This paper provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the industrial metaverse on the development of smart services and its potential to drive economic growth in the digital age. First, the paper outlines the vision and defining characteristics of the industrial metaverse, setting the stage for a deeper exploration. This is followed by a discussion of the challenges associated with the development of smart services and how the industrial metaverse can be used to overcome them. A major contribution of this study is the introduction of intelligent meta-agents as tools for smart service development within the industrial metaverse. These agents use human-like avatars and AI agents with interactive simulation capabilities. Intelligent meta-agents can be either autonomous facilitating intelligent operation or operated with human supervision. This integration simplifies the development process of smart services and represents a transformative approach in the field.