Customer Service Excellence Lecture 6 (week 7)

Gender and customer service

Learning objectives

At the end of this session, students should be able to;• Demonstrate the importance of understanding the

needs and wants of different target audiences prior to developing customer service strategies.

• Discuss and debate both academic opinion and anecdotal evidence regarding the attitudes and behaviours of the respective genders within contemporary westernised society.

• Begin to consider appropriate customer service strategies and tactics for organisations seeking to deliver excellent service to the respective genders.

Opening Thoughts

• Is gender relevant when organisations decide their customer service strategy?

• Do males and females have the same expectation regarding customer service?

• Is gender neutrality more relevant in the context of younger consumers?

Source: Branded Male Mark, Tungate March 2008

What’s going on out there?

‘Men are not what they were. In article after article we’re told a new type of man is abroad – he’s more interested

in looking good and he’s a lot keener on shopping’

Mark Tungate ‘ Branded Male’ 2008

‘Women are responsible for up to 80% of purchase decisions and are fast becoming the most valuable and

important target audience on earth’

Jane Cunningham & Philippa Roberts ‘Inside her pretty little head’ 2006

What is the impact for Customer Service excellence?

The Science Bit – Cunningham and Roberts identified six themes

Areas of difference Masculine Feminine

Intellectual function Analytic, focused, linear, logical

‘Whole brained’ perspective

Base reaction Action Feeling

Stress response Fight or Flight Tend and befriend

Innate interest Innate interest in things

Innate interest in people

Survival strategy Survival through self interest, hierarchy, power and competition

Survival through relationships, empathy and connections

Mental preference Hard wired to systemize

Hard wired to empathize

‘Clinical and experimental evidence of hemispheric domination as of 1976’ Science news

Left hemisphere Right hemisphereSpeech verbal Spatial/musical

Logical/mathematical Holistic

Linear/detailed Artistic/Symbolic

Sequential Simultaneous

Controlled Emotional

Intellectual Intuitive/creative

Dominant Minor (quiet)

Worldly Spiritual

Active Receptive

Analytic Sympathetic

Reading, writing, naming Facial recognition

Sequential ordering Simultaneous comprehension

Perception of significant order Perception of abstract patterns

Complex motor sequences Recognition of complex figures

Do men and women process information in the same way?

• Testing a theory…

• YouTube - lacoste pour homme

Evans et al (2000) • Used MRI scans to determine how males and

females processed information contained within communication from organisations.

• The results indicated that women used more elements of the message.

• Men, on the other hand tended to focus on the words to determine meaning and tended to not use other elements of the message.

Why is this relevant when considering customer service strategy?

21st Century women

• The average age for women to marry in Britain today is 28

• 25% of British women born after 1973 will be childless at 45

• 76% of US women aged 25- 54 work full or part time

Impact for customer service?

Source: The Marketer November 2004

The four key areas that motivate and concern women

1. The Altruism Code: women are naturally altruistic, nurturing, focused on other people.

2. The Aesthetic Code: women are naturally interested in beauty, fads and fashions and they want to make the world morally a better place

3. The Ordering code: Women take on varied responsibilities in life, take care with detail and plan ahead

4. The Connecting Code: Women are relationship driven in order to survive

Ways of employing the altruism code in marketing

• Ethical brand positioning - Body Shop, Fair-trade, Bono’s Red campaign

• Championing the consumer brand positioning – Apple vs. the corporations

• Promotional activity that feeds back to the community – Tesco Computers for schools

• Investment in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – Plan A: Marks & Spencer

• Strong communication of ‘altruistic’ values in your brand – YouTube - Persil advert - 'Dirt is good'

• philosophy : the best cosmetic is great looking skin

• Brands with a mission to play against category weakness ‘The Future’s Bright, the future’s Orange’

Source: Inside her pretty little head Jane Cunningham and Phillippa Roberts (2006)

The aesthetic code

The aesthetic code may seem a little more flippant In fact extreme characters have been developed

based on this code for both UK and USA TV programmes! Think Hyacinth Bucket

(pronounced Bouquet) and Bree Van De Kamp (Desperate Housewives)

Source: Inside her pretty little head Jane Cunningham and Phillippa Roberts (2006)

The implication for brands

‘Selling the whole aesthetic’

• The White Company, seller of luxury bed linen, bedding and quality home accessories

• Cath Kidston

‘Making the functional more pleasurable’

The Ordering Code • The recurring movie scene – woman leaves the family home for a while

and everything falls apart – children unwashed, house a mess e.g. Cheaper by the dozen

• Evidence suggests that women concern themselves with organisation and planning ahead – why do you think this is the case?

