Services Marketing

Services Marketing
Southwest Airlines: Aligning People, Processes, And Physical Evidence
Southwest Airlines occupies a solid position in the minds of U.S. air travelers as a reliable, convenient, fun, low-fare, no- frills airline. Translated, this position means high value—a position reinforced by all elements of Southwest’s services marketing mix, It has maintained this position consistently over 30 years while making money every year; no other U.S. airline comes close to this record. As further evidence of the airline’s financial stability, Southwest was the only air line to remain profitable in the months immediately following the September11, 2001, tragedies in the United States that sent many airlines to near bankruptcy.
Success has come for a number of reasons. One is the airline’s low Cost structure. It flies only one type of plane (Boeing 737s), which lowers costs because of the fuel efficiency of the aircraft itself combined with the ability to standardize maintenance and operational procedures. The airline also keeps its costs down by not serving meals, having no preassigned seats, and keeping employee turnover very low. Southwest Airlines’ Herb Kelleher (president of Southwest from its inception until 2001, and currently serving as chairman) is famous for his belief that employees come first, not customers. The Dallas-based carrier has managed to be the low-cost provider and a preferred employer while enjoying high levels of customer satisfaction and strong customer loyalty. Southwest Airlines has the best customer service record in the airline industry and has won the industry’s “Triple Crown” for best baggage handling, on-time performance, and best customer complaint statistics many years in a row. This is a feat accomplished by no other airline. Southwest is also the number one airline in volume of tickets sold over the Internet.
Observing Southwest Airlines’ success, it is clear that all of its marketing mix is aligned around its highly successful market position. The three new marketing mix elements all strongly reinforce the value image of the airline:
• People Southwest uses its people and its customers very effectively to communicate its position. Employees are unionized, yet they are trained to have fun, allowed to define what “fun” means, and given authority to do what it takes to make flights lighthearted and enjoyable. People are hired at Southwest for their attitudes; technical skills can be and are trained. And they are the most productive workforce in the U.S. airline industry. Customers also are included in the atmosphere of fun, and many get into the act by joking with the crew and each other and by flooding the airline with letters expressing their satisfaction.
• Process The service delivery process at Southwest also reinforces its position. There are no assigned seats on the aircraft, so passengers line up and are “herded” by number onto the plane, where they jockey for seats. The airline does not transfer baggage to connecting flights on other airlines. Food is not served in flight. ln all, the process is very efficient, standardized, and low-cost, allowing for quick turnaround and low fares. Customers are very much part of the service process, taking on their roles willingly.
• Physical evidence All of the tangibles associated with Southwest further reinforce the market position. South west’s aircraft are orange and mustard brown, which accentuates their uniqueness and low-cost orientation. Employees dress casually, wearing shorts in the summer to reinforce the “fun” and further emphasize the airline’s commitment to its employees’ comfort. The reusable plastic boarding passes are another form of physical evidence that signals low cost and no frills to customers. No in-flight meal service confirms the low-price image through the absence of tangibles—no food. Because many people joke about airline food, its absence for many is not viewed as a value detractor. Southwest’s simple, easy-to-use website is yet another form of consistent, tangible evidence that supports the airline’s strong positioning and reinforces its image.
The consistent positioning using the services marketing mix reinforces the unique image in the customer’s mind, giving Southwest Airlines its high-value position, which has resulted in a huge and committed following of satisfied customers and consistently increasing profits.
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