Characteristics that Distinguish Services from goods Characteristic Services Goods separability Services often cannot be Goods typically are produced separated from the and sold by different people person providing them Customer Customer can be more Customers involvement effort involved in production of may be limited to buying services completed product and using it Uniformity Because of inseparability Variations in quality and and high involvement variance from standards each service may be can be corrected before unique, with the quality customers purchase likely to vary. productsCharacteristic Inseparability Customer effort Services Services often cannot be separated from the person providing them. Uniformity Slide 11-1b Table 11.1 Goods Goods typically are produced and sold by different people. Customer’s involvement may be limited to buying completed product and using it. Customer can be more involved in production of services. Because of inseparability and high involvement, each service may be unique, with the quality likely to vary. Variations in quality and variance from standards can be corrected before customers purchase products. Characteristics that Distinguish Services from Goods