CHAPTER 03

Customer expectations of service L EARNING O BJECTIVES
This chapter’s objectives are to:
1 Recognize that customers hold different types of expectations for service performance.
2 Discuss the sources of customer expectations of service, including those that are controllable and uncontrollable by marketers.
3 Acknowledge that the types and

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sources of expectations are similar for end consumers and business customers, for pure service and product-related service, for experienced customers and inexperienced customers.
4 Delineate the most important current issues surrounding customer expectations. Importance of customer expectations

CASE STUDY: CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS OF VIRGIN TRAINS

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irgin Trains is a brand that has had the major challenge of bringing the UK rail industry into the twentieth century. The company is responsible for linking towns and cities across the length and breadth of the country with over 35 million passenger journeys each year. It has therefore undertaken a significant level of marketing research to identify what people expect from train travel. Many passengers have now had the experience of travelling on airlines or on overseas railways and as a result their expectations from long-distance train travel have increased. The research has highlighted the significant and highly diverse expectations that customers have of train travel. No longer is a seat and access to toilets and basic refreshments acceptable; passengers now expect – demand even – a choice of on-board meals, health-conscious snacks, reading material and entertainment. Business, and increasingly leisure, travellers also want access to the Internet and emails through on-board wireless Internet and the opportunity to use and charge their laptop and mobile. This clearly demonstrates that customer expectations of service