AWetPainin the Neck Background Information About a week before Christmas, Tom Brown and his family made their annual trip to stay with his parents for the holidays. The weeks prior to the trip had been very busy for Tom and, despite his wife's good-natured scolding, he had not been able to find the time to get his hair cut. When they arrived at his parents' house, it was clear he needed a haircut. Tom's sister recommended a haircutting salon in a nearby shopping plaza. Tom walked into Hair Locks about 10 a.m. on the day before Christmas. Much to his relief, it was not crowded. One of the two haircutters who were working on customers near the front of the salon looked at Tom and asked in a straightforward manner what he needed. Tom snipped at the back of his head with this fingers and said, "Just a haircut." She motioned toward the rear of the shop and told him to go on back for a wash. About that time, a person who apparently was the receptionist came walking up and suggested that Tom hang his coat on the coat rack near the entrance. Tom did so, then walked to the back, not quite sure exactly where he should go, whom he should see, or what was going to happen once he got there. A diagram of the floor plan is shown below. This work area included a haircutting section with a few chairs and a hairwashing section with a row of sinks and chairs along the back wall. A few people were milling about. A young woman was sitting in one of the haircutting chairs, reading a magazine. No one looked at Tom when he arrived, so he just stood there, waiting, try. ing unsuccessfully to catch someone's eye. He leaned against a partition. After a few minutes, he started to get irritated. Finally, the haircutter who had first spoken to Tom earlier noticed that he was waiting and signaled to the young woman reading the magazine that she should wash his hair. She casually put down the magazine, got out of her chair, and in a low-key, impersonal manner told Tom to sit in one of the hair-washing chairs. She did not make any eye contact with him nor act in a friendly manner. Indeed, she was rather blunt and abrupt in her actions. After Tom sat down, the young woman wrapped an apron around his neck and placed his head back against the sink. She began washing his hair without comment. After a few moments, Tom asked her how much the haircut cost. She flatly replied: "Fourteen dollars." Tom was used to paying nine dollars for a haircut at his hometown barbarshop. While washing his hair, she lifted Tom's head, carelessly exposing his neck. A fairly large spray of water ran down his neck, soaking his shirt collar. Finally, the young woman finished. She escorted Tom to an empty chair in the haircutting section and walked away without comment or explanation. Tom was seated next to another man whose hair was being cut. Again, Tom waited for about five minutes, not knowing what would happen next. There was nothing to read or look at. Finally, the man next to Tom was done and went to the front desk, accompanied by the woman who had cut his hair. She went behind the receptionist's desk, seated herself in front of a personal computer, entered some information, and took his payment. He left. She then walked towards Tom and finally spoke to him, saying she would be back in just a minute. She disappeared around the corner in back. Tom waited. After a couple of minutes, the woman returned and without introducing herself, asked Tom to move into the chair where she had been working on the previous customer. After Tom was seated, she began straightening his apron, then realized that it was on backwards. She took it off, reversed it, and put it back on him. There was little conversation during this time. Tom's irritation with the service he was receiving had grown into outright anger. As she picked up some scissors, she began to talk about the weather, but Tom cut her off. In an abrasive tone, Tom told her: "Wait a minute. You need to know what I want." The woman paused, somewhat taken aback. He proceeded to tell her what kind of haircut he wanted. She listened but made no effort to inquire how he had been treated so far. She then began cutting his hair, and was very proficient in that regard. While it was not a superior cut, Tom was still pleased with the results. She dusted off Tom's head, then began applying a jelly-like substance to his hair. This last step was new to Tom, and he was not only perplexed by it, but pretty sure that he did not want it. He asked her what the substance it was. She said it was a styling gel. When the woman finished, she took off Tom's apron. They walked to the receptionist's desk, and she again seated herself at the computer. She asked Tom's name and entered the information into the computer. The system worked slowly, as she explained in a friendly tone. "That will be fourteen dollars," she said. Tom was surprised. He assumed that the young woman who had washed his hair was incompetent and uninformed, and he was expecting a different price. Tom gave her a two dollar tip. She thanked Tom for coming in and wished him a good holiday. She did not ask about the service he had received. Tom rendezvoused with this sister and wife at the car. His sister asked how the salon was. Tom didn't hesitate to speak. "It was very lousy service," he said. "Don't ever recommend that place to anyone again." CASE QUESTIONS 1. Describe the various points of contact (or "moments of truth") which Tom had at Hair Locks. Evaluate the adequacy of each moment of truth. Define the standards of service which should have existed at each point. 2. How should this service cycle be managed to insure that these standards ae consistently maintained