- What is a service company?
- Characteristics of the services
- Types of service companies
- Examples of service companies
We explain what a service company is, what types exist and various examples. Also, what are the characteristics of the services.
What is a service company?
A service business is a type of organization with profit, which offers its customers intangible assets to satisfy certain specific needs. This type of Business it is distinguished from productive or industrial companies, which generate tangible products and goods that can be touched and used.
Instead, the services are activities and procedures aimed at satisfying specific and specialized needs, which may have to do with the consumption, with maintenance, with the transport of people or goods, or with essential resources for life, as is the case with basic services: electricity, gas, urban sanitation, among others.
Service companies are, naturally, part of the so-called third sector of the economy or service sector.
Characteristics of the services
The services, broadly speaking, have the following characteristics:
- They are intangible assets. The main difference between services and other types of goods (such as products) lies in the fact that the former cannot be touched, that is, they are not concrete objects, but are processes and dynamics that can involve different objects, places and elements.
- They are inseparable. Unlike goods, which in many cases can be broken down into their component parts, services are received as an integrated whole, provided and consumed in the same location.For example, the service provided by a restaurant cannot be moved to other places.
- Are ephemeral. Services are perishable, that is, they tend to disappear over time once they are consumed, so that the unconsumed portion of the service cannot be saved (as can be done with a physical good) for later.
- They are heterogeneous. By their very nature, the services are very varied and include factors that are different from each other, which implies that there are differences in the service provided and in the client's situation and the perception he has of what he receives, since the services are not repeated exactly.
Types of service companies
Service companies can be classified according to the type of activities they carry out, as follows:
- Uniform activities companies. They are those that offer services on a regular and recurring basis, so that they are charged based on specific periods. For example, the service Internet It is billed monthly, and in each period the client is offered a fixed data quota.
- Specific activity companies. They are those that offer punctual services that have a beginning and an end, and that are translated into a concrete and determined activity. For example, a restoration service for the façade of a building that has a certain beginning and end.
- Companies of combined activities. They are those that combine the two previous categories: they undertake a specific project with a start and end date, and subsequently provide a subsequent service on a regular and periodic basis. For example, an oil company provides oil extraction services and at the same time the sale of the obtained crude oil.
- Basic service companies.They are those that offer services related to survival and basic aspects of society, such as productivity and home maintenance. These services can be public or private. For example, a utility company provides regular electricity to households and industries in a city.
Examples of service companies
Examples of service companies are:
- BBVA. Spanish banking services company, with a presence in numerous Spanish-speaking countries under different trade names.
- Lufthansa. Aeronautical services company, that is, airline company, of German origin and with a strong presence throughout the world.
- DirecTV. American company that provides services TV by subscription inside and outside your country, using satellite technology.
- Adecco Group. company of human Resources of Swiss origin, which provides other companies with management and personnel selection.
- MetroGAS. Argentine distribution services company natural gas for consumption in homes (that is, for kitchens, heaters, stoves, among others).
- Google. American company with an international presence through the Internet, which provides digital solutions and information search services to its clients.
- Altai Advocates. Legal advice and representation company originally from France, which has its own law firm.
- Take off. Latin American service company sightseeing, which allows you to buy air tickets and make hotel or taxi reservations at the destination that the customer wishes.
- LFS Transport. American company for the transportation of goods and materials that operates in the US, Canada and Mexico.
- CANTV. Venezuelan public service company telecommunications such as internet, fixed telephony and mobile telephony.
- Netflix.Transnational subscription digital content company, which broadcasts its audiovisual programming over the Internet (via streaming).
- CIALYM S. R. L. Argentine construction company that provides its clients with maintenance and repair services in the home, the trade or the company.