ABSTRACT
The role of a producer traditionally has been viewed as the development and delivery of goods and services, and the role of customers has been viewed as the consumption of those goods and services. This chapter explores the idea of a co-producer to the front end of the value-creation process: the customer-needs identification process. It attempts to provide a deeper insight into methods of dialog that firms can follow to build a stronger capability in co-producing with customers. The chapter describes the characteristics of dialogs that can increase the ability to 'co-create the future' of what a particular service encounter could entail. Co-creating the voice of the customer requires an open dialog between the firm and the customer. Trust is a well-explored topic in the marketing literature. If trust is lacking, it is hard to expect a party to build on the comments and ideas of the other party.
