Physical Evidence
customers often rely on tangible cues, or physical evidence, to evaluate the service before its purchase and to assess their satisfaction with the service during and after consumption.
Servicescape
Facility exterior, facility interior, other tangibles
Facility exterior
includes exterior design, signage, parking, landscape, surrounding environment, etc.
Facility interior
includes interior design, equipment, signage, layout, air quality/ temperature, sound, music, scent, lighting, etc.
Other tangibles
includes business cards, stationery, billing statements, reports, employee dress, uniforms, brochures, web pages, virtual servicescape, etc.
Types of servicescape
servicescape usage and servicescape complexity
Servicescape usuage
self service, interpersonal services, and remote services
Self service
customer performs most of the activities and few if any employees are involved.
Interpersonal services
placed between two extremes and represent situations in which both the customer and the employee are present and active in the servicescape.
Remote services
has little or no customer involvement with the servicescape.
Servicescape complexity
elaborate environment and lean environment.
Elaborate environment
very complicated servicescapes with many elements and many forms.
Lean environmnet
some service environments are very simple, with few elements, few spaces, and few pieces of equipment.
Strategic roles of the servicescape
package, facilitator, socializer, and differentiator.
Package
similar to a tangible product's package, the servicescape and other elements of physical evidence essentially "wrap" the service and convey to consumers an external image of what is "inside."
Facilitator
the servicescape can also serve as a facilitator in aiding the performance of persons in the environment.
Socializer
the design of the servicescape aids in the socialization of both employees and customers in the sense that it helps covey expected roles, behaviors, and relationships.
Differentiator
the design of the physical facility ca differentiate a firm from its competitors and signal the market segment that the service is intended for.
Physical environment dimensions
ambient conditions, spatial layout and functionality, and signs symbols and functionality.
Ambient conditions
temperature air quality, noise, music, odor, etc.
Spatial layout and functionality
layout, equipment, furnishings, etc.
Signs, symbols, and artifacts
signs, personal artifacts, style of decor, etc.
Internal responses
customer responses and employee responses: cognitive, emotional, and physiological
Customer behaviors
attraction, stay/explore, spend money, return, carry out plan
Employee behaviors
affiliation, exploration, stay longer, commitment, carryout the plan