Overview: The easiest definition of a service is that it is the action of helping or doing work for someone. Businesses provide many kinds of services: Business service is work that supports a business but does not produce a tangible commodity. Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those who buy or use its products or services. Business may also provide community services which are volunteered work for the benefit a community or its institutions.
Sales Services: These are services that focus on getting an initial sale and long term repeat business. Many types of sales services are used by different businesses.
Customer Services: These are the service used to assist or support customers during their relationship with a business. Sector norms exist for these.
Delivery Services: These are services that deliver product to customers. They are critical for those selling online and useful for physical shops.
Care Services: Care services are those that help customers to operate, maintain or repair products. These can be critical to customer loyalty.
Service Map: Examine your business to identify and group the services you provide internally to customers and elsewhere.
Service gaps: Do a service map of your competitors. This will identify service advantages you have and ones you are not supplying.
Service Costs: Services cost money because they use staff time and company resources. They should therefore be cost analysed and allocated.
Service Benefits: Many service benefits are soft and do not generate revenue. They do have benefits. Ask customers how much they value your services.
Managing Services: Services need to be well managed . Those that are too costly, underperforming or uncompetitive should be withdrawn.
Creating Services: Services are designed to provide help and value to customers. Identify customer needs and address them.
Service Targets: Services can be focused to specific groups or needs. Many businesses use additional services to reward loyal customers
Service focus: Services are often focused to specific areas of business activity to gain competitive advantage or attract new customers.
Basic Services: Basic services are those legally required or a norm in a business sector. Without these businesses can not operate or be competitive.
Value Add Services: These are services that provide help or support in addition to the basic product offer. They are very attractive to customers.
Free Services: Many services are “free” in that their costs are sunk in the purchase price of a product. Price must include service costs.
Paid Services: Some services are so valuable or costly that they can be charged for. Service pricing is calculated like that of any product.
Trade for Services: These are services where the customer does something that gains them access to a service for a limited or extended period.
Supplying Services: Services are generally delivered face to face or online. Face to face services are most powerful. Online ones are usually self service.
Service Metrics: Service metrics usually include the cost per unit supplied, Time to supply, volume supply, customer perceptions and feedback
Service Contribution: Service benefits need to be accounted for. They are often wholly or partially allocated to areas sales, marketing, loyalty, competitive advantage.
War Chest: Having a selection of services that can be quickly launched when there is a competitive threat is a highly effective counter competitive strategy.
Staff Services: Some services such as training and personal development can be supplied to staff. Identify services like these and encourage their use.
Service Change: Changing and improving a service can be a very useful way to create a reason to contact existing and potential customers.
Bad Service Cost: A 25% drop in loyalty among customers who experience a service problem is normal. Dissatisfied customers will tell an average of 10 others.
