THE PROVIDER-CUSTOMER INTERFACE IN BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

On the basis of several national and international studies in the fiel d of business and professional services the aim of this paper is to re consider the core question of provider-customer interface. It first sh ows that the question of the relationships between internal and extern al business services may not only be posed in terms of substitution bu t also in terms of complementarity, and interaction. It then analyses the interface as a 'moment of truth' (i.e. as a process of interaction , as a form of organisation, and as part of both the client's and the consultant's value chain) a 'moment of trust' (based upon various mode s of interaction and various logics of interface) and a moment of thru st (thanks to innovation).