Services are consumed everyday by itself or as part of a physical product. They range from general services use frequently e.g. barber, supermarket, retail banking, medical services to infrequent specialised services e.g. legal advice, funeral, education. Professional services are also purchased regularly e.g. accounting, financial services, architects, construction etc.
The intangible and perishable nature of services poses unique challenges to the providers and requires contrasting approaches to the marketing of these services. In this module, we also examine the significant roles played by both the customers and the front line service providers in offering service quality and excellence.