Beyond the Paradox of Service Industrialization

Highly industrialized services add value to a company, but at the same time they can destroy it, should an almost identical proposal be made to two different clients who are seeking different experiences. The analysis of human subjectivity shows that the interaction with services goes beyond its mere use, as it is related to human beings’ search for meaning, and it can potentially become a part of its users’ biography and identity. The present chapter compiles some of the models that can contribute to getting over the paradox of service industrialization and which are here divided into two types: those that allow for a deep knowledge of the customer and those that are based upon designing experiences as a value proposition. The present chapter also suggests a research agenda that aims to get over the paradox of service industrialization.