Purpose - The banking industry is definitely among the service
industries that have been thoroughly transformed during the past
decades. The direction of development has been toward more efficient
mass services enabled by information and communication technologies
(ICT). The purpose of this paper is to focus on analysing the changes in
banking services, particularly the mass services offered through
service factories. The aim is to review the previous literature on
efficient production of banking services, and particularly analyse the
effects of service factories in this area. Design/methodology/approach -
The theoretical focus of the paper reviews the frameworks and models
for service positioning and efficiency for recognising the typical
banking services used in the analyses. The Service Process Matrix is
analysed for its components and implications for recognising efficient
service processes for different types of services. Findings - The
findings show that the Service Process Matrix provides a tool for
categorising different services for their efficiency in the case
industry analysed. The matrix is adapted to better reflect the changes
in banking services. Originality/value - The quest for service
efficiency is of importance, both in public services and service
businesses alike. Several tools and models have been proposed to analyse
the most appropriate way to produce services of different types. This
paper analyses this area and provides insights for managers in how to
position different service types for best customer value and efficient
service processes. The paper also provides insights for service
researchers looking for frameworks to categorise different service
types.