From commodity to meaning

Photo by Vlad Sargu

When did services became a product?

After World War II, automation and standardization brought a promise: efficiency, scalability, predictability. Services became measurable. Processes were optimized. Quality was defined in terms of output and turnaround time.

That was valuable. It enabled growth. But somewhere along the way, something shifted. Value became defined by internal effort — how many hours, how many transactions, how many touchpoints. The question "what does this mean for the client?" faded into the background.

Do you recognize this?

You deliver good services. Clients are satisfied. But the conversations stay operational. About rates. About turnaround times. About what's included and what's not.

Meanwhile, the world around you is changing. Clients struggle with complex issues — uncertainty, change, choices with no manual. They're not looking for a supplier who delivers what was agreed. They're looking for someone who thinks with them about what's really going on.

The question that lingers

What would change if you defined your service not by what you deliver, but by what it means to the person receiving it?

That's not a small question. It touches how you see value. How you measure success. How you have conversations.

But perhaps it's the question that matters.