Physical Evidence and

Servicescape

Lecture # 9

OUTLINE
o Physical Evidence
o Types of Servicescapes
o Strategic Roles of Servicescape
o Framework for Understanding
Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
o Guidelines for Physical Evidence
Strategy

Physical Evidence
Physical Evidence: Since services are
intangible, customers often rely on tangible
indications, or physical evidence, to evaluate the
service before its purchase. General elements of
physical evidence include all aspects of
organizations physical facility as well as other
forms of tangible communication. Elements of
the servicescape include exterior attributes
such as signage, parking, and the landscape
and interior attributes such as design, layout
equipment, and decor.

Physical Evidence
Table 11.1
Elements of Physical
Evidence

Servicesc
ape
Facility Exterior
Exterior Design
Signage
Parking
Landscape
Surroundings

Facility Interior
Interior design
Equipment
Signage
Layout
Air

Other
Tangibles
Business cards
Stationary
Billing statements
Reports
Employee dress
Uniforms
Brochures
Web pages
Virtual
servicescape

Physical Evidence
It is obvious that some services, like hospitals,
resorts, and child care, rely heavily on physical
evidence. All elements of physical evidence
communicate something about the service to
consumers, facilitate performance of service, and
add to consumers total experience.
How does physical evidence affect the customer
experience? Physical evidence and
servicescape, can have deep effect on consumer
experience.

Types of
Servicescapes
Types of Servicescapes:
In this section we will
see the roles played by the servicescape and
how it affects employees and customers and
their interactions.
Servicescape Usage: Organizations differ in
terms of whom the servicescape will
actually affect. That is customers,
employees or both groups? Examples of
hotels, restaurants, hospitals and banks. In
these situations the servicescape must be
planned to attract, satisfy, and facilitate

Types of
Servicescapes
Some service
environment are very simple,
with few spaces, and few pieces of
equipment. Such environments are termed
as lean (thin). Shopping mall information
kiosk, and FedEx drop-off facilities would
be considered lean environment because
both provide service from one simple
structure. Other servicescapes are very
complicated, with many elements and
many forms. They are termed elaborate
(complicated) environment. An example is

Types of
Servicescapes
For example, a patients hospital room can

be designed to enhance patient comfort

and satisfaction while at the same time
facilitating employee productivity.
Strategic Roles of the Servicescape: In
fact, the servicescape is frequently one of
the most important elements used in
positioning a service organization.
Package: Similar to tangible products
package, the servicescape and other
elements of physical evidence essentially

Types of
Servicescapes
Marriot spend
a lot of time and money

providing their customers with strong

visual image and service packaging that
conveys the brand positioning. FedEx,
strongly focus on its image by re-designing
all its tangibles, everything from its drop
boxes to its service centres to the bags
carried by its couriers.
Facilitator (helper): The servicescape can
also serve as a facilitator in helping the
performances of persons in the

Types of
it Servicescapes
easier or harder for customers

making
and employees to achieve their goals. A
well designed functional facility can make
the service a pleasure to experience from
the customers point of view and a
pleasure to perform from employees. On
other hand poor and inefficient design
may frustrate both customers and
employees. For example an international
air traveller who finds himself in a poorly
designed airport with few signs, poor

Types of
Servicescapes
work there will
probably be de-motivated as well.
The same international traveller will appreciate
seats on the airplane that are helpful to work and
sleep. In fact, the competition for better seat
design continues as major point of competition
among the international airline carriers, and
results have translated into greater customer
satisfaction for business travellers.
Socialiser: In many Starbucks locations, the
company has shifted to more of a traditional
coffeehouse environment in which customers

Types of
spend socialServicescapes
time rather than coming in for a
quick coffee on the run. To motivate customers,
Starbucks locations have comfortable lounge
chairs and tables set up to encourage customers
to interact and to stay longer. In a new initiative,
Starbucks is moving into the world of music
with its innovative Hear Music Coffeehouses .
The Hear Music servicescape include CD
burning stations at which customers can drink
coffee, listen to music and burn their own CDs.
This encourages a totally different type of

Types of
Servicescapes
behaviour and
socializing among customers
compared to the traditional coffee shop
environment.
Differentiator: The design of physical facility can
differentiate a firm from its competitors. Changes
in the physical environment can be used to
reposition a firm and to attract new market
segments. For example PETsMART in the
introduction of its innovative Pets Hotel concept.
The hotels, which offers overnight care as well as
day care for pets, are designed very differently

Types of
from typicalServicescapes
kennels or veterinary facilities. The
lobby area are very colourful, and they have
comfortable sleeping rooms, television, a bone
booth, and other facilities that give it a more
residential home like appeal.
Hotels has developed movie theatres with luxury
screening rooms along with club chairs and
waiters. Taking advantage of this alternative,
customers who are willing to pay a higher price
to see the same film can experience the service
in an entirely different environment.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour

