This paper attempts to extend our understanding of
service operations in the advent of virtual services. Through analysis of the
central aspects of the service delivery process and extant service
classification literature, the paper introduces a service provider-customer
input-based service classification. Empirical breakdown of
a number of service processes to their constituent parts suggests that for a
service classification to be complete it ought to consider the actions and
input of the service provider and of the customer. Additionally, it is suggested that there are different
variants of information-intensive services.
The findings point towards emergent high-potential research areas in
service operations management.
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