Why are we still a third world country in SERVICE MARKETING?

I resisted for long to write on this topic but in the last few weeks so many things have shaped and prejudiced my thought process, so here I am with one more perspective.

Prima facie Service Marketing is such an innocuous term. Every college student dreams of opening a dhaba or restaurant, without even knowing what Service means. Almost all of us have had horrifying experiences with one or the other service. Movie halls, Bus ticket vendors, Restaurants, Banks, Telecom service provider, everyone has brazenly and blatantly swindled the customers in one or the other grotesque (literally) act. In India despite the presence of legendary companies the service levels have been pathetic.

Vision Statement of India’s leading telecom service provider: "To provide global telecom services and delight customers."

With customer care call waiting time that could even run into days, one has every right to mock at these statements. These statements and company actions are so paradoxical in nature, that one wonders what is a need of these empty bunch of words tied together with loose thread of hypocrisy . We deceitfully preach “atithi devo bhavah” but we barely follow the spirit lying underneath these words.

Let’s try to explore where and why the, disconnect lies.

CXOs may come up with fancy customer focused statements sitting in their AC and sound proof chambers (to customer’s voice) but they will not be able to translate it into customer satisfaction until they make efforts to sync goals and actions of every function (Marketing, Operations, HR etc) with the Mission Vision statements. Focus should be on removing the huge disconnection between the people framing the policies and people on the ground.

The most important “P” of service marketing is “People”, undoubtedly. Service marketing is all about people on the ground. They are the ones who will either make it or break it. But with most of the companies outsourcing their recruitment process in parts or fully, how can they expect to hire people befitting their needs.

In service industry one needs to “Hire for attitude, train for skills” (statement: courtesy Guru PVR) but companies are trying to do exactly the opposite. They are hiring based on certain facts on CVs and trying inculcating attitude. One may argue on the feasibility of hiring for attitude but great companies know how to do this also. Take Singapore airlines or Hilton hotel, they have mastered the process of screening and hiring people for attitude. They know Training can only act as reinforcement and nothing more.

So next time while you are standing in front of huge BSNL advertisement, your call gets disconnected due to network congestion, press redial and call again. You literally have no alternative. We still are and will remain a third world country in Service Marketing at least for the coming decade.