Customer support is an essential element in the successful marketing of man
y products -from domestic appliances to high-tech computer networks, Many a
spects of support are strongly influenced by a product's design and so cust
omer support requirements should be evaluated during new product developmen
t However, researchers have largely ignored the relationship between new Pr
oduct development and customer support. The current study addressed this ga
p by using case studies and a workshop, both conducted with leading compani
es, to identify how customer support is typically evaluated at the design s
tage and to determine the importance of this aspect of new product developm
ent. The results have implications for managers responsible for product inn
ovation - they show the need to allocate adequate resources to integrating
customer support requirements into new product development.