Framework for understanding Servicescape

Effects on Behaviour: Although it is useful from
strategic point of view to think about the multiple
roles of the servicescape and how they interact.
The Motivating Framework: Assume there is a
cookie cart that is parked outside the student
union on campus. The cart is colourful and lively
design, and an aroma of baking cookies from it.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
The design and the aroma are two elements of
the servicescape that will impact customers in
some way. Now assume you are hungry student,
just out of class, strolling across campus. The
fun design of the cart attracts your attention, and
simultaneously you smell baking cookies. The
fun design and delicious smell cause to feel
happy, relaxed, and hungry at the same time.
You are attracted to the cart and decide to buy

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
a cookie because you have another class to
attend before lunch.
The movement towards the cart and the
purchase of a cookie are behaviours directed at
the servicescape. Depending on how much time
you have, you may choose to converse (talk) with
the vendor or other customers standing around
munching cookies.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
Environment and Emotion: Just being in a
particular place can make a person feel happy
and relaxed, whereas being in another place
may make that person sad, and gloomy. The
colors, decor, music, and other elements of the
atmosphere can have an unexplainable effects
on the mood of people.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
The environmental psychologists have
concluded that any environment weather natural
or engineered will bring out emotions.
Variations in Individual Response: The response
will not be the same for every individual, every
time. Personality differences as well as
temporary conditions such as moods or the
purpose for being there can cause variations in
how people respond to the servicescape. For
example, the particular purpose for being in a

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
servicescape can effect a persons response to
it. A person who is on the airplane for one hour
flight will likely to be less affected by the
atmosphere on the plane than will the traveler
who is travelling for ten hours overseas flight.
Similarly, a day surgery hospital patient will likely
to be less sensitive and demanding of the
hospital environment than would a patient who is
spending two weeks in hospital.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
Ambient (immediate surroundings) Conditions:
Ambient conditions include background features
of the environment such as temperature, lighting,
noise, music, scent and colour. All these factors
can deeply affect how people feel, think, and
respond to a particular service establishment. A
number of studies have documented the effects
of perception (opinion) of the product, like how
long they waited for service, and amount of
money they spend.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
Other studies have similarly shown the effects of
scent on consumer responses. Scent in
bakeries, coffee shops can be used to draw
people in, and pleasant scents can increase
lingering (remain present) time.
The presence of scent can reduce perceptions of
time spent and improve store evaluation.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
Signs, Symbols, and Artifacts (man made objects):
Many items in the physical environment serve as
absolutely clearly understood signals that
communicate about the place to its users.
Signs displayed on the exterior and interior of a
structure are examples of clearly understood
communicators.

Framework for Understanding

Servicescape Effects on
Behaviour
For example restaurants managers in US know
that white table cloth and subdued (low) lighting
symbolically convey full service and relatively
high prices, whereas counter service, plastic
furnishing, and bright lighting symbolize the
opposite.

Guidelines for Physical

Evidence
gy
Guidelines
for PhysicalStrate
Evidence Strategy:
In
this section some general guidelines for an
effective physical evidence strategy is being
suggested.
Recognize the Stretegic Impact of Physical
Evidence: Physical evidence can play an
important role in determining service quality
expectations. For an physical evidence strategy
is to be effective, it must be linked clearly to the
organizations overall goals and vision. Many
evidences decisions are relatively permanent

Guidelines for Physical

Evidence
Strate
gy
costly, so
they must be planned
and executed
properly.
Assess and Identify Physical Evidence
Opportunity: For example, a restaurant might find
that its high-price menu is not relevant with the
design of the restaurant, which suggests family
dining to its intended market segment.
Either pricing or the facility design would
need to be changed, depending on the
restaurants overall strategy.

Guidelines for Physical

Evidence
Strate
gythe
Be Prepared
to Update and
Modernize
Evidence: The servicescape require frequent and
periodic updating and modernizing. Even if the
vision, goals and objectives of the firm do not
change, time itself takes a toll on physical
evidence, necessitating change.
Clearly an element of fashion is involved, and
overtime different colours, designs and styles
may come to communicate different messages.

Guidelines for Physical

Evidence Strate
gyitself to
Work Cross-Functionally:
In presenting
the consumer, a service firm is concerned with
communicating with the desired image, with
sending consistent and compatible message
through all forms of evidence. Frequently
physical evidence decisions are made by various
functions within the firm. For example decision
regarding employee uniforms may be made by
the human resource area, servicescape design
decisions may be made by facilities management
group,

Guidelines for Physical

Evidence
gy
process
design decisionsStrate
are most frequently
made by operations managers, and advertising
and pricing decisions may be made by the
marketing department.
Thus it is not surprising that the physical
evidence of service may at times be less
attractive.
A multifunctional team approach to physical
evidence strategy is often necessary.

Always Keep
`
in Mind That
High Level of
Integrity