Designing A Conducive Reading Parlor: A Unique Service Venture

Choose any context which is familiar to you and describe how you would attempt to design a new service business. Your main aim is excellence in operations and satisfactory customer experience.

Structure your assignment around three main themes:

• The distinctive characteristics of the service
• The design of its servicescape
• The application of the service quality gaps model.

Distinctive characteristics of the service

Many people have a culture of reading books (Poulter, 2014). This requires a conducive environment so as to enable an individual grasp the content appropriately. The library offers a very conducive environment for study and many people visit the library to borrow books, read and return or sometimes they even borrow to read at their own convenient time at their homes (Ross, 2012). Others carry their own personal books and visit the library so as to be in a good position to understand. Most of the libraries prohibit snacks and people are only allowed to carry with them a bottle of water.

This is really discouraging for some individuals who could wish to be studying with a light snack or a cup of coffee. Most libraries do not encourage discussions which might be essential especially for the students who might wish to discuss various subjects (Bogel, 2012). The business idea is to come up with a place that could provide a conducive atmosphere to encourage the reading culture among the people (Pender, 2010).

The idea is to establish a reading parlor where there shall be all kinds of books, magazines, novels where people shall study at their own comfort while ordering drinks and other snacks to keep them going. Individuals can also borrow books from the libraries and visit the place to read at their own comfort. The students shall also have an opportunity to conduct their own research through the desk top computers that shall be connected with WI-FI (Grzeschik, Kruppa, Marti & Donner, 2011). The new business venture has great potential for success because it is a unique service in the target market.

Distinctive characteristics of the service

The business idea shall be very unique in its own way (Booker, 2010). People shall be served with drinks in the course of their study and group discussions. The service shall carter for the needs for both young and old through targeting a wide segment in the process of service provision (Krashen & Shin, 2014). The service shall target the following groups of people: individuals who have great interest in reading books either through buying or reading and returning the book, Individuals who are looking for a place to have their studies especially the students who might even wish to hold group discussions, individuals who might be seeking for a quiet place to have some talk while enjoying some snacks or coffee, individuals who are working and need a conducive atmosphere for work and lastly .

The design of its service scape

the service shall be very efficient for the students who would wish to access their university accounts through the iPad which shall be provided for them. This is an idea that has been revolving in the mind of very many people but so far only a few individuals have been able to implement it (Park, LiPuma & Prange, 2014) various articles have been published by various individuals who have tried to express this idea. This is a very unique service because of the freedom the people shall be having while reading, discussing and sharing ideas.

The design of its service scape

The reading parlor shall be designed in a special way to cater for the needs of all the individuals who shall be visiting the place (Penin, 2018). The people who need to have a private talk while having their coffee shall have a place designed for them to enable them enjoy their time at the place. Students who need to have some discussions will also have a designed place that shall not limit them from a thorough discussion an aspect that is very important because they cannot inconvenience others who need a quiet environment.

Through all these, the business shall be in a good position to thrive especially been a new venture (Pang, 2009). The reading parlor shall be situated strategically to enhance easy accessibility by all the interested individuals. The reading parlor shall be made up of four floors where people shall be served with various snacks and drinks as they continue with their various activities. The first floor shall be made up of children section. This section shall be mainly for kids who shall have an access to various toys and their relevant charts with several pictures which shall enable them to learn a few things under the guidance of the librarian.

The kids shall be served with snacks as per their request which shall be catered for by their guardians who shall be in other section of the library reading their favorite materials too. The first floor shall also be fitted with some resting places where the kids can have a nap because the children are font of sleeping hence their needs shall be catered for. This is very important because it shall encourage the parents to visit the place with their kids.

 The second floor shall be for the people who would wish to have a conducive atmosphere for studying. At this floor, people shall be very quiet and they shall only be served with their favorite snacks and drinks by the waiters and waitresses as they proceed with their studies. This floor shall be very crucial for the following groups of people: students who shall be revising for their exams and need a quiet environment where they can grasp the content without disturbance with an easy accessibility to various study materials for reference.

