Connecting a product is often seen as a technical step. Starting to deliver it as a service is a completely different undertaking that requires more from the entire organization that sells and provides it.
It's easy to think that servitization is just about adding some software, building an app, or connecting a cloud service. But in practice, it affects everything: the technology, the business, and the organization behind it.
Technically, you need to think beyond the first delivery. The product may need to be able to be updated, monitored, and controlled remotely. You need an architecture that lasts over time, support for user management, metering, billing, and support - not just a connection.
And it doesn't stop there.
Delivering a service also requires a different level of preparedness in the organization. The sales team moves from one-time deals to selling ongoing relationships where in-depth knowledge of the customer is required. Support takes on a more central role and becomes part of the experience of the product. IT and operations need to manage new types of requirements and availability. Suddenly you haven't just delivered a product - you've taken responsibility for it to work every day, throughout its life cycle.
This means that you don't just build something for the customer - you build something together with the customer. You monitor how the product is used, collect data, improve, update. And that requires consensus and collaboration internally, working in silos no longer works. Development, business and operations must pull in the same direction.
We've been there when many companies have taken this step - and it's a step that changes more than you first think. But if you do it right, it opens up new business, stronger customer relationships and solutions that deliver value over time.
Are you going from product to service? Then it's worth starting at the right end, and thinking holistically from the beginning.