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Super Specialization: Services Marketing and Management
The services sector is the largest and fastest growing sector virtually in every country. In the U.S., this sector dominates the economy, accounting for 77% of the GDP. With superior service quality emerging as an important driver of competitive advantage, the marketing and management of services is of utmost importance.

Marketing of services is becoming increasingly specialized, going beyond the generic principles of marketing. For example, services are usually perishable, irreversible and highly personal. Unlike products, services are produced and consumed at the same time. This of course, is equally applicable to organizations whose core product is service: e.g. banks, transportation companies, hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, professional services, and telecommunications; it is also applicable to organizations that depend on service excellence for competitive advantage: e.g. high technology manufacturers, automotive, and industrial products.

Multiple skills are required to be successful including soft skills like communications, selling skills, cultural sensitivity and knowledge of human psychology. This is combined with knowledge-based subjects like CRM, service quality management, hospitality management, supply-chain management, travel and tourism, services marketing, and other relevant subjects. Some of the courses are conducted in workshop mode and simulated role-playing is utilized to re-enact real life solutions.

At the end of the course, the student will have developed the ability to implement the strategies learnt, using the strategic services gap model, to build strong customer relationships, integrate services across functions in a firm, introduce loyalty programs, manage a crisis situation in customer service and develop service blueprints.

The economies of Dubai, Singapore and India have an ever-growing need for people in the varied industries in the services sector too. The huge BPO sector is a shining example of the massive need for talented people trained in services marketing and management.

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