As the lines between products and services become less and less distinct, many managers and consultants advocate that manufacturing companies learn to think like the service sector—get close to the customer, offer multi-dimensional solutions, provide high-quality support. But in today's highly competitive and constantly changing marketplace, managers in service industries, such as banking, insurance, financial services, utilities, and retailing, can benefit enormously by thinking like manufacturers—employing a rigorous product development model to create and test new offerings, develop the most promising ones, and see them to market successfully. In Product Development for the Service Sector, product development experts Cooper and Edgett draw from their extensive research, teaching, and consulting experience to offer service sector executives and managers a comprehensive overview of the principles of product development and how they can be successfully applied in any service industry.
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