Customer support and new product development - An exploratory study

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.