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 company It is a type of for-profit organization that offers its clients intangible goods to satisfy certain needs punctual. This type of company is distinguished from productive or industrial companies, which generate tangible products and goods that can be touched and used.
Instead, Services are activities and procedures designed to satisfy specific and specialized needs which may have to do with consumption, maintenance, the transportation of people or goods, or with essential resources for life, as is the case of basic services: electricity, gas, urban cleaning, among others.
Service companies naturally constitute part of the so-called tertiary sector of the economy or service sector.
Service characteristics
The services, broadly speaking, have the following characteristics:
- are intangible assets. The main difference between services and other types of goods (such as products) is that the former cannot be touched, that is, they are not concrete objects, but rather they are processes and dynamics that can involve different objects, places and elements.
- are inseparable. Unlike goods, which in many cases can be decomposed into their component elements, services are received as an integrated whole, which is 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.
- are heterogeneous. By their very nature, services are very varied and include different factors, which implies that there are differences in the service provided and in the client's situation and the perception they have of what they receive, 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 activity companies. They are those that offer services on a regular and recurring basis, so that they charge them based on specific periods. For example, internet service is billed monthly, and in each period the customer is offered a fixed data quota.
- Specific activity companies. They are those that offer specific services that have a beginning and an end, and that translate into a concrete and determined activity. For example, a restoration service for the façade of a building that has a certain beginning and end.
- Combined activities companies. 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 sells the crude oil obtained.
- Basic service companies. They are those that offer services linked to survival and the basic aspects of society, such as productivity and home maintenance. These services can be public or private. For example, a utility company regularly provides electricity to homes and industries in a city.
Examples of service companies
Examples of service companies are:
- BBVA. Spanish banking services company, with presence in numerous Spanish-speaking countries under different commercial names.
- Lufthansa. Aeronautical services company, that is, an airline company, of German origin and with a strong presence throughout the world.
- DirecTV. American company that provides subscription television services inside and outside its country, using satellite technology.
- Adecco Group. Human resources company of Swiss origin, which provides other companies with administration and personnel selection services.
- MetroGAS. Argentine company providing natural gas distribution services 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 Advocats. Legal advice and representation company originally from France, which has its own law firm.
- Take off. Latin American tourism services company, which allows you to buy air tickets and make hotel or taxi reservations at the destination the client desires.
- LFS Transport. American company for transportation of goods and materials that operates in the US, Canada and Mexico.
- CANTV. Venezuelan public company providing telecommunications services such as internet, landlines and cell phones.
- Netflix. Transnational digital content subscription company, which broadcasts its audiovisual programming over the Internet (via streaming).
- CIALYM SRL Argentine construction company that provides its clients with maintenance and repair services in the home, business or company.
Continue with: Industrial company
References
- “Company” in Wikipedia.
- “Service companies” at EAE Business School.
- “Types of companies and their characteristics” at the European Postgraduate Center (Chile).
