Paul G. Huppertz: Service Identifying – 3 Service Identifiers

Paul G. Huppertz, servicEvolution

Service Identifying – 3 Service Identifiers

Necessarily, the methodology of servicialisation must begin with identifying the services which are required by the intended and/or authorised service consumers in the realm of the commissioning service customer. Only when these services have been clearly and concisely identified in tight cooperation and alignment with the service consumers, all the necessary steps, procedures and actions can be planned and prepared for ensuring the provision of such a service whenever an authorised service consumer triggers one.

From the definition of the service term:

“A service is a set of benefits which must be rendered explicitly to the service consumer on his dedicated trigger.”,

the three constitutive service identifiers can be easily derived:

1.     the service consumer whom to a service must be rendered on his dedicated trigger,

2.     the service object which to the service-specific benefit must be effectuated,

3.     the service-specific benefit which must be effectuated to the designated service object on the dedicated trigger of an authorised service consumer.

Picture 1: Service Identifying - 3 Service Identifiers

This illustrates that the service consumer is the original activator and the single addressee of the service provision. Whenever he needs the service-specific benefits for executing his upcoming activity, he purposefully triggers a service of the necessary type. This triggering initiates the rendering of a single and unique service of this type explicitly to him, in other words: it instigates the real time transaction that effectuates the service-specific benefits and renders them explicitly to the triggering service consumer. With triggering the service, the service consumer designates the respective service object which to the service-specific benefit must be completely and terminatorily effectuated. This benefit comprises the required status change of the designated object which must fulfil particular criteria. The general fulfilment criteria are specific for the respective service type. With triggering a singular service of this type the service consumer configures these basic criteria according to his current individual needs which must be comprehensively covered in the course of rendering the service. After the service triggering, the service-specific benefit must be effectuated to the designated service object and be rendered explicitly to the triggering service consumer. This shall be explained using the example of an e-mailing service:

·        The author and sender of the original e-mail is the triggering service consumer.

·        The original e-mail with all added file attachments is the respective service object.

·        The delivering of one copy each to the e-mailbox of each addressee designated by the triggering service consumer is the primary and indispensable benefit.

As soon as an individual wants his written message to be delivered to a group of addressees via e-mail, he hits the ‘Send’ button in his e-mail client application. Thus, the individual acts as an authorised service consumer who explicitly triggers one singular e-mailing service. He designates his original e-mail as the service object a copy of which must be delivered to the e-mailbox of each designated addressee, which is the service-specific benefit. As soon as the service consumer has triggered this singular e-mailing service, instantaneously a real time transaction must be 

Picture 2: Triggering and rendering a singular e-mailing service

instigated which effectuates that the copies of the original e-mail are created, forwarded and delivered to its destinations. As soon as this is accomplished for each and every e-mail copy, the explicitly triggered e-mailing service is completely and terminatorily rendered to the triggering service consumer. Whilst the e-mailing service was effectuated, the service consumer simultaneously has consumed this service – in a rather abstract view. Thereafter he can benefit from the fact that the e-mail copies are accessible for each designated addressee in his respective e-mailbox so that he can refer to it in his further communication or cooperation with each addressee.

Generally, there are 4 different types of service objects which always refer to the service consumer

Picture 3: Service Object Types

·        life and limb of the triggering service consumer, e.g. when he is transported, trained or medicated

·        goods and chattels of the triggering service consumer, e.g. when his car is repaired or when his technical equipment is maintained

·        rights and claims of the triggering service consumer, e.g. when a money transfer is executed for him or when a damage is adjusted for him

·        data and documents of the triggering service consumer, e.g. when his original letter is delivered to the mailbox of the addressee or when one copy each of his original e-mail is delivered to the e-mailbox of each addressee he has designated

The primary and indispensable benefit which must be effectuated to the designated service object is constitutive for the respective service type. For effectuating this benefit according to the requirements of the service consumer, normally some additional supporting and flanking, securing and saving benefits must be effectuated, too. Thus, a hierarchy of secondary, tertiary … benefits is identified being reflected in secondary, tertiary … service contributions which from the target service must be aggregated in the course of a real time service transaction.

With identifying the service by means of the method explained above, one simultaneously creates the first entry for service attribute 01 ‘Service Consumer Benefits’ of the clear, complete and concise service specification based on the 12 standard service attributes. This first entry is the linking element between the identification and the specification of the required service. It ensures that the service specification is firmly anchored to the initial step of preparing the service provision. As a consequence, all further values of the 12 service attributes are inherently referred to and tightly related to the service identification which is focused on the service consumer as the success critical factor of any service provision.