Based on the theoretical information and practical examples discussed above, do the following exercise:
Task
Try to develop the product you want to sell into a service and document the process.
Suggestions
- Make a list of the tourism services that your business currently offers or would like to offer in the future (e.g. hotel rooms, travel packages, transport services).
- Identify which of these services can be converted into a product service. For example, instead of offering only hotel rooms, offer a “hotel experience package” that includes room service, access to a fitness centre and spa credits or some other related service.
- If you are not able to create such a package yourself, explore potential partners in your area (e.g. for a village tourism room, a local producer who can provide an authentic country breakfast with the accommodation, or a farm tour)
- Involve your potential guests by sounding out their needs in advance. This could be a simple questionnaire survey in tourism-themed social media groups. Based on the feedback, shape the service if necessary.
- Prepare a pricing plan for each product-service offering. Take into account factors such as the cost of providing the service, the demand for the service and the value that the service provides to customers.
- Then continuously look for new opportunities to innovate and create new product-to-service offerings that benefit your customers and increase your revenues..
Benefits
This exercise helps to think creatively about how you can package your services to create more value for your customers, and therefore increase your revenue potential. Allowing you to gather feedback from customers, which can help you to improve your offerings and ensure that you are meeting the needs and expectations of your customers. It encourages you to continuously look for new ways to innovate and create new product-as-a-service offerings, which can help you to stay competitive in the market.