Application of the service quality gap model

The floor shall be very crucial to the lecturers who may be preparing their lectures hence the need for a conducive atmosphere. This shall be of much benefit to them because they shall be in a position to prepare adequately for their lectures with minimal disturbance. The floor shall also be very crucial for people who might be reading novels or any other favorite book that they might have borrowed from the library or any other library so that they can find a very conducive atmosphere to internalize the content.

The third floor shall comprise of students who need to engage themselves in a group discussion. This shall ensure that they discuss efficiently without been worried of interfering any person. This is a very important aspect in relation to the reading parlor because many of the students shall be attracted by the service because of the convenience in discussion with snacks and a cup of coffee to keep the discussion lively. The students shall be in a good position to have an access to a wide variety of books which shall make their discussion efficient as it shall encourage the maximum cooperation of all the group members.

Most of the students who love group discussions will make the reading parlor a place of choice hence enhancing the success of the enterprise. The success of any new business venture relies heavily on the quality of service given to the clients. This makes them to make repetitive purchasing an aspect that creates a wide market for the business enterprise enhancing its growth and development and success within the competitive business environment.

 The fourth floor shall be the final one which shall be a place for interaction among family members and friends. This shall offer a conducive environment for them as they will be free to talk and laugh while taking some snacks or drinks as they interact. This is shall be very crucial because in the current world many people usually desire to have a conducive place where they can interact with friends and relatives while sharing snacks or drinks. The floor shall be fitted with wonderful graphics where individuals could take some photos for remembrance. There shall also be a huge screen where people can watch their favorite movies just for leisure after a long busy day at work. Indeed the place shall be more than just a reading parlor for the individuals who shall desire to visit.

The design scape for my new service is very significant because it has accommodated all types and groups of individuals. Through the design, all the individuals shall be in a good position for achieving their specific goals and objectives hence resulting to the satisfaction of their need. A business that aims to satisfy the needs of its final consumers is usually successful which makes my new business venture an epitome of success within a competitive business environment.

The design scape shall also include the means for advertisement which is very crucial for the success of a new business enterprise. Various designs for advertisement shall be formulated to ensure that all the individuals in Australia are aware of the new service. Posters shall be designed and publicized through billboards along major roads and major streets in town. The information regarding the new business venture shall also be advertised in various newspapers and magazines which shall see the business having a large number of customers an aspect that is vital for the growth and development of the business.  

Online advertisement shall also be applied where the new service shall be advertised in social platforms such as Facebook and twitter which are the platforms used by most individuals around various parts of the world. Use of online advertisement is an assurance of success for the new business venture due to increased use of technology among the people. Advertisement plays a critical role in the success of the business unit hence it should not be despised by any chance.

Application of the service quality gap model

Service quality gap model is a very crucial tool for evaluation of the viability of the business enterprise (Desai & Patel, 2011). This tool is used to establish the quality gaps that exist in the nature of service offered by the business enterprise. The model is used in the identification of the gaps that exist between what the customers expect of the business and the actual service provided by the business enterprise at its different levels (Mokhtary & Pazhouh, 2012).

The quality of the service is determined by the degree of conformance of all the unique characteristics of the service to all the aspects of the consumer needs on the basis of achieving maximum satisfaction after the consumption. The quality of any given service can be perceived either internally or externally. Internal quality is where the business ascertains whether it has conformed to the customer’s specifications. This is important because consumer satisfaction enhances the success of the business within the competitive business environment.

External quality is based on the customer’s perception in relation to the quality of the product. This is very important because the perception of the customers of the quality of the product acts as a motivational tool to enhance repetitive purchasing behavior enhancing a wide market hence profit maximization by the business unit. The reading parlor should provide efficient services to the customers. The business unit identified some gaps that exist for the library users. The research done by the entrepreneur depicted that most of the people love reading in a conducive environment. Furthermore, these people love having a snack or a drink to keep them going during their study. Lack of snacks and drinks for the library users is the gap that the new business venture wishes to fill.

Most of the readers shall be visiting the place with the aim of seeking for a conducive atmosphere for studying with some drinks and snacks. The business unit should ensure that it offers the service that meet the expectations of various groups of people who visit the library. The reading parlor aims to provide efficient services to the customers hence creating a good perception of the place in their minds which shall enhance the promotion of the business enterprise by the experienced consumers to others. This shall be very efficient in filling the service gap desired by the customers.

