Case Discussion Questions:


Tom’s auto service customer benefit package is the integration of their
offered services and products to their customers. Their primary customer benefit
package begins with friendly, professional employees who regularly interact with
customers while doing vehicle service. This includes providing oil, oil filters, air
filters, tires, windshield wiper blades and lubricants. Peripheral goods consist of a
waiting room where customers are provided with refreshments such as coffee, tea
and sodas, entertainment through current magazines and a high-definition television
and of course the free WI-FI which everybody loves. In the waiting room, the
customer can also view how their car is being maintained. Customers are also
provided with vehicle maintenance brochures and a discount coupon on the next visit.
Meanwhile, peripheral services contain vehicle cleaning such as polishing the vehicle’s
window outside and inside, vacuuming carpets, reviewing service history with
customer and explaining technical aspects of vehicle service if the customers asks
or if a potential safety or mechanical problem is detected. TAS also offers certified
and highly trained mechanical and technical staff to their customers.


TAS mission is to differentiate its 32 stores from its competition as a
regional quick-service vehicle oil-change and lubricant-change service. And it
has sought to do so by focusing on peripheral goods and services, the
servicescape and customer-friendly employees.


1. Quality
2. Time
3. Innovation
4. Flexibility
5. Cost
 The eight “design” features of services revolve around the (a) service-delivery
system and (b) service encounters. Service delivery system ensures that service
design provided to customers is coherent with the value that a firm wants to offer.
On the other hand, service encounters encompasses the actual interaction with the
service provider and the customer and maintain customer trust and preference.

(a) Service-delivery system includes;

 Facility Location and Layout

This pertains to choosing a location that is near to the target market and
providing a layout in line with what the service is all about to create a
competitive edge among competitors.
 Servicescape
This implies the physical ambience where customers use to form an impression.
It may include adding interior decorations, hanging certificates and awards of
the business and everything that makes the business stand from the others.
 Service Process and Job design
This focuses on satisfying internal and external customers through efficient
sequencing of activities. Also, this includes choosing the right people to
perform the service to prevent human error.
 Technology and Information Support Systems
This says about having hard and soft technologies that could make the service
fast, accurate, customized and flexible.

(b) Service-Encounter Design includes;

 Customer-Contact Behavior and Skills

This refers to the presence of a customer in the service encounter. This
measures the management skills and professionalism of staff as well as how
they approach and talk to customers.
 Service-Provider Selection, Development and Empowerment
This signifies the right selection of staff to have direct contact with
customers. These staff need to be equipped with proper knowledge in handling
 customers and must be empowered to make decisions with the information
they have.
 Recognition and Reward
This represents the ways on how to keep employees and on how to bring the
best out of them. This is some sort of compensation and simple recognition
for their service and work.
 Service Guarantees and Recovery
This is the promise to reward and compensate the customer for a service
upset to recover the customer’s trust.

 TAS employment applicants are carefully interviewed and their hiring process
includes background checks on technical skills and criminal history is also
verified. This is important because they are in the service industry and
manpower skills both on the main job and on their behavior is their main asset.
 All new hires and their employees undergo rigorous training with regards to
their job and with emphasis on customer-contact training. The whole process
for new hires covers video on-the-job-training, operation of the store cash
register and payment software. Store managers were given the task to be
responsible in the overall store operation and are trained to handle customers’
request or queries. This process in training the employees is important for the
overall customer experience. Having them trained properly will result in
efficiency and hooking customer’s trust and satisfaction.
 TAS service ensures completeness by means of a checklist to comply with
quality control. They also set the standard time of 18 minutes in the bay area
to complete a routine job plus nine minutes for customer check in and check
out. This is important because their mission is to become known as a provider
of quick vehicle service. Also, setting standard time maintains employees focus
and will make their customer happy for not waiting too long.
 TAS sets a facility layout where the customer service process is catered
properly. It consists of four service bays, one is a customer waiting area with
a big window for customers to see how their cars are done. They are provided
with refreshments, entertainment and relaxing sofas and chairs. They also
 give discount coupons for loyal customers and offer car cleaning service. They
also maintained professionalism and cleanliness with their employees dressed
in a blue uniform and name tags. This is vital because providing a service
includes taking care of your customers and making them feel that they are
treasured because with this you can gain them and keep them.
 TAS conducts surveys regularly to their customers and this is essential to
understand their needs and wants. Through this, TAS can improve and make
changes if there are areas in their service that it lacks and this can also
empower them to continue giving their customer the service that they
deserve.

Clearly, store managers need to improve their skills on understanding their

customer needs and wants given that they are only rated 3.87 which is low. I think
they need not only to answer questions but also try to listen to what really is needs
to be addressed. Also, the employees seemed to lack their technical and mechanical
capabilities since they’ve got a score of 3.80 and 3.88 which is again disappointing
given that they underwent rigorous training beforehand. I think it’s also vital to have
improvement in the overall experience of the customer because they feel that the
quality of service is not consistent and far from what they’ve expected.

Most of the survey areas need attention and action immediately. It is clear
that TAS needs to work to improve the areas where customers feel that they lack.
The management needs to focus especially on the employee’s technical and
mechanical capabilities and of course on handling customers. I recommend retraining
and reform on TAS’ standard when it comes to customer service, skills, and proper
interaction with the customers. I think reward and compensation will also work to
boost their employees’ morale in performing their job better and with quality.