Airticket24: Case Study Presentation

The Goals of This Presentation

This presentation is aimed at achieving the following objectives:

1. To discuss various stages of service encounter and show their applications to a particular situation;
2. To describe the main characteristics of a certain service company;
3. To identify its organizational deficiencies and offer recommendations for improving their work;
4. To explain why the knowledge of consumer behavior is essential for service organizations.

The Main Characteristics of the Company

Airticket24 is a web-based company that helps people who want to buy airline tickets, make a reservation in a hotel, or rent a car. This firm has several features:

1. It is a low contact company which means the customer does not have visit them in person.
2. Their website enables clients to make purchases without having to deal with the service personnel.
3. Their functioning is strongly dependent on their business partners such as airlines or hotels.

The service encounter stages

At first we should single out three stages of service encounter.

1. Pre-purchase stage when the client becomes aware of his/her needs and evaluates the options available at the moment.
2. Service encounter stage when the customer requests the company to assist him/her and receives the services. These interactions are also called the moment of truth.
3. Post-encounter stage when a person evaluates the company’s efficiency and forms his/her attitude toward it.

My experiences at the pre-encounter stage

1. I had to refer to this firm, because I needed to buy an airline ticket. This sub-stage can be called need arousal.
2. I decided in favor of an online company because it could save me time.
3. This particular service organization was chosen because it received more or less favorable reviews from their customers.

Service Encounter Stage

The encounter stage represents the moment of truth when the company provides service to the clients.

1. I had no difficulty in purchasing the ticket; yet, my flight was postponed.
2. The company warned me about the change in schedule by email.
3. The organization compensated me the cost of the ticket.

Post-encounter stage

• During this phase the customer evaluates the organization and decides if it can be relied on.
• This company did not live up to my expectations due to the following reasons:
  • They did not notify me in person about the change in the schedule. They did it only by email;
  • It took them too long to reimburse me;
  • They did not manage to find a flight that could fit my schedule.

The problems that should be resolved

• This discussion of service encounter stages relative to a particular situation can point to some important problems of the firm:
  • Lack of attention to the customer’s needs and concerns.
  • Absence of information about the guarantees that the company offers.
  • Time-inefficiency.

The recommendations with regard to service encounter stages

1. The website of the company should present more information about the rights of customers (pre-service stage).
2. The company should notify customers about the changes in flight schedule by calling them (service encounter stage).
3. This organization should establish more close partnerships with airlines (service encounter stages).
4. They should also encourage customers to provide recommendations (post-encounter stage).

The Importance of Service Encounter Stages

• The knowledge of service encounter stages can enable us to do the following tasks:
  • To understand how the company interacts with the client and why they choose it;
  • To identify the areas which require improvement;
  • To map out strategies for improving the company’s work.

Conclusion

• Overall, this presentation indicates that modern service companies focus on some of these issues:
  • Customers’ perceptions of their firm;
  • Theoretical aspects of service organizations such as service encounter stages;
  • Specific difficulties which a client can face while working with the company.