Strategic Services Marketing

ABOUT THE COURSE: Welcome to the exciting world of Services Marketing! This comprehensive course is designed to provide you with a deep understanding of the unique challenges and strategies involved in marketing intangible services. Explore the key concepts, frameworks, and latest trends in services marketing and gain useful insights to develop effective marketing strategies for service-based businesses. From managing customer expectations to creating memorable service experiences, this course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to excel in the dynamic and fast-growing service industry. Get ready to unlock the secrets to successful services marketing!INTENDED AUDIENCE: Graduates and Post-graduates from Engineering and Technology Graduates, MBA, MIB, MCom, and Students of Social Sciences and Humanities disciplinePREREQUISITES: Graduates, the course will aim at building fundamentals of Services Marketing with covering contemporary and novel concepts in the area of services marketing at a Beginner’s level.INDUSTRY SUPPORT: The audience for this course in Services Marketing can include:1. Undergraduate students majoring in marketing, business administration, or related fields.2. Graduate students pursuing a Master's degree in marketing or business administration.3. Marketing professionals and practitioners looking to enhance their knowledge and skills in services marketing.4. Learners who want to make professional careers in service industries such as hospitality, healthcare, financial services, consulting, and telecommunications.5. Individuals interested in understanding the unique challenges and strategies involved in marketing intangible services.6. Researchers and academicians seeking to explore advanced concepts and trends in services marketing.

Week 1: Introduction to Services Marketing:

• Understanding services and their unique characteristics
• Role of services in the modern economy
• Trends and challenges in services marketing
• Service marketing mix and value creation
• Service ecosystem and stakeholder analysis

Week 2: Customer Experience Management

• Customer journey mapping and touchpoint analysis
• Designing memorable customer experiences
• Personalization and customization in services
• Emotional and sensory marketing in services
• Technology-enabled customer experiences

Week 3: Service Innovation and Co-creation

• Service design thinking and design-driven innovation
• Open innovation and collaboration in services
• Crowdsourcing and customer involvement in service development
• Managing service failures and service recovery strategies
• Leveraging customer feedback for continuous improvement

Week 4: Digital Transformation in Services

• Digitalization of services and digital service platforms
• Online customer engagement and social media marketing
• Mobile marketing and location-based services
• Artificial intelligence and chatbot integration in services
• Blockchain and its applications in service industries

Week 5: Service Analytics and Customer Insights

• Data-driven decision-making in services marketing
• Customer analytics and segmentation strategies
• Predictive analytics for personalized marketing
• Sentiment analysis and social listening in services
• Ethical considerations in handling customer data

Week 6: Service Branding and Reputation Management

• Building a strong service brand identity
• Brand positioning and differentiation strategies
• Online brand management and reputation monitoring
• Managing brand extensions and brand partnerships
• Internal branding and aligning employees with the brand

Week 7: Managing Service Quality and Service Recovery

• Measuring and improving service quality
• SERVQUAL and other service quality measurement tools
• Service guarantees and service-level agreements
• Service recovery strategies and complaint handling
• Cultivating a culture of service excellence

Week 8: Pricing and Revenue Management in Services

• Pricing strategies for services and value-based pricing
• Dynamic pricing and revenue optimization techniques
• Bundling and packaging strategies in service pricing
• Subscription models and revenue diversification
• Pricing strategies for freemium and subscription-based services

Week 9: Cross-cultural Issues in Services Marketing

• Cultural nuances and their impact on service marketing
• Adapting services for different cultural contexts
• Global branding and localization strategies
• Managing diversity and inclusivity in service delivery
• Cross-cultural communication and customer relationship management

Week 10: Sustainability and Green Services

• Sustainable practices and corporate social responsibility in services
• Environmental consciousness and green marketing
• Eco-friendly service design and operations
• Ethical sourcing and responsible supply chain management
• Consumer attitudes towards sustainable services

Week 11: Service Leadership and Employee Engagement

• Developing service leadership skills
• Motivating and empowering service employees
• Service culture and service-oriented organizational behaviour
• Training and development for service excellence
• Managing service teams and fostering collaboration

Week 12: Emerging Trends in Services Marketing

• Innovations in service delivery and technology
• Augmented reality and virtual reality in services
• Internet of Things (IoT) in service ecosystems
• Servitization and product-service systems
• Future prospects and challenges in services marketing