> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hub.equipme.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hub.equipme.io/classes/admin/offer-management/service-portfolio/creating-a-service.md). # Creating a service {% @arcade/embed url="" flowId="IHLyMClTBXvQ91NmW0yZ" %} The first question the creation flow asks is the one that matters most. A service is what someone books: software access, a support package, a managed device setup, anything with a lifecycle, an assignment and a bill. A product is the physical thing that ships and sits in inventory. They work together, and a service can carry products, which is why a laptop offer is a service with a device behind it rather than a product on its own. {% content-ref url="/spaces/sefXXH6Iz8RCwoM5daoW/pages/K0VatCfmDUG6nhnDZE4a" %} [Products vs. Services](https://app.gitbook.com/o/tyg0OyVUuxExVkZRRN7N/s/sefXXH6Iz8RCwoM5daoW/offer-management/service-portfolio/products-vs.-services) {% endcontent-ref %} The offer type is the second decision worth slowing down for. It is not a price tag, it is the commercial structure: whether there is a term, whether it renews, when it can be cancelled, how costs land over time. Purchase, subscription or a combination of both. Choosing the wrong one does not break anything today, it produces odd behaviour months later when renewals and terminations do not match the deal you actually made. Term and extension follow from that. A twelve month term with a one month extension means the service renews monthly once the first year is over, until somebody cancels it. Two controls decide who ever sees the result, and they are easy to mix up. Publishing prepares the commercial offer. Activating makes the service visible and orderable in the marketplace. You can publish early and activate later, which is exactly what you want while pricing is still being agreed internally. One more thing the flow does not tell you: saving a service is not the end of the job. Without an offer it has no price, and without a bill of materials nothing gets delivered when someone orders it. ### Read more {% content-ref url="/spaces/sefXXH6Iz8RCwoM5daoW/pages/S0bezxo4Cr2c6vac6ijG" %} [Service Portfolio](https://app.gitbook.com/o/tyg0OyVUuxExVkZRRN7N/s/sefXXH6Iz8RCwoM5daoW/offer-management/service-portfolio) {% endcontent-ref %} ### Next Some of these will go out again and again. Bundle them: [Template management](/classes/admin/offer-management/template-management.md). --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://hub.equipme.io/classes/admin/offer-management/service-portfolio/creating-a-service.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.