Characteristics of a service are:
1. Intangibility: Services are intangible and do not have a
physical existence. Hence services cannot be touched, held, tasted or smelt.
This is most defining feature of a service and that which primarily
differentiates it from a product. Also, it poses a unique challenge to those
engaged in marketing a service as they need to attach tangible attributes to an
otherwise intangible offering.
Intangibility refers
to the fact that a large component of many service offers is immaterial or
intangible and cannot be presented in a concrete manner to consumers prior to
purchase. For example, a customer cannot touch the aerobics class prior to
attending the class neither can assess the quality without attending the class.
2. Heterogeneity
/ Variability: Given
the very nature of services, each service offering is unique and cannot be
exactly repeated even by the same service provider. While products can be mass
produced and be homogenous the same is not true of services. e.g.: All burgers
of a particular flavour at McDonalds are almost identical. However, the same is
not true of the service rendered by the same counter staff consecutively to two
customers.
Heterogeneity is
closely related inseparability as it is very difficult to apply quality standards
to services to ensure an identical service output, when so much depends on the
cooperation and participation of individual customers.
3. Perishability: Services cannot be stored, saved, returned or
resold once they have been used. Once rendered to a customer the service is
completely consumed and cannot be delivered to another customer. e.g.: A
customer dissatisfied with the services of a barber cannot return the service
of the haircut that was rendered to him. At the most he may decide not to visit
that particular barber in the future.
Perishability
refers to the fact that unlike physical goods, services cannot be stored. An
appointment with the dentist, in contrast, at a given time on a given day,
cannot be stored and offered again to the customer.
4. Inseparability
/ Simultaneity of production and consumption: This refers to the fact that services are generated and consumed
within the same time frame. E.g.: a haircut is delivered to and consumed by a
customer simultaneously unlike, say, a takeaway burger which the customer may
consume even after a few hours of purchase. Moreover, it is very difficult to
separate a service from the service provider. E.g.: the barber is necessarily a
part of the service of a haircut that he is delivering to his customer.
Inseparability
refers to the notion that, in much service operation the production and
consumption cannot be separated, that is, a service is to great extent consumed
at the same time as it is produced. For example, a hairdresser may prepare in
advance to carry out the service, but most of the hairdressing service is
produced simultaneously as the customer consumes the service.
Types
of Services
1.
Core
Services: A service that
is the primary purpose of the transaction. E.g.: a haircut or the services of
lawyer or teacher.
2.
Supplementary
Services: Services that
are rendered as a corollary to the sale of a tangible product. E.g.: Home
delivery options offered by restaurants above a minimum bill value.
No comments:
Post a Comment