| Before going on to discuss the employees role in | | | | services organization. Customer-contact service |
| services, we feel it is important to differentiate | | | | employees are very important because:o They are |
| between products and services. Services in most | | | | the serviceo They are the organization in the |
| simple terms are deeds, processes and performances. | | | | customer's eyeso They are the brando They are |
| Services may also be defined as any activity or | | | | marketers [4] |
| benefit that one party offer to another that is | | | | In many cases, in a service, there is just the employee |
| essentially intangible and does not result in the | | | | and nothing else i.e. employee is the service e.g. hair |
| ownership of anything [1]. These simple definitions give | | | | cutting, physical trainers, legal services etc. This means |
| us good idea about what services are. We can give | | | | that the service being offered by the business is the |
| examples of a barber, a tailor, or a restaurant as | | | | employee. Thus, investing in the employee is same as |
| services. Products on the other hand are offerings that | | | | investing in the manufacture of a product. |
| are tangible in nature like for example a car. | | | | A customer-contact service employee may reflect the |
| In today's world, services are becoming more and | | | | image of the service organization even if he or she is |
| more significant in any country's economy. As Louis V. | | | | not directly providing the required service. If you enter |
| Gerstner said in 2001 "Services are going to move in | | | | a hospital, every employee that you encounter from |
| this decade to being the front edge of the industry". | | | | the receptionist to the clerk might influence your opinion |
| This quote comes from the former CEO of a | | | | about that organization. Thus, employees sometimes |
| company which claims to be the world's largest | | | | do become the organization in customer's eyes. |
| service business in the world, IBM. The importance of | | | | Employees also become the brand for a service. A |
| services in today's world can be further emphasized | | | | very good example can be of a university which is |
| by the fact that services comprised of almost 80% of | | | | well reputed amongst students. The quality of most |
| United States of America's Gross Domestic Product in | | | | universities is judged by the caliber of the teachers |
| 2003 [2]. | | | | that are teaching there. When a student interacts with |
| If we talk in Pakistani context we can see that the | | | | a professor, he has positive emotions about the |
| structure of the Pakistani economy has changed from | | | | university only when he feels that the teacher is |
| a mainly agricultural base to a strong service base. | | | | knowledgeable and understanding and has complete |
| Agriculture now only accounts for roughly 20% of the | | | | control over his subject. We can say that one reason, |
| GDP, while the service sector accounts for 53% of | | | | among others, LUMS is thought to be better than other |
| the GDP with wholesale and retail trade forming 30% | | | | universities is due to the perception that its faculty |
| of this sector [3]. This fact also demands that more | | | | contains more PhDs than anybody else, hence having |
| work should be done on services marketing for proper | | | | better educational quality than others. Thus, an |
| growth of the sector. | | | | employee also becomes the brand for a service. |
| Now that we know about the difference and | | | | Because contact employees represent the |
| importance of services, we would like to shed some | | | | organization and can directly influence customer |
| light on the difference between marketing of products | | | | satisfaction, they perform the role of marketers. They |
| and marketing of services. Marketing for services is | | | | physically embody the service and are walking |
| thought to be different from that of a product by a lot | | | | billboards from a promotional point of view [4] If we |
| of experienced marketers. This was found out by | | | | are on the road and we see a person sitting on a |
| Gary Knisely, a principal of the consulting firm Johnson | | | | motorcycle, going to deliver a free delivery, or to |
| Smith and Knisely, in 1979 when he interviewed several | | | | deliver letters or documents, you can tell from their |
| high-ranking marketing executives who had all gone to | | | | appearance, clothing or even kind of vehicle that which |
| work in consumer services industry after extensive | | | | organization they belong to. So, even when the service |
| experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. | | | | employees are just doing their duty, they are acting as |
| There are generally 4 Ps considered in packaged | | | | marketers for their organization. |
| goods marketing namely Product, Price, Place and | | | | Here we would like to refer to Mr. Dennis Harting who |
| Promotion. But when we talk about services, it is | | | | says "What is the most valuable asset that a |
| believed that there are three additional P's that should | | | | company has? Is it the name, customers, goodwill, |
| be considered for services marketing namely People, | | | | physical resources, or product line? The answer is that |
| Process and Physical evidence [4]. | | | | it is none of these. A company's most valuable |
| The fifth P i.e. People include both employees and | | | | resource is its' employees. Any organization will go only |
| customers as customers also play an important role in | | | | as far as the people who are driving it. In fact, a |
| the service delivery process. But we are going to | | | | company is really just a group of people who interact |
| focus on employees as far as this article is concerned. | | | | for a common purpose. They are the ones who make |
| From the above discussion it is obvious that | | | | up the organization." [5]. |
| employees play an important role in the services | | | | He also states that "It is important that managers and |
| marketing because of the vary reason that | | | | owners begin to realize that the employees are the |
| employees are involved in the process of delivery of | | | | most valuable asset any organization can have. Those |
| any service e.g. a waiter in a restaurant is actually the | | | | who accept this new business model will structure their |
| conductor of all the process related to the customers. | | | | compensation and bonus program to reflect this belief." |
| So it is of great importance that he gives the right | | | | Above discussion only points to one thing, generally for |
| image to the customer otherwise the customer might | | | | every business, and particularly for any services |
| never return. So those employees that are a part of | | | | business, employees are definitely the most valuable |
| service delivery, we can call them customer-contact | | | | assets. We personally feel that in Pakistan employees |
| service employees, play an absolutely crucial role in | | | | are still not given the right place and importance. One |
| building a repute for any service. | | | | feels that more and more attention should be paid to |
| The importance of customer-contact service | | | | role of employees in services and investments should |
| employees can be understood because of the | | | | be made to improve the most valuable asset of |
| following statements, which will also show that why | | | | services. |
| employees may be the most valuable asset of a | | | | |