Introduction
The marketing of processes and performances is called service marketing. The services are intangible which differentiate the products from the services. Services are produced and used simultaneously.
One of the sub fields of marketing is called Service marketing. Service marketing can be from business to consumer or business to business. It includes the telecommunication services, financial services, restaurant/ hotel services, hospital services, renting car services, travelling services (travel by bus, train, air or ship) and health care services. Services are offered by one group to another. It is an economic activity.
History
There are four P’s like product, promotion, pricing and place. Expanded marketing also includes people; playing part in services, physical evidence; which means the environment of services provided and the process that what procedures are being used to deliver the services.
Different characteristics of the service marketing are seen. There might be the question that what is the difference between the service and the product? How they are different from each other. Some organizations have the products with the element of service in them. Example is the food chain; in any restaurant the main focus is the product but there is also the concern of services they provide in serving the food. What is the way of serving the customers? Is serving staff frank with the customers or not?
Features
There are some of the characteristics of service marketing:
1. There is lack of ownership. You can not buy the service like product. It is just for the period of time. If you buy a ticket to USA then the services they provide are only for 9 hours each way. The customers want that the service should be excellent for them. If that time passes then the services are not applicable to that person.
2. Next characteristic of service is intangibility. The services are not touchable. You can not touch them but you may touch the product. Service totally depends on the perception of the person. How the person perceives about the service? It may be positive or negative both. What is the location of the services being provided? How they present the service?
3. There is another characteristic which is in-separability, that the services are glued together with the service provider. They can not be separated. Product is the thing which can be separated from the product maker but service cannot be separated. Service is made near the buying point.
4. Perish-ability is another characteristic of service as it can not be stored and lasts for some specific duration. If you travel either by bus, by train or by air, you pay for the services and then these services are timely. For example the services provided during the travel for USA lasts for 9 hours only. The services are used simultaneously.
5. In the last the services are heterogeneous. Service marketing may vary from time to time. If you travel once by train then next time there is the possibility of changing the service they provide.
Tips and comments
The service provider may change. If there is any concert of two people then it may vary from person to person. The consistency is difficult but you should maintain the consistency.
