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Inseparability
. Many services are 
created
at the same time as they are 
consumed
, for example dental 
treatment. Associated with this is
 perishability
.
Services cannot be stored. The services of a dentist are 
purchased for a 
period of time
. The service they offer cannot be used later. 
Variability
.
 
It may be hard to attain precise standardisation of the service offered. The quality of the 
service may depend heavily on 
who 
(or what) delivers the service, and exactly 
when 
it takes place.
Ownership
. Services differ from consumer goods: they do 
not normally result in the transfer of property
. 
The purchase of a service only confers on the customer access to, or a right to use, a facility, not 
ownership.
1.4.2 Implications of service provision 
Poor service quality on one occasion 
(eg lack of punctuality of trains, staff rudeness, a bank's 
incompetence) is likely to lead to 
widespread distrust
of everything the organisation does. 
Services often have added 
complexity. 
For example, if the service is intangible offering a complicated 
future benefit then attracting customers means promoting an attractive image and ensuring that the 
service lives up to its reputation, consistently. 
Pricing 
of services is often complicated, especially if large numbers of people are involved in providing 
the service. 
Human resources management
is a key ingredient in the services marketing mix, as so many services 
are produced and consumed in a specific social context.
Dimensions of service operations 
Determinants 
Comments 
Tangibles
The physical evidence, such as the quality of fixtures and fittings of the 
company's service area, must be consistent with the desired image. 
Reliability
Getting it right first time is very important, not only to ensure repeat 
business but, in financial services, as a matter of ethics, if the customer is 
buying a future benefit.