Book excerpt: European economies are now dominated by services, and virtually all companies view service as critical to retaining their customers today and in the future. In its third European edition, Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus across the Firm provides full coverage of the foundations of services marketing, placing the distinctive gaps model at the center of this approach. Drawing on the most recent research and using up-to-date and topical examples, the book focuses on the development of customer relationships through quality service, out lining the core concepts and theories in services marketing today. New and updated material in this new edition include: · - New content on the role of digital marketing and social media has been added throughout to reflect the latest developments in this dynamic field · - Increased coverage of Service dominant logic regarding the creation of value and the understanding of customer relationships · - New examples and case studies added from global and innovative companies including AirBnB, IKEA, Disneyland, Scandinavia Airlines, and Skyscanner