Part 2: Final Project

Part 2:  Final Project

This week, you will finalize your services marketing plan for DirecTV. Incorporate your instructor’s feedback from Week 3 into this final submission and include the information from Week 3 into your final project submission.

In addition, complete the following activities:

• Discuss how you will manage your service customers. Discuss applicable issues such as wait time, technology improvements, etc. How will you manage your customer’s service perceptions and expectations?
• Create a survey to measure customer satisfaction (or evaluate an existing customer survey, if available). Outline your data collection method.
• Create a survey to measure service quality using SERVQUAL or another valid measurement tool.
• Describe your complaint process (if none exists, create one). What kind of service recovery efforts will you put in place?
• Outline your customer retention program (if none exists, create one). What tactics will you employ to retain existing customers?
• Describe how you will develop a service culture at your firm.

By Tuesday, October 28, 2014 submit a 5-6 page paper written in APA format. Search the South University online library for peer reviewed articles to justify your answers. Include a minimum of three peer reviewed articles for your paper.

Additionally, you have been asked to prepare a presentation to present your services marketing plan to the executive leadership team. Prepare a 10- to 15-slide PowerPoint presentation to sell your suggested improvements and marketing plan to the executive staff. Use the notes section in PowerPoint to provide additional information not included on the slides.

Information of Part 1:  Final Project

In this project, you will assume the role of the marketing manager responsible for the service who has been hired to improve service quality and reposition the service in the marketplace.

Complete the following activities:

• Describe DirecTV. What service issues does the firm need to address based on your initial research?
• Analyze the unique characteristics of services as it applies to your firm. How will you overcome these challenges?
• You have learned that services often present opportunities for unethical behavior. What types of ethical issues may arise with your service and how will you facilitate positive ethical behavior? What are some consequences that may arise if unethical behavior exists?
• Outline the pricing strategy for your selected service. What changes will you make to pricing strategy and why?
• Analyze the service firm’s communications strategy and answer the following:
• Who is the target market for the service?
• What are the top two core attributes your service company provides?
• Who are the top three competitors in your service category? Name and describe your competitors.
• What are the consumers’ perceptions of your service’s core attributes vs. the competition? Prepare a position map of your service.
• What communications tools does the firm employ? What changes would you make to their communications strategy and why?
• Outline the importance of the front-line employees for your service firm. What role do they play in delivering the service to the customer? What level of empowerment should be given to the service employees for this firm? Describe the changes you will make to the recruitment and training processes for your selected firm.

Submit a 5-6 page paper written in APA format.  Also, be sure to properly cite your sources using APA; include your references and in-text citations.  Use text reading (Hoffman, K. (2010). Services Marketing: Concepts, Strategies, & Cases [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from edu/books/1133343910/Root/0“>http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/1133343910/Root/0) to help answer all questions: http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/1133343910/id/ch07; http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/1133343910/id/ch08; http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/1133343910/id/ch09

Search the South University online library for peer reviewed articles to justify your answers. Include a minimum of three peer reviewed articles for your paper (these are attached) and paper that was about Part 1 (also attached)