The generic
clear-cut and complete, concise and consistent definition of the service term
reads as follows:
A service is a
set of one time consumable and perishable benefits
· delivered from
the accountable service provider, mostly in close co-action with his internal
and external service suppliers,
· effectuated by
distinct functions of technical systems and by distinct activities of
individuals, respectively,
· commissioned
according to the needs of his service consumers by the service customer from
the accountable service provider,
· rendered
individually to an authorized service consumer at his/her dedicated trigger,
· and, finally,
consumed and utilized by the triggering service consumer for executing his/her
upcoming business activity or private activity.
Feature/Characteristics:
Services can be
paraphrased in terms of their key characteristics, sometimes called the
"Five I's of Services".
1. Intangibility
Services are intangible
and insubstantial: they cannot be
touched, gripped, handled, looked at, smelled, tasted. Thus, there is neither
potential nor need for transport, storage or
stocking of services. Furthermore, a service can be (re)sold or owned by
somebody, but it cannot be turned over from the service provider to the service
consumer.
2. Inventory (Perish
ability)
Services have
little or no tangible components and therefore cannot be stored for a future
use. Services are produced and consumed during the same period of time.
Services are
perishable in two regards
The service
relevant resources, processes and systems are assigned for service delivery
during a definite period in time. Examples: The hair dresser serves
another client when the scheduled starting time or time slot is over. An empty
seat on a plane never can be utilized and charged after departure.
When the service
has been completely rendered to the requesting service consumer, this
particular service irreversibly vanishes as it has been consumed by the service
consumer. Example: the passenger has been transported to the destination
and cannot be transported again to this location at this point in time.
3.
Inseparability
The service
provider is indispensable for service delivery as he must promptly generate and
render the service to the requesting service consumer. In many cases the
service delivery is executed automatically but the service provider must preparatory
assign resources and systems and actively keep up appropriate service delivery
readiness and capabilities. Examples: The service consumer must sit in
the hairdresser's shop & chair or in the plane & seat; correspondingly,
the hairdresser or the pilot must be in the same shop or plane, respectively,
for delivering the service.
4. Inconsistency
(Variability)
Each service is
unique. It is one-time generated, rendered and consumed and can never be
exactly repeated as the point in time, location, circumstances, conditions,
current configurations and/or assigned resources are different for the next
delivery, even if the same service consumer requests the same service. Example:
The taxi service which transports the service consumer from his home to the
opera is different from the taxi service which transports the same service
consumer from the opera to his home – another point in time, the other
direction, maybe another route, probably another taxi driver and cab.
5. Involvement
One of the most
important Characteristics of services is the participation of the customer in
the service delivery process. A customer has the opportunity to get the
services modified according to specific requirement.