4.1 The Nature of Service

Meyer defines the nature of service as the following:

The objects of sale given by any service provider are productive powers of persons or object systems, especially machines, which are directly applied on the customer or their objects (external factors) on the bases of given internal factors. The aim of the service is to cause a demanded change or to ensure a wanted condition.
[MM87p.87f.]

This definition of service contains three elements, which characterises all kinds of services. Only if the three elements are given, will it be a service. If one element is missing the object of sale is only similar to service. The three elements will be explained in the following.

4.1.1 First Service Element: Supply During Production
The service providing unit directly acts on the customer or on his object. Service does not produce an object of transfer (product), which is carrying the provided qualities to the customer. Production and supply are identical.

Service can be classified, by whether it is provided by men or machines, and whether it is done on the customer or his object. If people are not directly involved in the service and it is not done on the customer himself, situation seems most similar to handle as to selling a product, although it is still a service. A fully automatic car washing machine visualises this type of service. Here, it seems most easy to apply unbiased quality measurements. Applying quality concepts originated for products to this kind of service makes almost no difference.

However, in ambulant medical care, the service is always applied on the customer, namely the patient. Applying quality concepts from industry will probably not be possible without adjustment. Depending on whether the service is mainly produced by machines or by physicians, this task will again differ. Quality of fully machine driven laser surgery will be easier to control as in manual radial keratotomy.