Product services: from a service supporting the product to a service supporting the client

Abstract

Challenges the traditional perspective of product services in the business marketing literature. An original classification system is proposed that isolates and compares two types of product services: services that support the supplier's product (e.g. after-sale services) and services that support the client's action in relation to the supplier's product (e.g. training service). A qualitative study based on this classification is then reported. The study centered on one of the main European manufacturers in the micro-electronics industry, and involved interviews with customers, distributors, and managers in the manufacturing firm.

Integrating products and services through life: an aerospace experience

“…For example, there was the issue of developing a customer orientation. The need to develop a more proactive customer orientation reflects the challenge of actually seeing value through the eyes of the customer (Brady et.al, 2005;Slwotsky and Morrison, 1998), in order to become genuinely 'client supporting' as opposed to 'product supporting' (Mathieu, 2001). The need for such a shift was evident, with the service operation described as acting as "the eyes and ears" of the customer, supported through the secondment of customer-facing JetCo staff into customer businesses in order to understand 'value' through the customers eyes.…”

“…Companies such as IBM, GE and Siemens are often cited as exemplars of organisations which have attempted to capture attractive service revenues, and where services now account for a majority of total revenues (Mathieu, 2001;Gebauer et.al, 2008). It is also proposed that they offer several marketing benefits.…”

Service orientation: changing in Tunisian industrial firms

“…This heterogeneous aspect stems on the one hand from the diversity of customer needs and expectations, and on the other, from the different objectives followed by the firm (Furrer, 1997). For this reason, industrial firms generally propose different types of periodical services (Almeida and Miguel, 2009;Mathieu, 2001aMathieu, , 2001b. This implies that the role of services changes with the time.…”

“…Sometimes the market orientation refers to the orientation service term (Cran, 1994).Moreover, market orientation may facilitate the implementation of a strategy based on service (Solnet and Kandampully, 2005). In fact, the transition to services may affect the entire culture of the industrial enterprise (Mathieu, 2001a(Mathieu, , 2001bOlivia and Kallenberg, 2003). Therefore, an efficient service orientation should be integrated into the overall strategic level of the firm.…”

“…However, today, current market realities indicate that service offer is more and more imperative to industrial firms (Furrer, 1997(Furrer, , 1998Gebauer et al, 2005;Mathieu, 2001aMathieu, , 2001b as it has become a significant factor of growth and competitiveness (Malleret, 2006;Tzokas et al, 2000). Today, offering a basic product is not enough; there is a need to suggest extra services that increase the value of the offer.…”