A Services Marketing Management Model: Integrating Internal and External Marketing Functions

Abstract

In services marketing, the employee plays a central role in attracting, building and maintaining relationships with customers. The recognition of the central role of employees in service marketing has given rise to “internal marketing” programs strongly oriented to employee development. This paper explores the linkage between internal marketing activities (directed at employee recruitment, training, motivation, communication, and retention) and the more traditional external marketing activities (e.g., pricing, advertising, and personal selling). An examination of the relationship between the key elements of the services marketing management model (internal and external marketing, employee attitudes and behavior, and customer attitudes and behavior) demonstrates how service managers can enhance customer loyalty, satisfaction and perception of quality.

Measuring Internal Market Orientation

“…In particular IMO is thought to impact employee attitudes in terms of their satisfaction with their work and motivation to provide good customer service. Tansuhaj et al (1988) and Comm (1989) propose that internal market oriented behaviors on the part of managers lead to higher levels of employee satisfaction and motivation. This is a key tenet of internal marketing, and is based on the assumption that happy and motivated front line employees are essential in the delivery of good service to customers (see for example Sasser and Arbeit, 1976;Berry and Parasuraman, 1991;and Berry 1984).…”

“…Internal marketing is variously seen as involving training (Berry and Parasuraman 1991;Stauss and Schultze 1990); recruitment (Tansuhaj, Randall and McCullough 1988); internal market research (Wasmer and Brunner 1991); internal communications (Piercy 1995); developing job products (Lukas and Maignan 1996).…”

Internal Marketing and Its Moderating Effects between Service-Oriented Encounter and Patient Satisfaction

“…These results are consistent with the findings formerly. (30,31) In addition, we found that Internal marketing perception had a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between service-ori-…”

Third Party Logistics Service Marketing and Economic Development (Study of the Speed Mail Businesses in Nigeria)

“… The principles of internal marketing are poorly adopted among speed mail services providing firms in Nigeria, thus expected central role of employees in attracting, building and maintaining relationship with customers-Tansuhji, Randall and McCullough (1998), is poor and does not yield desired returns.…”