Source: Inside Her Pretty Little Head (2006) Jane Cunningham and Phillippa Roberts

Group discussion:How does the internet empower women, allowing them to meet

their ordering code?

How important is an effective website when offering customer

service to women?

If you use the internet for your business –

get it right!The example of First Direct

http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/firstdirect/firstdirect_14_full.pdf

1. Quick call pick up2. Cheerful, optimistic employees3. Easy to navigate, simple site4. Paper statements still sent to the home5. Phone contact ends with ‘Anything else I can do to help?’6. The website is fast 7. The website does not try to sell you anything else unless you click

to ‘find out more’

Source: Inside Her Pretty Little Head (2006) Jane Cunningham and Phillippa Roberts

The Connecting Code

• The science of female friendship;

• Men respond to stress by releasing adrenalin encouraging a more aggressive, action based response (Impact for customer service?)

• Women respond to stress by producing oxytocin which appears to have a soothing and calming affect – leading to a female tendency to make things safe and secure and ‘connect’ with other people.

Source: Inside Her Pretty Little Head (2006) Jane Cunningham and Phillippa Roberts

The Implications for brands- From Tupperware to Underwear!

• Women love to form groups; Mums at the school gate PTA Book clubs

• Some brands – whether by accident or design have exploited this tendency, leading to women being the providers of excellent customer service for organisations, communicating your brand to others and supporting them in their engagement with your brand;

Ann Summers Weight Watchers Richard and Judy’s Book club

Source: Inside Her Pretty Little Head (2006) Jane Cunningham and Phillippa Roberts

The ‘evolution’ of ‘man’

Man

The New man

The New lad

The Metrosexualhttp://www.marksimpson.com/blog/about/

21st Century man

‘Although women have long been the focus of intense market research, men have never before

received such scrutiny of their buying habits. Now businesses from brewers to skincare

companies are taking a closer look at the traits more prevalent in men today’

The Marketer March 2005

What is really going on with men?

• Men are different because society is different……

• Changing female roles have deprived men of their traditionally clear cut roles as breadwinner and father.

• If women didn’t need them as much as before, maybe that represented a new kind of freedom for them too?

Source: Branded Male (2008) Mark Tungate

Male grooming • According to Mintel;• Men’s grooming habits are changing but not as quickly as

anticipated• In 2006 the men’s grooming market, including toiletries and

fragrance, was estimated to be worth £781 million, almost a third bigger than in 2001

• Product usage is strongly biased toward the under 35’s• In general men spend less than 10 minutes per day grooming

and men over 54 spend the least time and are reluctant to change habits

• Only 35% of men buy their own grooming products• Women remain the important purchasers of male grooming

products

Source: Men’s Grooming habits – UK - March 2007

Group discussion

A relatively high percentage of men (23%) buy male grooming products on line – why do you think this is the case? What is the impact for customer service excellence?

Branding Toolkit for selling grooming products to men

1. Never underestimate the influence of women

2. Address fears of ageing

3. Link skincare products to the shaving ritual

4. Borrow the language of sports and science: stress functionality

5. Self deprecating humour can work

6. The internet is an ideal environment for reaching men

7. Men are highly discreet in matters of personal care

8. Department stores should cater for men with specific sections and evening shopping events.

Source: Branded Male (2008) – Mark Tungate

Men and clothes

• According to Mintel – only 50% of men enjoy shopping for clothes

• ‘Men over the age of 25 often dislike shopping to such an extent that their partners buy the majority of menswear for them’ (Men’s outerwear, UK January 2007)

• Things are however changing and Mintel have identified ‘ the peacock generation’ high spending 15 – 24 year olds who are keen to dress to impress in bars, nightclubs and even on the football terraces.

