6. Explore possible innovations in customer relations

Thinking about the breakdown of Make or Buy objects in step 2 can help you innovate your customer relationships. The customer can become your supplier for part of the product or service.

• He may finish assembling the product, or finish setting the parameters of a high-tech product.

• It can take charge of part of the supply chain: configuring the product on the Internet (e.g. PCs or shoes), picking up the product from the factory (e.g. certain luxury cars), bringing the product back to a repair site or destroying it at the end of its life.

• He or she can also perform some after-sales service, such as diagnostics and simple repairs.

• It can play the role of quality controller or tester.

• He or she may be involved...