The Effect of Customer Information during New Product Development on Profits from Goods and Services

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how customer information obtained at different phases of a new product development (NPD) process influences profits from new offerings. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted in the context of NPD in goods and services. A unique database was constructed that merged key informant survey responses with financial data for 244 firms. This database was used to replicate and extend previous research by posing a number of hypotheses regarding the role of obtaining customer information in NPD. Findings – The results show that obtaining customer information during NPD influences the profits from new offerings, which vary depending on the phase of the NPD process. The financial rewards from obtaining customer information for goods are highest in the early phases of the NPD process and decline in later phases. The financial rewards for services, on the other hand, are high in the early and late phases of the NPD process. Research limitations/implications – The research is based on a survey combined with objective financial data, that is, a combination of different data sources. The research would have benefitted from longer data series and a higher response rate. Originality/value – This study replicates and extends previous research by testing the role of obtaining customer information in both manufacturing and service firms by combining survey data with objective financial data

Reflections on context in service research

Purpose: To examine the nature of context and its implications for theory and research in service. Approach: This is a conceptual paper based on exploring existing research and theory related to context in service research. Findings: The characteristics of service make context both important and challenging, there is great contextual diversity in service research as reflected for example in ecosystems made up of multiple contextual variables. There is a need to identify the context specific nature of middle range theory and the contextual logic of general theory. We explore the challenges of context for service theory and how we might learn from theory in a particular context and test or adapt it in other contexts. Value: The findings of this paper are of value to researchers seeking to develop and justify theory in service research, (general, middle range or theory in use)

Characterizing Customer Experience Management in Business Markets

Managing the customer experience has become a top priority for marketing managers and researchers. Research on customer experience management (CEM) has traditionally adopted a customer’s viewpoint. Few studies have explicitly embraced an organizational perspective, and existing research focuses mainly on business-to-consumer settings. The present study espouses the utility of CEM in business-to-business (B2B) settings on the grounds that interactions in B2B contexts are also “experienced”. It explains how B2B firms can design and manage the customer experience to influence the customer at different touchpoints. The paper develops a comprehensive framework that characterizes CEM in B2B. The paper articulates key challenges for B2B CEM; relationship expectations (mismatches in customer relationships, siloed customer experiences); actor interaction issues (mismatches across the customer’s journey, lack of touchpoint control); and temporal challenges (dynamics of the customer experience). The paper draws out the theoretical implications and develops managerial implications for B2B firms

A bricolage perspective on service innovation

Service innovation is often viewed as a process of accessing the necessary resources, (re)combining them, and converting them into new services. The current knowledge on success factors for service innovation, such as formalized new service development (NSD) processes, predominantly comes from studying large firms with a relatively stable resource base. However, this neglect situations in which organizations face severe resource constraints. This paper argues that under such constraints, a formalized new service development process could be counter-productive and a bricolage perspective might better explain service innovation in resource-constrained environments. In this conceptual paper, we propose that four critical bricolage capabilities (addressing resource scarcity actively, making do with what is available, improvising when recombining resources, and networking with external partners) influence service innovation outcomes. Empirical illustrations from five organizations substantiate our conceptual development. Our discussion leads to a framework and four testable propositions that can guide further service research

Visioning a hospitality-oriented patient experience (HOPE) framework in health care

PurposeThis paper considers the question: what would happen if healthcare providers, like their counterparts in the hospitality industry, adopted the principles of customer experience management (CEM) in order to facilitate a more holistic and personalized patient experience? It proposes an alternative vision of the patient experience by adding to an emerging hospitality–healthcare literature base, this time focusing upon CEM. A hospitality-oriented patient experience (HOPE) framework is introduced, designed to enhance the patient experience across all the touchpoints of the healthcare journey.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that draws upon three distinct literatures: hospitality literature; healthcare literature; and CEM literature. It utilizes this literature to develop a framework, the HOPE framework, designed to offer an alternative lens to understanding the patient experience. The paper utilizes descriptions of three unique patient experiences, one linked to chronic pain, a second to gastro issues and a third to orthopedic issues, to illustrate how adopting the principles of hospitality management, within a healthcare context, could promote an enhanced patient experience.FindingsThe main theoretical contribution is the development of the HOPE framework that brings together research on CEM with research on cocreative customer practices in health care. By selecting and connecting key ingredients of two separate research streams, this vision and paradigm provide an alternative lens into ways of addressing the key challenges in the implementation of person-centered care in healthcare services. The HOPE framework offers an actionable roadmap for healthcare organizations to realize greater understanding and to operationalize new ways of improving the patient experience.Originality/valueThis paper applies the principles of hospitality and CEM to the domain of health care. In so doing it adds value to a hospitality literature primarily focused upon extensive employee–customer relationships. To a healthcare literature seeking to more fully understand a person-centered care model typically delivered by a care team consisting of professionals and family/friends. And to a CEM literature in hospitality, which seeks to facilitate favorable employee–customer interactions. Connecting these separate literature streams enables an original conceptual framework, a HOPE framework, to be introduced.</jats:sec