Whereas most suppliers think of solutions as customized and integrated product bundles, customers tend to think of them as comprised of four relational processes of (1) requirements definition, (2) customization and integration, (3) deployment, and (4) post-deployment support.

1. From: Tuli, Kohli, and Bharadwaj (2007)
What are Solutions? Supplier View
Marketing Manager,
Fortune 500
“Solutions are
combination of products
and services that are
integrated and
customized to solve the
specific business
problems of customers.”
Product 1
Product 2 Product 3
Product 4
Suppliers: A solution is a “product bundle”
(Product = good or
service)

2. From: Tuli, Kohli, and Bharadwaj (2007)
What are Solutions? Customer View
“A solution to me is when a supplier
proposes bringing in value
beyond the widgets.
. . . it’s more about finding what
I really need . . . making sure
that the widgets meet my
requirements and work well
with each other, bringing these
widgets into my business, and
making sure that they are around
to ensure that the widgets do
what they were required to do.
It’s simply soups to nuts for me.”
Requirements
Definition
1
Customization &
Integration
2
Deployment3
Post-Deployment
Support
4
Four Relational Processes
% of Supplier
Mentions
% of Customer
Mentions
8673
7 76
86
92
4
4

3. From: Tuli, Kohli, and Bharadwaj (2007)
The disconnect …
Suppliers Customers
Want to sell
customized and
integrated
Product
Bundles
Want to buy
ongoing
Relational
Processes
that help them
succeed
• Helps organize to better
execute all four processes,
(not just customization &
integration)
• Helps communicate value
of ALL four processes
=> Better pricing and
profits
• Customers care about all
four processes
• A solution is only as good
as the weakest link
Better Pricing
Better execution
Better solution design
How does the four processes
view help suppliers?
A Customer Centric Definition: A solution is a set of customer-supplier relational processes comprising (i)
customer requirements definition, (ii) customization and integration of goods and/or services, (iii) their
deployment, and (iv) post-deployment customer support, all aimed at meeting a customer's business
needs