QUALITY IN SERVICES - THE SOFTER SIDE IS HARDER (AND SMARTER)

The capability to provide value adding services in the Customer's Activity Cycle is the key differentiator for firms today. This, asserts the author, is because value as seen by customers is meaningful only in terms of what customers get out of core products and services, not just what goes in (as was the case previously), With this switch in emphasis-from the quality of the products and services to the quality of the result for customers-managers have to rethink what and how they measure their performance in the marketplace. With so much dependent on 'soft' services and behaviours they have to adjust both what they measure and how. The author provides a framework for achieving this.