CHARACTERISTICS &

CLASSIFICATION OF SERVICES

 A service is an act of performance that one

party can offer to another that is essentially
intangible and does not result in the ownership
of anything. Its production may or may not be
tied to a physical product.
- Philip Kotler

SERVICE DEFINITION

CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVICE
MARKETING
1. INTANGIBILITY
2. PERISHABILITY
3. INSEPARABILITY
4. HETEROGENEITY
5. OWNERSHIP
6. SIMULTANEITY
7. QUALITY MEASUREMENT
8. NATURE OF DEMAND

1. INTANGIBILITY
Services are intangible we cannot touch them as they
are not physical objects.
A consumer feels that he has the right and opportunity
tosee,touch, hear, smell or taste the goods before
they buy them but his is not applicable to services.
The services are not known to the customer before
they take them.

INTANGIBILITY EXAMPLE

Mobile network providers

like Vodafone , Airtel ,
Reliance , etc.

2. PERISHABILITY
Value of service exists at the point when it is required.
Services perish as soon as they are used.
Services last for a specific time and cannot be stored
like a product for later use.

3. INSEPARABILITY
Services cannot be separated from the service provider.
Thus, the service provider would become a part of a
service.
Production and consumption of services go hand in hand.

INSEPARABILITY EXAMPLE
Taxi operator drives taxi, and the passenger uses it.
The presence of taxi driver is essential to provide
the service.

4. HETEROGENEITY
The quality of services cannot be standardized.
Systems and procedures are put into place to make
sure the service provided is consistent.
The service firms should make an effort to deliver high
and consistent quality by selecting good and qualified
personnel for rendering the service.

HETEROGENEITY EXAMPLE

Live concerts like singing ,

dancing and comedy shows ,
movies , etc.

5. OWNERSHIP
In the sale of goods, after the completion of process,
the goods are transferred in the name of the buyer
and he becomes the owner of the goods.
But in the case of services, the users have only an
access to services.
They cannot own the service.

OWNERSHIP EXAMPLE
Membership of a gym

6. SIMULTANEITY
Services cannot move through channels of distribution
and cannot be delivered to the potential customers
and user.
Either users are brought to the services or providers
go to the user.
It is right to say that services have limited
geographical area.

COST & SIMULTANEITY EXAMPLE

When the producers approach the buyer to deliver
services the cost of those services is increased. On
the other hand it cost time and money for the
buyers to come to producers directly.
A doctors visit to home.
Electronics service, repair & maintenance centers.

7. QUALITY MEASUREMENT
A service sector requires another tool for
measurement.
We can measure it in terms of service level.
It is very difficult to rate or quantify services.

QUALITY MEASUREMENT EXAMPLE

We can quantify the food served in a hotel but the
way waiter serves the customer or the behaviour of
the staff, timely delivery , hygiene etc. cannot be
ignored while rating the total process.
Thus the firm sells good atmosphere, convenience of
customers, consistent quality of services, etc.

8. NATURE OF DEMAND
The services are fluctuating in nature.
The demand of services can be abnormal, sudden
seasonal, situational & dependent.
Therefore, while identifying the salient features of
services one cannot ignore the nature of demand.

NATURE OF DEMAND EXAMPLE

Service quality level deteriorates during peak hours in
hotels, transportation etc.
E-Retailers offering huge discounts on festive
occasions
A marketer should effectively utilize the capacity
without deteriorating the quality to meet the
demand.

FEW ADDITIONAL
CHARECTERISTICS
I.

Services are sold exclusively on the basis of

benefits they offer.

II. Services cannot be made available in advance.

III. Time utility is critical.
IV. Services cannot be transferred.
V. A service once consumed cannot be returned.

Classification of
services

Consumer services
Pure services : Activities performed that do not
include a tangible product.
Non-good services - Personal/professional service for
a fee.
Example: tax preparation.
Owned-good services - Activities that alter, improve,
or repair products already owned.
Example: dry cleaning, appliance repair service.
Rented good services - Provide a product to use for a
brief period for a fee. Example: carpet cleaners,
movie rental.

Classification on the basis of

involvement of customer

People processing

Level of involvement can vary.

Managers must think about processes / outputs in terms of

what happens to customers or what benefits are created.

Identify non-financial costs, time, mental and physical

effort, fear, and pain etc.
Example : healthcare, beauty saloon, dentist, spa, tourism,
transportation, restaurant, lodging

Possession processing
Working to tight deadlines to restore customers
possessions to good working order.
People are less physically involved and usually, no
real need for them to enter the service; often
limited to requesting the service; explaining the
problem or paying the bill only.
Eg : post office /currier, laundry, ATM, warehousing,
landscaping, gardening, office cleaning, repair and
maintenance, freight transportation

Click icon to add picture

Mental stimulus processing

Services that interact with peoples mind.
Anything touching peoples mind has power to
shape attitudes and influence behaviour.
Information based content can be converted to
digital bits, recorded or transformed into
manufactured products viz. CDs, Videos, which
can be packed and sold like any physical product.
Eg education , news , entertainment , Advertising/
PR , video games, music concerts, broadcasting

Information processing
Most intangible form of service output.
Customer involvement determined more by tradition
or personal desire to meet face to face and not by
the needs of the operational process.
Customer / Supplier learn each others needs,
capabilities and personalities by personal meetings,
however this relationship can also be build /
sustained on trust or telephonic contact.
financial services, accounting , banking, Insurance,
legal services, , MR, software consulting

Classification based on service

tangibility
Services linked to tangible goods.
In order to experience the service customers
should first purchase the product.
Eg alterations, warranties

Tangible goods linked to services

Service provider offer tangible goods for use
along with the services.
Eg. Theaters offer 3d glasses along with movie

Classification on the business

orientation
Non profit organisation: govt schools a social
service.
Commercial organization.

Classification on the basis of

requirement of skill and expertise
Professional services
Requires a set of qualificaion skills
adequate training etc.eg lawyer,pilot

Non professional services

Do not require any set of skills training.
Eg house keeping, babysitting etc

Classification on the basis of end

user
Consumer services: beauty case hair case
Business to business services: market
research and consultancy
Industrial services: maachine installations