An investigation into the internal business logic required for successful strategic customer service initiatives in organisations offering clients an integrated package of products and services

Purpose: This paper is directed at gaining an understanding of the internal business logic of an organisation in order to better determine the requirements for a successful customer service initiative in an organisation offering an integrated package of products and services. Problem Investigated: Customer service strategies rarely have any meaningful impact within the product development departments of service-oriented organisations. A different approach is therefore required to engender a service culture within product development. Methodology: A literature study was undertaken to gain an understanding of the concept of Service-Dominant Logic and service-transition strategies (such as servitization); the problem statement was supported and research objectives empirically achieved through a series of open-ended interviews and focus groups (qualitative, narrative-enquiry) following a purposive sampling strategy. Findings and Conclusion: The results revealed that a servicedominant environment or service culture are not natural phenomena that occur following a customer service initiative. Rather a service culture can be borne from a service-dominant environment when a complex-adaptive systems theory to organisational management is utilised. A positive impact on customer satisfaction was also identified due to the organisational culture at play within the product-development departments. Value of the Research: The results suggest that product development strategies that address the `mind of the customer' rather than just the `voice of the customer' can -through the use of a complex-adaptive systems management theory - engender a service-orientation which will lead to better customer satisfaction and therefore a higher degree of competitiveness for the organisation at large.