The business-to-business (B2B) customer experience (CX) literature tends to promote a one-size-fits-all approach, advocating the undifferentiated goal of exceptional CX with the view that ‘more is better’ in CX management (CXM). In contrast, we identify three universal customer goal categories and their associated CXM value propositions that underpin both collective and individual experiences. These categories are: (1) Relieving CX to promote organizational efficiency and individual convenience; (2) Enabling CX to facilitate organizational differentiation and individual empowerment; and (3) Enriching CX to foster organizational association and individual relationships. We also contend that firms may adopt different strategic approaches to CXM depending on their customers’ goals and related value propositions. Specifically, we introduce four archetypical CXM strategies that differ in impact and scope: CXM Champion, Cherry Picker, Minimalist, and Fashionista. Finally, we propose a research agenda on CXM strategy drivers and contextual factors. For practitioners, we offer a four-step CXM strategy guide.

Purpose — Manufacturers increasingly harness digital technologies in their servitization efforts. However, the research has mainly focused on higher-level aspects of servitization, often overlooking the role of organizational routines at the firm-customer interface. This especially concerns two key customer-facing functions, service operations and service sales. This study explores how digital service orientation can be induced within these units’ organizational routines. Design/methodology/approach — Survey data from 534 respondents (270 in service operations and 264 in service sales) from a market-leading manufacturing corporation implementing a digital service strategy were analyzed with a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings — The analysis uncovers alternative configurations of routine elements that induce digital service orientation in customer-facing units. These configurations combine four core routine elements: technology foresight, adaptability, agility, and rule-bending. Notably, distinct cross-functional patterns—assertive, responsive, and nimble—emerge across service operations and sales. Originality/value — This exploratory study advances servitization research by identifying cross-functional patterns that induce digital service orientation. The findings reveal a surprising degree of homogeneity between service operations and sales, with greater alignment than previously assumed. This study also highlights the role of rule-bending in managing the often overlooked tensions inherent in digital service strategies. Additionally, it points to a more limited role of customer focus, particularly in the context of intermediate services. Practical implications — For managers, the cross-functional patterns offer a useful tool for inducing digital service orientation across customer-facing functions.

Servitization—the shift from product to service-centric business models—has attracted widespread attention, yet best practices for selling services and transforming the salesforce remain unclear. In response, this study systematically reviews the literature on selling and sales management for servitization. Analyzing 66 articles across 21 journals, we identify three key themes: customer engagement throughout the purchase journey, skills and abilities of selling actors, and sales management support. Our integrative framework highlights how the selling of services and solutions necessitates a collaborative, cross-functional process of customer engagement across various stages of the journey. Ideally, this engagement fosters recurring cycles with loyalty loops, driven by proactive customer success management. We also present a comprehensive research agenda with four key themes bridging critical gaps in current knowledge. From a managerial perspective, our review underscores that servitization necessitates extensive organizational changes beyond the sales function, affecting not only what firms sell but also how they sell. 

The access economy has emerged as a disruptive force in the business landscape, transforming traditional industries. This term describes a business model that focuses on the sharing, renting, or lending of goods and other resources among individuals and organizations, emphasizing temporary access and usage over permanent ownership. As the access economy continues to gain traction, understanding service experience in this context becomes crucial for researchers and practitioners. Drawing from the mobility sector, this chapter presents an overview of service experience in the access-based economy. We discuss the characteristics of nine access-based mobility services, differentiating traditional ones (e.g., car rental and leasing) from more recent and disruptive ones (e.g., micro-mobility services). We then compare these mobility services through the lens of eight key dimensions of service experience. Our analysis highlights how service experience is multifaceted, as customers perceive access-based services differently depending on their needs and attitudes. We conclude by looking at the future of service experience in the access economy paradigm by illustrating integrated mobility ecosystems that represent convenient, affordable, and customized solutions for individual mobility needs.

Purpose - Technology-enabled business-to-business (B2B) services contribute the largest share to GDP growth and are fundamental for an economy's value creation. This article aims to identify key service- and digital technology-driven B2B innovation modes and proposes a research agenda for further exploration.Design/methodology/approach - This conceptual paper adopts a techno-demarcation view on service innovation, encompassing three core dimensions: service offering (the service product, or the "what"), service process (the "how") and service ecosystem (the "who/for whom"). It delineates the implications of three digital technologies - the internet-of-things (IoT), intelligent automation (IA) and digital platforms - for service innovation across these core dimensions in B2B markets.Findings - Digital technology has immense potential ramifications for value creation by reshaping all three core dimensions of service innovation. Specifically, IoT can transform physical resources into reconfigurable service products, IA can augment and automate a rapidly expanding array of service processes, while digital platforms provide the technical and organizational infrastructure for the integration of resources and stakeholders within service ecosystems.Originality/value - This study suggests an agenda with six themes for further research, each linked to one or more of the three service innovation dimensions. They are (1) new recurring revenue models, (2) service innovation in the metaverse, (3) scaling up service innovations, (4) ecosystem innovations, (5) power dependency and lock-in effects and (6) security and responsibility in digital domains.