Definition of "self-service" [self-service]

• Being a retail commercial enterprise or a service in which the customers or users help themselves: a self-service market; a self-service elevator. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "IVR telephone systems are part of the broader segment of the customer service industry called self-service, which includes any kind of customer help besides live human assistance."
• "Large supermarket stores: at least 1,500 sq. meters of floor space with at least 50 percent of sales classified as "self-service.""
• "Bike sharing systems are automated, self-service bicycle rental systems that allow people to rent bikes, usually for a short period of time."