Commercial services provide a variety of services either to an individual consumer or to a business, and the use of bar code scanning technology can increase the efficiency and accuracy of their daily activities. As customer service and satisfaction are critical to the success of any business rendering services, it is important that every point of customer interactions are performed correctly and quickly to ensure customer satisfaction that can lead to repeated business for the company.
From large corporations and franchises to small local businesses, bar code technology can help to expedite purchases at the point of service, assist with billing processes and payment activities or manage important assets critical to the business. Many services can be time dependent, with peak business occurring during specific hours of the day or day of the week. To ensure that large numbers of customers can be served in a timely manner, it is important that the company has the right amount of materials, supplies or staff at the right time to ensure customer satisfaction. Data collection can be beneficial to help manage inventory levels, help forecast and prepare for busy seasons or to track a customer's purchase history, preferences and records of services performed.

	POS Checkout Typically service locations are characterized by a single station checkout model. Customers typically have no physical items included in their purchase, and will generally pick the services they desire from a menu of items or listing of services. Some businesses, like hair cutting establishments, will offer items for purchases near the checkout counter, consisting of high-margin hair care products. In most cases, an on-counter presentation scanner, or handheld device will meet the needs of most all customer transactions.
	Mobile Marketing At the forefront of consumer trends is the use of a mobile device (cell phone, PDA or smart phone) as a new means of marketing communication, promotion or advertising. This new form of marketing opens two-way communication channels for companies to directly engage and build trusted relationships with customers faster, better and with fewer costs than ever before. In order to implement such programs, businesses must be equipped with imaging-based bar code scanners that can read mobile coupons and codes directly from a mobile device's highly reflective screen.
	Customer Accounts & Loyalty Programs Loyalty programs are an important customer marketing tool that companies can utilize to add more customer services and potentially increase profits. By associating customer accounts with a unique bar coded loyalty card, companies can easily track purchases and services performed and use the data to send customers late fees or special marketing offers.
	Form Automation The extracted data from government issued ID cards can also be used to auto-populate customer forms for rental services, loyalty programs, customer service records and more. By simplifying the data input, businesses can focus on customer participation while adding the potential to capture additional customer data for marketing purposes. Capturing the customer's information at the source also ensures accurate records and the highest level of data integrity.
	Bill Payment Bar code scanning technology is used to facilitate efficient bill payment programs for companies. By including a unique bar code symbology on the payment document, bar code readers will be able to efficiently collect bill payment information as well as accurately distribute bills to the right customer. Generally, 2D bar codes are used for bill payment applications with the ability to store more data in equal or less space. In order to read these codes, a 2D bar code reader or ‘area imager' is required.
	Asset Management Expensive assets like scuba equipment, skis and bicycles must be regularly maintained and cleaned after usage. For rental service applications, it is crucial that companies know at all times where their equipment is, who has possession of it, and when is going to be returned. A proper asset management system is required to avoid unnecessary loss, and to be able to collect additional fees for equipment kept longer than the agreed rental period. Without bar code data capture, too much time can be spent figuring out the location or status of resources, if able to at all. Bar code scanners and mobile computers can help keep better track of assets through automatic data capture, allowing the staff to maintain their focus on the customer.
	Inventory Management Using mobile computers or bar code scanners, a cost-saving inventory management system can be created to track important supplies, materials and equipment. A reliable and accurate database for complete and partial inventory levels can be maintained by simply scanning items when used and when new materials are received. The collected data can be uploaded to a central computer system in regular batches or in real time. This allows for better forecasting, reducing the chance of stock-outs, overstocks, and emergency shipments.