Pinto, SofiaJohnston, Robert2011-06-292011-06-292004QUIS 9: QUALITY IN SERVICE CONFERENCE, Karlstad, Sweden, June 15-18, 2004 - QUIS 9: Service excellence in management: interdisciplinary contributions: [proceedings of a conference]. Karlstad : Karlstad University Press, 2004. ISBN 91-85019-81-X. p. 487-496http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/4605Specifications are an instrument to make service operations reliable, consistent and replicable. In the service context little has been researched regarding the specification of the service experience, its nature and its effective control. This paper summarises the existent literature on service specifications and its control, and then presents the results of case research which explores the object and nature of service specifications in contexts of high intangibility and interaction. It analyses and discusses the empirical findings in face of the existent theory and it highlights some contributions to practitioners, and academics in the service management field.engconference object