Today, it is particularly the consumer product companies that are putting customers at the center of innovation, involving them in product design and service development.

FORBES: Innovation Momentum

In this type of agreement, the third party institution can issue branded cards and is responsible for design of product features, customer service, billing and credit and authorization of transactions.

FORBES: Quick Take

It involves from the moment they hear about the product (marketing), to the experience of purchasing (sales), to using the tool (product design) and finally to service.

FORBES: A Tale of Maintaining Congruency In Customer Service

That could explain why successful consumer electronics companies like Apple and Google limit outsourcing to manufacturing, keeping product design, branding and marketing, and after-sales service in-house.

FORBES: How Hewlett-Packard And Dell Destroyed Their PC Advantage ... Piece-By-Piece

Many companies are still learning how to handle new (open, user-led, design-led, service oriented) innovation management practices that now characterise product and service development.

FORBES: Why Competing Is Getting Harder (And What to do About It)

The course will combine presentations with practical examples, technical visits, as well as the application of service design and consumer touchpoints in the field to support and ensure successful biodiversity-based tourism product development.

UNESCO: Call for South East European applications to the Training course on Tourism and Biodiversity | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

The largest consumer product companies have seen their chief marketing officers engage with software as a service (SaaS) providers to design and run their outbound marketing programs to launch new products and animate their loyalty programs, without a word with their internal IT organizations.

FORBES: Why The CIO Must Be The Chief Innovation Officer