Services Marketing Strategy Assessment: Writer’s Block Cafe
Although Writer’s Block Cafe is listed among the numerous companies that serve coffee to its customers, the company offers its clients much more than a beverage. The secret of the cafe’s popularity concerns not only the quality of the product but also the atmosphere, which it has created over the years of its operation. The description of the organization’s goals and its mission show that the perceived values can be validated as rather high for the target company at present. Particularly, the fact that the organization aims at creating a very specific atmosphere for its visitors deserves to be mentioned. According to the explanation provided by the company, the close environment, which they have created, is the key asset of the organization and the main point of customers’ attraction:
He’s handsome, even with neat stubble… and he’s a familiar face in the Agora Square precinct. Daniel is Manager of Writer’s Block cafe. Need to reserve a place for a meeting at our dine-in area, or cater for a small to large gathering..?” (‘Daniel La Rosa’ 2015, par. 1).
The emphasis on customer satisfaction, which the company makes based on its vision and mission, can be deemed a very powerful tool for attracting new clientele and gaining authority and popularity in the target market.
As far as the approaches, which the company uses in order to build strong customer relationships are concerned, one must admit that the set of strategies utilized by the organization is quite standard. Much like other organizations, which are willing to expand into a new market, Writer’s Block Cafe offers loyalty cards and promotions. Also, the company relies on the word-of-mouth (WOM) approach in promoting its services to the target population. Although one must give the company credit for choosing an unorthodox means of marketing its services, relying on the WOM solely seems not quite safe, as the organization risks failing to locate the moods of the customers and, therefore, have negative opinions about the organization distributed among the target population instantly. One must admit, though, that the chosen model of advertisement is also very efficient in terms of the time that it takes to distribute information; because of the use of modern technology tools in general and social networks in particular, customers can transfer the data about the company from one to another instantly (Nikos & Pujani 2012).
Despite minor problems with the way, in which the organization markets its services, it seems to be doing rather fine in the realm of the competitive environment of the cafe industry. Although the amount of competitors and, therefore, the threat of new entrants and the emerging substitutes is rather high (Dobbs 2014), the company strives in the above-mentioned realm due to an efficient approach towards customer relationships. Moreover, the unique product, which the company has to offer, allows the customers to distinguish the Writer’s Block organization among the rest of similar companies. The development of customer loyalty, which the organization aims at, is balanced with the promotion of an employee-focused approach and the fact that Writer’s Block invests into its staff by working on quality relationships and an efficient analysis of the feedback that it receives from the staff. Therefore, the company should be credited for responsiveness towards its key stakeholders, including the staff and the clientele. It is essential, therefore, that Writer’s Block should resume complying with its policy of valuing the significance of its stakeholders.
In addition, the company aims at enhancing the efficacy of its services, as it uses an efficient feedback system by researching in order to identify the problems that it may have and the ways, in which it may cater to the needs of the target population (i.e., the students on campus). The research created by the company and conducted regularly is implemented by distributing questionnaires among the staff and defining the further alterations to be made in the company based on the responses retrieved. One must mention, though, that, apart from identifying the ways, in which the organization can satisfy the needs of the clients and meet new demands, the research also serves as the tool for learning the ways for bringing the community together. In other words, the research that the Writer’s Block cafe carries out regularly performs a socio-cultural function of improving the relationships between the members of the local community and creating the atmosphere of togetherness, which the writer’s Block organization views as the top priority. As a result, the company builds a strong set of ethical and moral principles to be based on, and its authority within the target market grows increasingly.
Herein the secret of the increase in the perceived value of the organization’s product lies. As it has been stressed above, Writer’s Block is not the only cafe that provides the above-mentioned services. Quiet, on the contrary, there is a range of similar companies in the vicinity. However, owing to its unique set of values and the stress that it puts on communication among the community members, the organization has become the symbol of the integrity of the local community.
Reference List
‘Daniel La Rosa’ 2015, Writer’s Block Cafe, Web.
Dobbs, M E 2014, ‘Guidelines for applying Porter’s five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates,’ Competitiveness Review, vol. 24, no. 1, 32–45.
Nikos, S J H & Pujani, V 2012, ‘Customer satisfaction in using e-travel: the role of self efficacy, trust, and use,’ International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 459–462.