The features of business services are explained as follows:

(1) Intangibility : Business services are intangible in nature. This is because business services cannot be seen, touched and smelt. They are not physical or material product. For instance, the building of the insurance company can be seen but insurance services offered by such company cannot be seen. People can avail of the benefits of insurance services although they are intangible in nature. On account of intangibility, services cannot be demonstrated as like goods. Hence services providers have to provide quality services to create good impression on the customers.

(2) Inseparability: One of the important features of business service is that the service and service provider cannot be separated from each other. At the time of rendering the services to the customers, the presence of service provider is must, e.g. medical treatment given by doctor to patient. In the case of services, production and its use (consumption) take place simultaneously.

(3) Inconsistency : Business services are heterogeneous i.e. they are not identical or exactly similar in all cases. They may differ from one person to another and from one place to another although service provider remains same. In fact, business services are heterogeneous, e.g. the services of a salesman in a Mall may have good impact on one customer and may not be liked by another customer.

(4) Perishability : Business services are perishable in nature. Hence, they cannot be stocked. The production and consumption (use) of services cannot be separated because services cannot be stored for future consumption. Since business services are intangible and perishable, there can never be inventory of services. Unlike products services cannot be stored for future sale, e.g. vacant seats of a morning bus from Mumbai to Pune cannot be utilised for evening trip of the same bus.

(5) Non-transferability : Business services are non-transferable in nature. The ownership of business services cannot be exchanged. We can exchange the ownership of products but not of services. A lady goes to a beauty parlour and hires services of the beautician by paying the fees. The lady cannot buy the ownership as its ownership remains with the beautician. If she needs such services again, she has to go to the beauty parlour and pay the beautician again for her services.

(6) Consumer participation : The participation of consumer is important for services. The seller or service provider will not be able to provide its services in absence of a consumer and vice versa. So, the presence or participation of both is necessary.