The great thing about services is that unlike their product counterparts, they are a fluid thing. In fact, a service isn’t even “real” until it happens. A service is “made” once the service interacts with a customer or vice-versa. It’s sort of like the old saying, “If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?” Who’s to know if there isn’t a person there to hear it?

But just like products, the creators of services are too often focused on what they want, the need they are seeking to fill, and the problems they think their customers have. This is particularly true with established companies, where they can grow to take their customers for granted, assuming that they know what those customers need.