MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SERVICES IN THE ANIMAL HEALTH INDUSTRY
VERONICA MARTINEZ, VERONIQUE POUTHAS, DANIEL SMITHABSTRACT. The objective of this paper is to explore the steps and practices involved in the management of the shift to services in the context of the animal health industry. Research was carried on a leading animal health company, comparing and contrasting the transition to services between two of its most important regions. The research demonstrates that the delivery journey of the sales force lies at the core of the service transition, and it has expanded the servitization theory by unfolding the two fundamental processes that organizations experience in the transition to services. These are: the service development strategy; and the sales force delivery. This is the first research to explain the changes in “the sales force delivery” process in selling services as opposed to products. The best practices required to make the shift to services include leveraging customers’ experience, implementing service value and benefits, and building an integrated service team.
Keywords: services; service operations; service transitions; servitization
How to cite: Martinez, Veronica, Veronique Pouthas, and Daniel Smith (2017), “Making the Transition to Services in the Animal Health Industry,” American Journal of Medical Research 4(1): 34–49.
Received 5 April 2016 • Received in revised form 8 November 2016
Accepted 8 November 2016 • Available online 20 November 2016
doi:10.22381/AJMR4120173