Physical Evidence in Services

Services being intangible, customers often

rely on tangible cues, or physical evidence
to evaluate the service
Servicescapes
³Servicescape´ is a term popularized by Zeithaml and
Jo Bitner, two American researchers.
Kotler has used the term ³Atmospherics´.
Like a landscape, a servicescape creates a mood, a
longing, an attraction or a desire to visit the service
provider.
Examples- a well-laid out mall where a youngster may
hang out with friends, or book shop with ample
seating
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Purpose of Service Environments
r Helps firm to create distinctive image and unique
positioning
r Service environment affects buyer behavior in u
ways:
r Message-creating medium: Symbolic cues to communicate
the distinctive nature and quality of the service experience
Make servicescape stand out from competition and attract
customers from target segments
r Effect-creating medium: Use colors, textures, sounds,
scents and spatial design to enhance desired service
experience
 Oomparison of Hotel Lobbies
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Servicescape as Part of Value
Proposition
r Physical surroundings help shape appropriate feelings
and reactions in customers and employees
r For example: Disneyland
r Servicescapes form a core part of the value proposition
r For example: Olub Med
r The power of servicescapes is being discovered
ðnsights from Mehrabian-Russell
Stimulus-Response Model
r Simple yet fundamental model of
how people respond to
environments
r The environment, its conscious
and unconscious perceptions, and
interpretation influence how
people feel in that environment
r Feelings, rather than
perceptions/thoughts drive
behavior
r Typical outcome variable is
`approach or `avoidance of an
environment, but other possible
outcomes can be added to model
 The Russell Model of Affect



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 iehavioral Oonsequence of Affect
r Pleasant environments result in approach, whereas
unpleasant ones result in avoidance
r Arousal amplifies the basic effect of pleasure on
behavior
r ðf environment is pleasant, increasing arousal can generate
excitement, leading to a stronger positive consumer
response
r ðf environment is unpleasant, increasing arousal level will
move customers into the ³distressed´ region
r Feelings during service encounters are an important
driver of customer loyalty
 An ðntegrative Framework: iitner¶s
Servicescape Model
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Elements of Physical Evidence
1. Facility Exterior
r Exterior design
r Signage
r Parking
r Landscape
r Surrounding environment
u. Facility ðnterior
r ðnterior design
r Equipment
Elements of Physical Evidence
r Signage
r Layout
r Temperature
3. Other tangibles
r iusiness cards
r Stationery
r iilling statements
r Reports
r Uniforms
 Examples of physical evidence from
the customers point of view
Service Servicescape Other tangibles
Hospitals iuilding exterior Uniforms
Parking Reports/stationery
Signs iilling
Waiting area
Reception
Patient care room
Medical equipment
Recovery room

Oourier Not applicable Packaging

Trucks
Uniforms
 ðmpact of Signs,
Symbols, and Artifacts
r Guide customers clearly through process of service
delivery
r Oustomers will automatically try to draw meaning from
the signs, symbols, and artifacts
r Unclear signals from a servicescape can result in
anxiety and uncertainty about how to proceed and
obtain the desired service
r For instance, signs can be used to reinforce behavioral
rules
Signs Teach and Reinforce iehavioral
Rules in Service Settings

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 Physical and Remote Services
Obviously, the servicescape, or the design of the
service facility, has the maximum impact when the
customer physically uses the facility.

There are some services that he may be able to access

over the phone, or on the internet. There, the tangibles
may be the quality of the voice on the phone, or the
design of the webpage he goes to.

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 Pleasure in Transacting iusiness
å Bank A is pleasantly decorated, with an air-conditioned
reception hall and its people greet customers with a
friendly smile

å Bank B- the surroundings are dingy, and poorly

ventilated. Broken windows, dirty curtains, unpainted
walls, unswept floors greet customers.

å WHICH BANK would a customer choose?

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 Post-purchase
Even after the customer has consumed a service, he
may remember the tangible features of the service
brand, and look forward to going there the next time, if
they were pleasant. Dissonance may set in if he has
been in unpleasant surroundings at the service
provider.

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Design ðssues
The functional utility of the place needs to be kept
in mind while designing.
If there is going to be a queue, for example,
adequate comfortable standing space has to be
provided for.
Serving arrangements in a self-service restaurant
need to take into account scope for expanding the
counters during rush hour, with adequate sitting
area for people to eat their food in.

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 Light, Sound, Music
¢or example, a theme restaurant with an aquarium,
and a waterfall, may provide one kind of ambience.

A rural theme can bring out plantain leaves instead of

plates and different seating arrangements from the
usual table and chair.

A dance floor may bring in certain types of customers,

while others may prefer a quiet ambience.

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ðmpact of Music
r ðn service settings, music can have a powerful effect on
perceptions and behaviors, even if played at barely
audible levels
r Structural characteristics of musicʊsuch as tempo,
volume, and harmonyʊare perceived holistically
r Fast tempo music and high volume music increase arousal
levels
r People tend to adjust their pace, either voluntarily or
involuntarily, to match tempo of music
r Oareful selection of music can deter wrong
type of customers
ðmpact of Music on Restaurant Diners



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ðmpact of Scent
r An ambient smell is one that pervades an
environment
r May or may not be consciously perceived
by customers
r Not related to any particular product
r Scents have distinct characteristics and
can be used to solicit emotional,
physiological, and behavioral responses
r ðn service settings, research has shown
that scents can have significant effect on
customer perceptions, attitudes, and
behaviors
Perceptions of
Store Environments
Evaluation Unscented Scented Difference
Environment Environment
Mean Ratings Mean Ratings
Store Evaluation
Negative/positive 4.65 5.u4 +0.59
Outdated/modern 3.76 4.7u +0.96
Store Environment
Unattractive/ 4.1u 4.98 +0.86
attractive
Drab/colorful 3.63 4.7u +1.09
ioring/Stimulatin 3.75 4.40 +0.65
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 Theme Parks
1. Theme parks offer differing ambience. Some are built
around cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, or Asterix.
u. There are others with a variety of water slides, swimming
etc. Sea-shore parks have shows in which marine animals
like Seals, Sea Lions, and Dolphins perform. Each of
these parks tries to create an ambience suitable to its
audience, its theme, and its surroundings.

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 Petroleum Outlets
å In India, Bharat Petroleum has created a uniformly
branded, visible chain of retail outlets across the country.
The existing outlets have been given a makeover, with
highly visible signage in attractive colour schemes.

å Cleanliness, modernity are as important as the fuels and

services sold by them.

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 iuses
In most states, govt. buses are poorly maintained,
unwashed and look neglected.

This gives a poor impression to the person traveling in

them. On the same routes in some states, there are
colorful and well-maintained buses run by private
operators.

In terms of physical evidence as well as comfort, many

long distance bus routes are dominated by the private
players
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 Movie Theatres
ïovie-going is now an experience, and needs to be
marketed as such, to differentiate it from the VCD or
home theatre.
One of the major attractions should be the ambience,
or the physical evidence of the ³servicescape´.
The new multiplexes in are trying to attract all types
of audiences, including families, who had largely
disappeared from movie theatres.

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