Is it a product, is it a service...?

To add further confusion into the mix, maybe it’s a platform?

The distinction between products, services, and platforms has confused most teams I’ve worked with. Just as soon as you think you’re clear on it, something changes and the debate starts all over again. 

Even among digitally mature companies the debate rages on. Airbnb recently introduced the concept of end-to-end service mapping, a practice long established in the UK public sector. Airbnb didn’t stop building and offering products. The framing of services helped them find a new way of considering what they offer their customers, and how to deliver a cohesive experience better.

The most important thing is that a team’s working well together. The over analysis of words and definitions can be unhelpful. Recently I’ve seen it hold organisations back. The confusion knocks their confidence, making it hard to figure out who they are and how to organise as teams, distracting them from getting on with delivery.

Here’s how I see it:

A service is something that helps someone to do something. A service is the whole user journey, from start to finish (end-to-end). It includes everything a user needs to get that thing done, from touchpoints they interact with to the operations that happen behind the scenes (front to back).

A product is a thing within a service. It could be a touchpoint that is used numerous times throughout a service, by external or internal users. It could be a channel within a service.

A platform is the underlying architecture or technology that enables an organisation’s products and services.

How services, products and platforms work together.

To make it real, here’s an example:
Service: Order groceries for home delivery
Product: E-commerce website
Platform: Time slot scheduling system

What is not a product, service, or a platform, is the work people do as part of their role in the team they work in. That’s their job, it’s what they do, it’s their practice and skill set.

There’s always going to be some level of confusion, because the lines are blurred. What’s most important in the distinction is the slightly different mindset each team takes, the users they focus on meeting the needs of, and the shape of the team the labelling leads to.