Personnel Differentiation is an Important Factor in Product Positioning

An understanding the concept of differentiation:
As per the marketing management gurus in today market of competition if an organization want to sustain should adopt the strategy of differentiation. The slogan in today's competition differentiate or die.

Importance of differentiation in Service Industry:
The product can be positioned inside the mind of the customers with relation to the products of the competitors on basis of many differentiating factors. The buyers feel emotional satisfaction of buying a product even at extra cost, if it is properly differentiated from the product of competitors .

As a result of proper differentiation the buyers feels a security and social status of buying certain products. As long as the product is unique in term of image, quality, features, design, packaging or services, the buyers get sufficient reasons to defend the quarries of friends or relative for purchasing a particular product or service.

And in the case of service sectors as the quality of the service delivery depends upon the five factors as follows reliability, responsiveness, credibility, assurance and empathy, here the customer has to be dependent on the service personnel behavior, character, knowledge, skill, virtues, family background etc to rely on the company services.

As services are intangible in nature and in many cases it is difficult to measure the service effects, service receiver avail the services of a service firm on the basis of the reputation and reliability of service personnel. As day by day the services are getting standardized and it can found in the case of the telecom, banking, hotel, airline, education industries still there is enough scope to have betterment in services through customization, personal and emotional touch through the service personnel.

The services such as health care, repairing maintenance, legal or financial, where the service receiver used to have hardly any idea regarding the need and the solution, the service receiver deals with the service firm on faith, trust and reliability.

The quality and cost of service is entirely dependent on the service personnel skill, knowledge, experience and more than that his honesty, compassion, integrity.

As the extent and intensity of the problems in human body, machine or vehicle cannot be ascertained accurately in those case the service person dealings, past reccords of service and success, behavior, integrity of service personnel plays important role to attract the customers to service points.

Followings are the important points for the product and service differentiation:
- Product quality ( feature, design, technology, packaging, size, assortment, etc)
- Services (Financial, logistics, after sales service, financial scheme, guarantees, warranties, maintenance and repairing, etc)
- Image differentiation ( Advertising, sponsorship of event, brand endorser, atmosphere of outlets, etc)
- Personnel differentiation
- Channel differentiation( through internet, own factory outlets, retail outlets, dealer distributor network, network marketing, etc)

Factors of Personnel differentiation
Following points are important factors of the personnel differentiation
- Knowledge, qualification, experience and skill of service personnel
- Character, commitment, integrity, behavior, and willingness of the service personnel
- How far they upgrading themselves their skill according to changing technology
- Their social network
- How far they are consistent,
- Virtues like patience, tolerance and humbleness
- Self less not greedy, thrifty or hypocrite , how far consistent in their behavior
- How they are behaving behind the screen
- With attractive physical appearance, beauty of mind and feeling important role
- In close or small city social network, family background also plays important role.
- Dress code and discipline of the service personnel.

Approach towards personnel differentiation:
As service sectors revolve around the service personnel in spite of technological development and automation still the quality of service dependent on the skill, knowledge and character of the service personnel.

That is the reason the service personnel like faculty members , doctors, advocate, accountant, mechanic need constant attention, training, empowerment and motivation to deliver the best they played important role in building service reputation besides them even the sales man at outlet, receptionist, query handler, insurance advisor, financial consultant should also be nurtured to create a differentiation in the industry. Similarly artist and sportsman plays important role in differentiating one firm from other in the sector of entertainment and sports.

Organization needs to spend good amount in recruitment of right candidate and in their training and skill up gradation to develop them on basis of intelligence quotient, emotional quotient and moral quotient to best service. .

Looking into different service role the importance can be given on physical appearance, knowledge, intelligence, self restraint, honesty, courage, patience and empathy.