Linkages between product distribution and service support functions

Loomba, Arvinder S.

doi:10.1108/09600039610116486

Cited by 48 publications

(46 citation statements)

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“…One of the key research instruments used was a semi-structured questionnaire, based on the work of Goffin (1990), Hull and Cox (1994), and Loomba (1996), supplemented with ideas from Baines et al 2009. The questionnaire 1 covered: the characteristics of the company's products and services, key elements of after-sales service (c.f.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Product service systems, after-sales service and new product development

Szwejczewski

Goffin

Anagnostopoulos

2015

International Journal of Production Research

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After-sales service is a critical element in the successful marketing of many products. Capital goods, for example, manufacturing equipment, require after-sales service such as maintenance and repair in order for customers to get the full value from them. Some manufacturers have started to offer customers an integrated product and service, termed a product-service system in the academic literature. However, in order to deliver such integrated offerings, a different approach to new product development (NPD) is required. This is because the product design influences after-sales service requirements, and so this needs to be considered during NPD. However, researchers have largely ignored the relationship between NPD and service. To address this gap, six in-depth case studies were conducted at leading companies that offer a combined product-service offering, to identify how service requirements are typically evaluated at the design stage. The results show that at companies where after-sales is an important element of the business, service requirements are systematically evaluated during NPD through the involvement of after-sales personnel and the use of field service data to set design goals.Keywords: word; after-sales service; new product development; product-service systems IntroductionDuring new product development (NPD), manufacturers have traditionally focused on the product features, rather than on after-sales service issues, such as maintenance. However, recent research highlights the move of some manufacturers to offer product-service systems (PSS); a range of services that enables customers to obtain maximum value from their products (Baines et al. 2009). It has been recognised that designing a product-service system requires a different approach to traditional product development (Baines et al. 2009;Sundin, Lindahl, and Ijomah 2009). However, what needs to be done differently has not been adequately investigated (Goffin and New 2001;Bundschuh and Dezvane 2003). Consequently, the aim of this paper is to explore how after-sales service requirements are evaluated during NPD.Six in-depth case studies were conducted at leading companies in a range of B2B and B2C sectors. The results show that after-sales was recognised as an important aspect of the business at the case companies and, consequently, it was evaluated at the design stage of NPD. This was achieved by involving after-sales personnel in the NPD teams and through identification of key aspects of service from field performance data of products. Therefore, the contribution of this paper is to show the importance of after-sales for manufacturers in B2B and B2C markets. Interestingly, it also found that Type 3 PSS, where a manufacturer sells a capability to the customer rather than a product, is maybe not as important as the previous literature has indicated -several of the case organisations clearly identified reasons why Type 3 PSS was inappropriate for their markets.This paper is structured as follows: Section 2 describes three relevant streams of litera...

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Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Product service systems, after-sales service and new product development

Szwejczewski

Goffin

Anagnostopoulos

2015

International Journal of Production Research

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“…Therefore, customers in many sectors are demanding more economical and effective customer support (Loomba, 1996). A key factor which influences the efficiency and economics of customer support is product design (Lele, 1986).…”

Section: Customer Support and Npdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, customer support is now "being recognised as an important research priority" (Loomba, 1996).…”

Section: Customer Support In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Customer support and new product development ‐ An exploratory study

Goffin

New

2001

International Journal of Operations &Amp; Production Management

159

118

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Customer support is an essential element in the successful marketing of many products ± from domestic appliances to high-tech computer networks. Many aspects of support are strongly influenced by a product's design and so customer support requirements should be evaluated during new product development. However, researchers have largely ignored the relationship between new product development and customer support. The current study addressed this gap by using case studies and a workshop, both conducted with leading companies, to identify how customer support is typically evaluated at the design stage and to determine the importance of this aspect of new product development. The results have implications for managers responsible for product innovation ± they show the need to allocate adequate resources to integrating customer support requirements into new product development.

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“…In fact, if we adopt a contextual perspective on organizations (see, e.g., Lawrence and Lorsch, 1967) it is evident that outsourcing effects are also a result of various other internal and external factors. Among those suggested in previous studies are degree of product complexity (Loomba, 1996;Nordin, 2005), product maturity (Armistead and Clark, 1991;Nordin, 2005) service revenues (Mathe and Shapiro, 1993;Nordin 2005), service intensity (Armistead and Clark, 1991;Nordin, 2005), environmental dynamism (Gilley and Rasheed, 2000;Nordin, 2008), quality of the relationship with the supplier, including information sharing (Lee, 2001;Li et al, 2006), and learning (Lee, 2001) and knowledge management (Drejer and Sorensen, 2002) abilities. While most of this research is not concerned with effects of outsourcing on organizational capabilities, it nonetheless implies that that there are a number of variables that may mediate the effects of outsourcing.…”

Section: Figure 1 -Initial Research Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of outsourcing for organizational capabilities

Agndal

Nordin

2009

Benchmarking: An International Journal

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Consequences of Outsourcing for Organizational Capabilities: Some Experiences from Best Practice Structured AbstractPurpose: The research on effects of outsourcing tends to focus on financial effects and effects at a country level. These are not the only consequences of outsourcing, though. When firms outsource functions previously performed in-house, they risk losing important competencies, knowledge, skills, relationships, and possibilities for creative renewal. Such non-financial consequences are poorly addressed in the literature, even though they may explain financial effects of outsourcing. Therefore, our purpose is to develop a model that enables the study of non-financial consequences of outsourcing.Study Design: Based on a review of the literature on interdependencies between organizational functions, a main proposition is developed: Given that savings gained from outsourcing are not reinvested in the organization, outsourcing of any function will negatively impact the capabilities of that and other functions in the organization. This proposition is broken down into sub-propositions, which are tested through a focus group study.Respondents include purchasing professionals with experience from best practice outsourcing. Findings:The initial proposition is developed through identification of variables mediating the proposed negative consequences of outsourcing. Mediating variables are broken down into four categories: Variables relating to the outsourcer, the outsourcee, the relationship between the parties, and the context. Research implications:By developing a model for the study of non-financial consequences of outsourcing, this article takes a step towards opening up an important avenue for future research.Originality: This article contributes to the outsourcing field by not only considering nonfinancial effects, but by drawing on examples of best practice outsourcing to identify ways in which potentially negative consequences of outsourcing may be managed.

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Linkages between product distribution and service support functions

Cited by 48 publications

References 1 publication

Product service systems, after-sales service and new product development

Product service systems, after-sales service and new product development

Customer support and new product development ‐ An exploratory study

Consequences of outsourcing for organizational capabilities

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