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Principles of Service Management

Your customers are your key resource. Explore a service-based approach to marketing and management that can better serve them.

10,477 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    7 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Find out what the discipline of Service Management can do for your business

Today an increasing number of companies compete on service, not product. As a result, understanding a service-based approach to business is essential - even for product-based businesses.

On this course you’ll learn the latest thinking in Service Management, exploring a service-centric perspective to marketing and management. You’ll examine service as a business model, the value creation process, customer perceived quality and promise management.

Ultimately, you’ll discover how service-based thinking can help you better serve your customer, and overcome a range of business challenges.

What topics will you cover?

  • Week 1 - Service as a perspective on business
  • Week 2 - The importance of service quality
  • Week 3 - Customer relationship management
  • Week 4 - A profitable service business
  • Week 5 - Productivity in the service context
  • Week 6 - Communicating a service brand
  • Week 7 - From manufacturing to service (logic)

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify and understand central theories, concepts and models within service management
  • Apply relevant theories, concepts and models to common service management challenges
  • Explore the relevance of and opportunities for service-based thinking in business operations

Who is the course for?

This course would be particularly relevant to business professionals and managers interested in the potential of adopting a service-based strategy, whether their firms are currently operating in an industrial or consumer context, or a manufactured goods or services context. It is also relevant for business students wishing to specialise in service management and marketing.

Who will you learn with?

Professor emeritus at Hanken School of Economics. Internationally respected specialist in service management. Received the honourary title Legend in Marketing for his research in service management.

Researcher and teacher at the Centre for Relationship Marketing and Service Management (CERS), Department of Marketing, Hanken School of Economics. Expert on service management and marketing.

Who developed the course?

Hanken School of Economics

Hanken is a triple crown accredited Finnish university with long experience in education and research in business. Located in Helsinki and Vaasa, Hanken has 2,500 students from all around the world.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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