• Tom Ford specifically targets ‘The Peacock generation’• Higher income groups of unmarried 25 – 35 yr old males are also

spending on clothes• Mintel have identified ‘the fashion unconcerned’ – men who are

interested in looking good but without following trends.

Source: Branded Male (2008) – Mark Tungate

What is it with Men and wheels?

• As many women as men own cars and derive pleasure from driving, it is therefore fair to assume that there are many female motoring fanatics.

• However it is evident that manufacturers and marketers still view the car as an inherently masculine object.

Source: Branded Male (2008) Mark Tungate

Branding toolkit for marketing cars at men

• A fast car remains a metaphor for success, power and control

• Women are rarely targeted by ad campaigns for cars• Car manufacturers hate it when a model is considered ‘a

chick’s car’• Women will however buy into a car brand with a

masculine image• Leading car brands have consistent brand values• Web advertising has proven highly effective for car

brands

Source: Branded Male (2008) Mark Tungate

Men and dieting

• In January 2006,a YouGov survey revealed that 1 in 3 men in the UK was on a diet.

• The real figure could be higher but men don’t like to talk about ‘dieting’ instead they prefer to say that they’re ‘getting into shape’, ‘getting fit’ or ‘in training’ Branded Male- Mark Tungate

‘Men generally diet for a project, women as a cultural requirement’

The Times 13 September 2005

Branding tool kit for men and diets

1. Men don’t diet

2. Men are concerned about body image

3. There are a rising number of male targeted ‘healthy’ food products

4. There is an increasing resistance to the ‘objectification’ of the male body

5. There is a need for authoritative, coherent information about healthy eating

6. As they abandon fast food, men are becoming comfortable with cooking

7. They admire ‘role model’ chefs

8. There is a growing male market for cook books and kitchen equipment

Source: Branded Male (2008) Mark Tungate

Men and the Power of TV Sport

• Watching sport on TV is one of the most popular male pastimes

• Robert Passariello, Marketing Director of ESPN says that;

• 16 – 20 yr old men are still feeling a little lost and insecure and so sport is tribal for them

• By their mid 20’s men may have responsible jobs and sport becomes a form of social recognition, they use it to start conversations and fuel friendships.

• Age 45 – 55 is the most difficult period in a man’s life ‘He’s probably got a high level job with a lot of stress’ Televised sport can be a form of escape.

Source: Branded Male (2008) Mark Tungate

Excellent customer service?

• http://edition.claretandbluemagazine.co.uk/issue01.html

Branding toolkit for men and sports

1. The sports field is sacred

2. Fans readily accept sports sponsorship

3. Soccer is the most popular televised sport worldwide and its tribal characteristics greatly appeal to young men

4. For men in their late 20’s and 30’s, sport is a means of communication

5. Middle aged men use TV sport to escape

6. Men also use sport as a way of bridging the generation gap

Source: Branded Male (2008) Mark Tungate

‘Nowhere are the differences between men and women more profoundly displayed than when it comes to

shopping… women ‘shop til they drop’ while men ‘hit and run’ ’

Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts ‘Inside her pretty little head’

YouTube - PowerPoint: Men vs. Women Shopping

Group Discussion

How do you shop?

Is there truth in the statement that women ‘shop’ and men buy?

1. Are there any similarities in the way the females of the group shop?

2. Are there any similarities in the way the males of the group shop?

3. What do you perceive to be the real differences in the way the females shop compared with the males.

Delivering customer service to the male

shopper….• The male approach to shopping is reasoned, linear

and pragmatic• The know what they need and they buy a brand they

know

• Delivering customer service to the female shopper….

• The female buying process is more of a spiral: a process of interconnected loops which lead after a number of stages to an end

Men and women and words

• Men have a tentative relationship with glossy magazines but remain committed to newspapers – whether offline or on.

• The International Newspaper Marketing Association released a study in 2003 documenting a continuing slide in newspaper readership amongst women.

• Newspaper readership on both sides of the Atlantic confirms this claim. In the UK the readership of every quality newspaper skews male (The Times,The Guardian, The Independent). Only the mid market Daily Mail turns this trend on its head.

• The gender gap is even more dramatic on line ‘In general, the number of men reading online news is 8 to 13 per cent higher than women’ (Wired 4/8/04)

Is it the fault of the newspapers? – are they failing to offer a good

customer service to women?