Servicescape

Servicescape is a model developed by Booms and Bitner[1] to emphasize the impact of the physical environment in which a service process takes place.

The servicescape does not include: processes (e.g. methods of payment, billing, cooking, cleaning); external promotions (e.g. advertising, PR, social media, web-sites) or back-of-house (kitchen, cellars, store-rooms, housekeeping, staff change rooms), that is; spaces where customers do not normally visit.

The servicescape includes the facility's exterior (landscape, exterior design, signage, parking, surrounding environment) and interior (interior design and decor, equipment, signage, layout) and ambient conditions (air quality, temperature and lighting).

[3] Companies design their servicescapes to add an atmosphere that enhances the customer experience and that will affect buyers' behavior during the service encounter.

"[5] According to Lusch and Vargo, the servicescape is an important resource that enables the firm to "channel consumer realities in certain ways".

[6] Empirical studies have demonstrated that the servicescape affects both the customer's emotional and behavioural responses in service settings.

Customers often understand the concept of approach intuitively when they comment that a particular place "looks inviting" or "gives off good vibes".

The longer a customer stays in an environment, the greater the opportunities to cross-sell a range of service offerings.

If the task to be performed is relatively simple, routine or boring then users benefit from a slightly more stimulating environment.

[11] The servicescape performs four important roles - packaging - presents the outward appearance to the public; facilitator - guides the efficient flow of activities; socialiser - conveys expected roles to both employees and customers and differentiator - serves as a point of difference by signalling which segments of the market are served, positioning the organisation and conveying competitive difference.

Signage may provide information, but may also serve to assist customers navigate their way through a complex service environment.

Physical environment elements not only serve a functional or utilitarian role, but they communicate meaning in very subtle ways through symbolism.

Many services, such as museums, galleries, theater's and tourist attractions, manufacture artifacts that form the basis of a merchandise collection, available for sale to visitors and guests.

These artifacts, more commonly known as souvenirs, can often be retailed at prices well above market value because of the memory consumers attach to the experiential encounter.

Consumers scan the ambient conditions, layout, furnishings and artefacts and aggregate them to derive an overall impression of the environment.

These types of global judgments represent the summation of processing multiple stimuli to form a single impression.

[24] Through careful design of the physical environment and ambient conditions, managers are able to communicate the service firm's values and positioning.

The organism dimension refers to the two groups of people that make up the service encounter – customers and employees.

Customers, on the other hand, might be less pleased with a crowded space because the noise and queues have the potential to diminish the service experience.

If the consumer has a strong motivation for being in the environment, he or she is more likely to suffer the minor inconvenience of an uncomfortable ambient temperature.