Modelling customer process activities in interactive value creation

Purpose: Customers' role in value creation has changed dramatically over the past few years. Today, many firms view customers as co-creators of value. Until recently, however, attention to customer integration was mainly directed toward customers' role in a firm's given supply processes. The goal of this paper is to show that processes on the customer side are equally important for the overall success of value creation. Design/methodology/approach: The reasoning for the role of customers is based on a theoretical discussion of customer integration, blueprints and customer scripts. Relating this work to the general problem of transaction costs from information asymmetries, the paper develops a typology of how customer scripts can be applied in various situations. Findings: It is found that customer scripts can have a positive effect on interactive value creation because they enable companies to build a holistic process image for all process participants. Research limitations/implications: Marketing must rethink its role as an agent of companies. Indeed, in interactive value creation, boundaries blur. However, the results lack broad empirical confirmation. Practical implications: It is argued that firms must adopt a customer perspective and provide an approach of how to achieve this. Originality/value: The paper reintroduces scripts in the marketing discussion. In addition, it provides a new typology of situations in interactive value creation.

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