4.1 The Nature of Service

4.1.2 Second Element: Immateriality of the Offered Performance
The nature of service is always immaterial. The service is always only a promise of performance at the time of making the deal. The service provider can only offer their potentials, never products. Pure process or outcome views on service can therefore not be sufficient. They might play an important part in further investigation.

4.1.3 Third Element: The Integration of an External Factor
Service always requires the integration of an external factor -either the customer or his object- to the production process. The integration of an external factor, especially if it is the customer, induces four major consequences and dimensions when handling quality aspects in service.

dimension I:
internal individualisation, and the ratio between personal service and machine service

dimension II:
customer orientation of internal contact factors

dimension III:
integration of the customer or his object (external factors)

dimension IV:
interactivity of external factors, especially customers

[1]Compare[MM87p.87ff.].
[2]Translated from German: Die Absatzobjekte von Dienstleistungs-Anbietern sind Leistungsfähigkeiten von Menschen oder Objektsystemen, insbesondere Maschine, die auf der Basis gegebener interner Faktoren direkt an Menschen oder deren Objekten (externe Faktoren) mit dem Ziel erbracht werden, an ihnen gewollte Veränderungen zu bewirken oder gewollte Zustände zu erhalten.