The characteristic of a service that means that it cannot be seen, felt, tasted or touched is
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Intangibility refers to the lack of palpable or tactile property making it difficult to assess service quality. According to Zeithaml et al., “Because services are performances, rather than objects, they cannot be seen, felt, tasted, or touched in the same manner in which goods can be sensed.” As such, the services marketing literature has traditionally characterized
intangibility as the most critical distinction between services and goods. Other key characteristics of services include perishability, inseparability and variability. Show
According to Cascade Business News the four key characteristics of service businesses are: Intangibility, Inseparability, Perishability and Variability. Índice IntangibilityUnlike most physical products, services tend to be intangible. This means that they can not be seen, felt, tasted or heard before they are purchased. This means that the consumer has to find another way to establish if the service is of the desired quality or standard before purchase. How does the consumer achieve this? The consumer will usually rely on inferences drawn in several different ways including: customer service, price, location, equipment, reviews (online and word of mouth) and so on. Marketing services can be difficult as delivering a good customer experience is the most important goal as opposed to marketing products whose main aim is to sell quality products which customers can touch, feel and use. Service marketers need to tangibilise the intangible http://www.marketingstudyguide.com/tangibility-intangibility-continuum/InseparabilityInseparability is another key characteristic of services. Unlike products which usually go through multiple phases before consumption (e.g production, storage, delivery, reselling) services are usually produced and consumed simultaneously. There is an interaction between the client and the provider because both parties need to be present for the service to be provided. A good example of this would be professional services such as solicitors, accountants and doctors. Marketing these kind of services can rely heavily on happy customers providing referrals through word of mouth or media reviews (online, newspapers). https://www.slideshare.net/paru04/introduction-to-services-51770803PerishabilityPerishability is the next characteristic to look at. According to BusinessDictionary.com, Perishability refers to the fact that (in general) services cannot be produced and stockpiled (inventoried) before consumption: they exist only at the time of their production. When demand for a service is steady it is easy for service providers to plan in advance how to supply the service. Problems can arise when demand fluctuates or is unpredictable. An example of this would be the airline industry. Ryanairs marketing strategy is low fares and bums on seats, which has worked well for many years. Recently though; pilot rostering issues has thrown their whole operation into jeopardy and their marketing strategy will need to change to affect the masses of unhappy customers and negative publicity VariabilityVariability is the final characteristic of services we will discuss. This variability means that there is a large choice for consumers between service providers. Many different service providers may supply the same service which can lead to the consumer experiencing different levels of satisfaction with the service depending on which provider they choose. What you were hoping for and what you receive may be totally different. An example of these would be insurance companies or hair salons. Marketing these kinds of products again relies on showing that you provide a good customer experience. https://www.zendesk.com/blog/infographic-bad-customer-service/Services Marketing MixAccording to marketing91 service marketing mix consists of 7 P’s as compared to the 4 P’s of a product marketing mix. Simply said, the service marketing mix assumes the service as a product itself. However it adds 3 more P’s which are required for optimum service delivery.The product marketing mix consists of the 4 P’s which are Product, Pricing, Promotions and Placement. These are discussed in my article on product marketing mix – the 4 P’s.The extended service marketing mix places 3 further P’s which include People, Process and Physical evidence. All of these factors are necessary for optimum service delivery. https://www.marketing91.com/service-marketing-mix/ConclusionIn conclusion, you can see that the main difference between marketing services and marketing products is the customer experience (like offering a beer with your haircut in the barber). With a bad product, you can simply return or exchange while a bad service leaves a sour taste which you are much more likely to share with other people. Here is a short video to summarise what we have covered.
A service is any activity or benefit that one party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. Services do not always emerge out of physical products. When somebody rents a hotel room, deposits money in a bank, travels on an airplane, visits a physician, gets a haircut, gets a car repaired, watches a professional sport, watches a movie, and gets advice from a lawyer, he/she buys a service. When designing marketing programs, a company must consider the characteristics of services. Four characteristics of service are;
Let’s discuss the 4 characteristics of the service. Intangibility – Services Cannot Be Felt Before Buying.Services are intangible in nature. It means that services can not be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled before they are bought. For example, an airline passenger has only a ticket and the promise of a safe and comfortable journey. As the buyers are interested in service quality, the service provider must add tangible dimensions. The place, price, equipment, and communication material must indicate the service quality as claimed by the service provider. Consider a bank that wants to convey the idea that its service is quick and efficient. It must make this positioning strategy tangible in every aspect of customer contact. The bank’s physical setting must suggest quick and efficient service: Its exterior and interior should have clear lines; internal traffic flow should be planned carefully; waiting for lines should seem short at teller windows and ATMs, and background music should be light and upbeat. The bank’s staff should be busy and properly dressed. The equipment – computers, copy machines, desks – should look modern. The bank’s ads and other communications should suggest efficiency, with clean and simple designs and carefully chosen words and photos that communicate the bank’s positioning. The bank should choose a name and symbol for its service that suggest speed and efficiency. It is pricing for various services should be kept simple and clear. Inseparability – Services Are Generated and Consumed Together.Inseparability is a major characteristic of services. It means that services are generated and consumed simultaneously and can not be separated from their providers, whether they are people or machines. As the customer remains present as the service is produced, provider customer interaction is important in services marketing. The result of services is affected by both the provider and the customer. Variability – Service Quality Never Stay The Same.Variability is another important characteristic of services, which means that their quality may vary greatly, depending on who provides them and when, where, and how they are provided. For example, the Sheraton hotel has a reputation for providing better service than others. One employee may be cheerful and efficient within a particular Sheraton hotel, while another may be unpleasant and slower. Even the quality of a single Sheraton employee’s service varies according to his or her energy and the state of mind at the time of each customer dealing. Service variability can be managed in several ways. Employees can be selected and trained carefully to provide good service. Employee incentives can be introduced that emphasize service quality. Customer satisfaction can be checked regularly through suggestion and complaint systems, customer surveys, and comparison shopping. Perishability – Services Cannot Be Stored.Services are perishable, which means that services can not be stored for later sale or use. A ticket for the evening show of a movie can not be used for watching the night show. The perishability of services has important implications for service providers. In the case of steady demand, perishability is not a problem. But where demand fluctuates, service providers face adjustment problems. For example, public transportation companies have to own much more equipment then they would as demand is not ever throughout the day. Service providers can several steps to make better demand-supply adjustments. Different prices can be charged at different times on the demand side, which will shift some demand from peak periods to off-peak periods. On the supply side, part-time employees can be hired to cater to peak demand. Which means that they Cannot be touched tasted or seen?Intangibility means that a service cannot be seen, touched, tasted, or smelled.
What are the characteristics of a service?There are four characteristics of service: Intangibility, Inseparability, Variability, and Perishability (Kotler and Keller, 2007). As service's nature is intangibility, therefore manufacturing and service delivery is more complex than a product.
Which characteristic of service means something can not be touched seen tasting etc?Intangibility. A defining characteristic of a service is that it is intangible – it is not something physical that you can see, touch, or taste.
Which term refers to the inability of services to be touched seen tasted heard or felt in the same manner that goods can be sensed?intangibility. the inability of services to be touched, seen, tasted, heard, or felt in the same manner that goods can be sensed.
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