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This paper reviews the underlying theory of the customer contact approach to services and suggests specific ways in which this approach can be applied to a wide range of service systems. The approach holds that the potential efficiency of a service system is a function of the degree of customer contact entailed in the creation of the service product. Based upon this conceptualization, a number of propositions about high contact systems are identified and some simple heuristics for service system design and operation are proposed. Other approaches to operations management in services are reviewed and suggestions for further development of the contact approach are offered.

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T his paper explores the customer experience paradigm as it pertains to service operations strategy and design.First, we operationally define and discuss the concept of customer experience. In this context, we propose a reframing of the strategic role of operations strategy as one of choreographing experience-centric services. We then introduce the concept of services as destinations as an emerging business model for classifying experiential service strategies. Our conceptual typology of experience-based strategies uses two dimensions: (1) the depth of use of experience as a source of value creation, ranging from brand experience to the services as a destinations business model, and (2) the degree of integration of experience internally within the firm. Using this conceptual typology, we develop five propositions and use multiple cases to illustrate firms' use of these experience strategies. Laying the groundwork for future research, we highlight insights from the qualitative, multiple-case data as they pertain to service operations strategy and the business model that employs services as destinations. A number of questions for further research are suggested.

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