Servicewüste (, ''service desert'') is a

management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

buzzword A buzzword is a word or phrase, new or already existing, that becomes popular for a period of time. Buzzwords often derive from technical terms yet often have much of the original technical meaning removed through fashionable use, being simply ...

coined in ''

Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

'' by

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

professor Hermann Simon in 1995, referring to "the total lack of acceptable services". It is used to describe a country, region or area where the

service sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...

generally or

customer service Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those who buy or use its products or services, either in person or remotely. Customer service is often practiced in a way that reflects the strategies and values of a firm, and ...

specifically is weak or completely undeveloped. The term has correspondingly negative connotations. It is often used for

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, where it is perceived that many organizations do not offer any other services after the purchase of a product and do not consider customers' needs. Generally repairs and maintenance will be done only after paying additional fees. An example given by Simon is that in contrast to those in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, German

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

checkouts did not have an employee dedicated to sacking groceries.''Servicewüste Deutschland'', in Spiegel Nr. 51/1995 S. 82
/ref>

Bibliography

* Stefan F. Gross: ''Ausbruch aus der Servicewüste'' 1998, * Viola Reinhardt: ''Dienstleistung beginnt mit einem Lächeln: Blüten in der Servicewüste'' (14 May 2008),

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Servicewuste Service industries in Germany