physical adjustment in all areas. For example, they have put much emphasize on the physical environment leaving behind the collateral and packaging that supports it services in terms of presentation. They should therefore, consider providing all the physical evidence that will support their services and tie them into understanding their customer’s perspective. Lastly, the Process, in terms of systems used to assist the company to deliver its services should also be adjusted. My personal experience with their Process as part of their marketing was not that bad. They should consider employing more waiters, to fulfill the needs of the many customers who wait for sometime in order for them to be served Shilbury (pg. 78-106). This is because, process as means of achieving an outcome in a business as Taylor and David (pg 65-99), claims that 30% of the market share comes from the marketing process, as well as control the marketing mix. Therefore, the Australian Outback should work on having a high marketing process that is focused, like the moment a customer arrives at the place, the people in charge should greet the customer, pick their baggage, take it to their room, get the most welcoming treatment from the restraints and entertain them. In this case, their process will be delivering their value through the other elements of marketing mix. Additionally, feedback can be obtained from it, since the customer will be satisfied with the company services in terms of process. In this way, the customers will be retained and the process tailored to the different needs of individuals. Conclusion Tourism in Australia offers attractive events, holidays, incentives, overseas, nationality and convention holidays. One of the amazing destinations being the Australian outback which offers a serene of beauty that leaves a tourist satisfied with nature and wildlife. One gets to watch and sometimes feel the satisfaction of nature that is free from pollution and well conserved. One gets to see natural species that are only available in this unique place, the Alice Springs are also unique in their own way and many other available services under one roof. However, one can analyze this kind of company that offers much more like services than products, a tourist attraction that attract more than 200,000 people every year. Moreover, it can be analyzed in the marketing mix context like place, physical evidence, process, people, promotion, price and product. In summary it has been able to market its services in terms of the 7 Ps as explained above. It has also gone ahead to attracting, marketing and developing major events in the country in which they are held from its environs due to its superb and amazing sites as well as clean environment. The Australian Outback, having a personal experience with the place has therefore, supported tourism as well as local tourism. Jain (pg. 34-117) claims that from the 7 P’s of marketing, the most important ones are the four Ps namely, the price, promotion, place and product in which any marketing manager of any company can ne able to control with in the company. Therefore, the main aim is to come up with decisions that will center on the 4 P’s on the targeted customers in order for the company to generate a response and value that is positive. The most important 4Ps according to Jain (pg. 34-117), are promotion, process, physical evidence and People. The Australian Outback should therefore, consider making adjustments in regard to the 4p’s as explained above, and most importantly emphasize on People as the most significant element of marketing mix. They should be aware of the fact that People can make or destroy a business. The four P’s therefore, can be used to delegate all the areas a marketing manager needs to control in Australia Outback. They also represent a convenient way to summarize the most important factors involved in the company’s marketing strategy. References Bingham, J. Living in the Australian Outback. Chicago: Raintree, Pg, 56-68, 2007. Print. Jain, A. International Development Research Centre, et al., Marketing information products and services: a primer for librarians and information professionals. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre, pg 34-117, 1999. Masterson, Rosalind and Pickton, David. Marketing: An Introduction. London: SAGE, 2010. Pg, 56-87. Print. Moffit, I. The Australian Outback: The World’s Wild Places. London: Sterling Pg, 56-79, 2003. Print Needles, B and Powers. Principles of accounting. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, Pg, 34- 89, 2011 Shilbury, David. Strategic Sport Marketing. Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin, Pg, 78- 106, 2009. Print. Taylor, S and Russell, P. Marketing an Introduction. London: Sterling Pg. 78-89, 2004 Taylor, S and David, Russell. Business for Higher Awards. Oxford: Heinemann, Pg, 65-99, 1999. Print. Read More