2.3. Reinforcing the status quo
Third, focusing on a service solution reinforces the
status quo. Customers seek out service for a reason;
they want to accomplish something. One could say
that customers have a job to get done, and they are
hiring the service to help them accomplish it (Christensen, Anthony, Berstell, & Nitterhouse, 2007;
Ulwick & Bettencourt, 2008). When managers think
of offering services only on already-established patterns, it limits the number of jobs the service can
help customers get done, and it inhibits understanding the limitations of the current service offering for
helping the customer to satisfy their needs. Continuing with our retail clothing example, some managers tend to think about their customers only in
terms of current encounters within their stores; but
that means they miss other, novel ways of serving
those customers outside of the store. If the company
managers thought about customers’ broader desire
to manage a wardrobe and all that entails, they
might discover opportunities to help customers not
only with figuring out what types of outfits to purchase, but also with what to do with outdated
clothing or putting together outfits from clothing
they already own. Service quality research generally
reinforces the status quo because it asks customers,
‘‘How are we doing?’’ when really what companies
need to ask is, ‘‘How are you doing?’’ By shifting the
question to focus on what the customer is trying to
achieve, managers are better equipped to upset the