The business unit shall also fill the communication gap that usually exist in most of the already established business organizations through updating them of any changes so as to seek their feedback. The business unit shall also aim to determine the area of service provision that require improvement to enhance maximum satisfaction of the consumers in relation to service provision. A business unit should always seek for the feedback from the consumers regarding the quality of service they have received which is a clear depiction of the business concern for the consumers’ needs.

The service design by the new business venture is very effective in enhancing the satisfaction of different types of customers who shall be visiting the reading parlor often. Most organization usually fail to select the right service design due to lack of appropriate physical evidence of the available service gap which my business enterprise has been successful at, which is a clear indication of tremendous success in the competitive business environment. Organizations fail because they lack appropriate standards which are customer driven. The business enterprise has addressed this issue through the established set of standards to ensure that the operations of the business unit is as per the formulated standards which usually result to the long success of the business enterprise.

Quality service can only be achieve through matching the demand and supply in the competitive business environment. The business enterprise is quite sure of what the people visiting the libraries desire hence has come into action through the provision of its unique service which shall be a center of attraction for most of the Australians. The business shall offer services as per the demand of the consumers which shall see it soaring to greater heights.

Quality can also be achieved through effective management of the customer expectations. Most of the businesses fail to consider this factor an aspect that inhibit them from the achievement of the predetermined goals and objectives. The reading parlor shall be a place where the people shall always be desiring to spend their time due to the quality service provided. Quality shall be achieved through an effective implementation of human resource practices within the organization.

Conclusion

The success of any business depends on the effective formulation and implementation of various strategies by the entrepreneur. Effective design to cater for the needs of various categories of individuals is essential for the success of a new business venture in the competitive business environment to enhance the achievement of the established goals. Provision of a unique service in the market by the business is very important because it attracts a majority of consumers who enhance the rapid growth and development of the business enterprise. Any newly established business should be able to provide quality services. The use of service quality gap model is very effective in the process of identification of the performance gaps that exist in the market so as to strive to fill the gaps through the newly established business venture.

References

Bogel, G. (2012). Public Library Summer Reading Programs Contribute to Reading Progress and Proficiency. Evidence Based Library And Information Practice, 7(1), 102. doi: 10.18438/b8g898

Booker, M. (2010). The Business (pp. 65-80). London: MaxCrime.

Desai, D., & Patel, D. (2011). An Evaluation of Service Quality Gap and Customers’ Satisfaction of 3 Star Rating Hotels in Surat City: A Study Based on Servqual Gap Model. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 3(6), 80-83. doi: 10.15373/2249555x/june2013/28

Grzeschik, K., Kruppa, Y., Marti, D., & Donner, P. (2011). Reading in 2110 – reading behavior and reading devices: a case study. The Electronic Library, 29(3), 288-302. doi: 10.1108/02640471111141052

Krashen, S., & Shin, F. (2014). Summer Reading and the Potential Contribution of the Public Library in Improving Reading for Children of Poverty. Public Library Quarterly, 23(3-4), 99-109. doi: 10.1300/j118v23n03_13

Mokhtary, Z., & Pazhouh, B. (2012). Measuring Service Quality Using Complement Methods for Gap Model. International Journal of Machine Learning and Computing, 640-643. doi: 10.7763/ijmlc.2012.v2.205

Pang, S. (2009). Successful Service Design for Telecommunications (pp. 60-90). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Park, S., LiPuma, J., & Prange, C. (2014). Venture capitalist and entrepreneur knowledge of new venture internationalization: A review of knowledge components. International Small Business Journal, 33(8), 901-928. doi: 10.1177/0266242614526609

Pender, P. (2010). Reading Bale Reading Anne Askew: Contested Collaboration in the Examinations. Huntington Library Quarterly, 73(3), 507-522. doi: 10.1525/hlq.2010.73.3.507

Penin, L. (2018). An introduction to service design (3rd ed., pp. 50-60). London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Poulter, A. (2014). On reading “The librarian and the art of reading”. Library Review, 56(2), 113-116. doi: 10.1108/00242530710730295

Ross, C. (2012). Reader on Top: Public Libraries, Pleasure Reading, and Models of Reading. Library Trends, 57(4), 632-656. doi: 10.1353/lib.0.0059