34. Determining Value Adding Services

Having established the benefits of a product to a customer it is possible to reason about (or research in conjunction with customers) the value added services that may be associated with the product to ensure the benefit is realised. The method for innovating value added services suggested here relies on a good understanding of the applications of the product, an understanding of the best usage techniques to maximise benefit and an understanding of the problems likely to be encountered in achieving maximum benefit.

Problems

Services can be developed to help the customer avoid problems, prevent problems occurring in the first place, resolve or cure problems as they occur. Avoidance, resolution, cure or problem prevention all have slightly different connotations in terms of the services that may be provided in association with the product. Thus a service aimed at assisting the user to avoid certain inefficiencies in product operation is quite different to a service that aims to prevent the user from engaging in inefficient product operation.

Applications

Application advisory services can be created around a good understanding of the typical applications to which a product may be put. Such application knowledge improves the ability to target particular user or customer groups and enables particular emphasis to be placed on particular benefits that the product can provide. Of particular interest in this area is achieving a good understanding of any need of the application that is better addressed by the product than other possible substitutes. This requires a detailed knowledge of what makes the product better than those of competitors.

Usage

Understanding the difficulties and constraints in using the product provides a basis for developing product training services. Particular attention needs to be paid to how operation, use or application of competing products is normally taught and the demands of different user groups and learning styles.