Consumer Behaviour Exercise (E)

E. A product or service costing over Rs. 3000/- that performs a utilitarian function.
Urban Company House Cleaning Services Package- Rs.4000 for 3 BHK house

How would you describe the consumption experience?

 How is the product/service used or consumed? Who uses it? When?

Where? How often? What feelings and opinions surround the
consumption experience?

Answer: The House cleaning service by The Urban Company can be availed by
anyone in the Select cities, in which the service is made available. The User or
anyone can book the service for the User, through online mode either via the UC
App or the website of the company.

The User is a man aged 38 years and lives with his wife and eight year old son in
New Delhi. He has a 3 BHK apartment in New Delhi. The man’s parents are
based in Nagpur in their 3 BHK apartment. The User uses the service in pre-
Diwali times, when the deep cleaning of house is done. The service is used once a
year for each house. However, the expectations slightly differ – for the New Delhi
house, which is not owned, they do not have much furniture and hence the focus
is on cleaning the house. While in Nagpur, the house is stuffed with lot of
furniture and there the priority is cleaning and upkeep of the furniture during the
service.

What type of a relationship does the customer have with the product or
service?
 How long has the relationship been going on? How has it evolved and
changed over time? What terms best describe the relationship: good, bad,
mixed, love-hate, dependency, casual, partners, exploited, exploitative, good
friends?

Answer- The customer uses Urban Company, since it was the first and only such
company which started this service of providing professionals staff with materials
for house cleaning. Earlier, it was a family chore of 6-7 days during pre-Diwali
time, mostly done by the lady of the house. With rise in Purchasing power, the
User does not mind paying to professionals for the service, which in his opinion
saves time and is effective.
The Company provides the professionals, usually 3-4 in numbers along with the
specialized tools and machines for house cleaning along with special chemicals
for cleaning. Such materials are usually not available with any household and
hence the effectiveness of service vis a vis that done by the household is far
better. Hence the satisfaction level of the User over the years with this service is
high.
What kinds of things have gone wrong in the relationship?
 Stockouts, unavailability of parts of service, inappropriate
communication, quality lapses, violations of norms or expectations or
values.
Answer- The company accepts the request for service, only when it is sure of
providing the service on the selected date/ time. The only glitch is faced when the
user try to book the service at the Eleventh hour. The Urban Company does not
distinguish between a regular/ loyal user and a new user while providing the
service and therefore there are chances that a regular/ loyal user may face
situation of service not available during the desired date/ time, depending on the
demand and load fr the service.

What positive surprises have occurred?

 Exceptional service, welcome communication, performance above

expectations, affirmation of values.

Answer- The Urban Company has given cash backs, added free maintenance of
home appliances with the Service of house cleaning.

Is the customer satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service?

 What factors influence the level of felt (dis)satisfaction? How were

expectations formed? Did the product exceed them or fall short? How?

Answer- The User is satisfied with the service since it takes away major hassle of
house deep cleaning with the help of professionals for a fees and the entire family
can spend quality time together.

What is the meaning of this product or service to the customer?

 How does the product fit into the consumer’s life? What role does it
play?

Answer- The service has become habit of the User for every year.

What role does the brand play in all of this?

Answer- The brand Urban Company plays major role, since the company owns
the credentials of the professionals, the quality of material. This increases the
comfort levels for the User. However, the price differential between branded and
unbranded service can become a challenge if the unbranded service is at more
than 15-20% discount to the Branded service