Servitization
Imagine and design new offers by servitizing your products
Our specialized team supports companies in their digital transformation, in particular towards as-a-service models, through the development of new service offerings and the implementation of new business models, as close as possible to their customers’ needs.
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The challenges related to servitization
Servitization is a booming phenomenon, and it is now key or even essential for companies to adopt the as-a-service model to ensure their digital transformation and improve their offers, in particular thanks to dematerialization which allows them to offer and ensure more flexibility and adaptability to meet the needs of their clients.
Indeed, we find among the benefits of this approach:
- The ability to increase customer satisfaction
- New sources of income through new types of offers
- The acceleration of digital transformation through the exploitation of data
- Ease of access and very high availability of service offers for clients
- Increased competitiveness, etc.
However, the adoption of the as-a-service model is a radical change for companies, in terms of positioning on the market but also at cultural and organizational levels. Many challenges therefore exist in the implementation of this model:
The strategic shift towards the as-a-service model requires the creation of new service offers, from the development of services around a product to disruptive innovations in end-to-end digital services, requiring a good understanding of client needs and what will bring them the most value.
What are the clients’ needs and expectations? What service offers should be defined to bring value to clients? In which markets should we position ourselves to be competitive? Which marketing strategy and developments should be considered in the short / medium / long term?
The development of as-a-service offers involves profound changes in the value chain and new business models, thus redefining the client journey, the revenue model and the relationships between the different stakeholders of the value chain (supplier, distributor, partner, user, etc.).
What strategic positioning should we adopt in the value chain? What is the most relevant business model for a new service offer? Which partners should we target for the successful development of new services?
Proposing service offers requires the adoption of new working methods, in particular in the transformation of the commercial strategy and the sales force, whose key issue is now to guarantee the best “customer experience”. The corporate culture must also evolve, and it is key for the organization to best support its employees in this new strategic vision.
What commercial strategy should we adopt? What is the best time-to-market for a new service offer? How to train the sales force? How to motivate and engage employees in the strategic plan?
The rise of digital services and dematerialization (such as the provision of software development environments) encourages companies to integrate new information technologies from one end of the value chain to the other. This multiplication of technologies makes the control of information complex and it is key for companies to understand the digital transformation by mastering the new jobs and skills related to digital (exploitation and valuation of data, network infrastructures, storage capacity, IoT, etc.).
Which digitalization strategy? What are the technological barriers to overcome? How to develop internal skills towards new digital professions? What technical characteristics should be integrated into a new digital service offer (availability, interoperability, security, etc.)?
How we support you in your projects related to servitization
Alcimed supports its clients in their servitization strategy, the analysis and the implementation of new service offers. We have supported key players in the aeronautics-space-defense industry on many projects carried out alongside the decision-makers (executive committees, strategy directors, marketing directors, innovation directors, etc.).
Our projects cover various topics related to the different issues and challenges of setting up an as-a-service model. We analyze clients’ needs and expectations (through interviews, animation of client communities, etc.), value chains, existing offers on the market and competition, best practices in developing service offers in other sectors through benchmarks, etc.
We also support our clients in the definition of new service offers so that they are in line with market needs, we challenge the envisaged value propositions and strategic positioning, and reflect on the best business model and market access strategy to deliver these services.
Finally, we develop go-to-market strategies and prospect potential partners and customers for our clients.
Examples of recent projects carried out for our clients in servitization
Receptivity study of an as-a-service platform of cloud services for an industrial player in the Defense sector
Alcimed supported a leading industrial player in security & digital in the receptivity study of a new secured cloud platform aiming at creating a collaboration space for stakeholders in the Defense sector and providing as-a-service digital services.
To do this, we carried out an analysis of the needs and expectations of the various stakeholders (opinion leaders, ministerial institutions, start-ups, etc.) towards the platform. It enabled us to identify the first relevant use cases for such a platform and the key success factors and potential barriers for its further development.
The result for our client? The validation of the relevance of such a platform regarding the market needs and recommendations on its positioning as well as the next actions to be taken.
Definition of a data as-a-service business model for the Data Lab of an aerospace player
Alcimed supported an aerospace player in the development of the business model of a Data Lab whose objective is to accelerate and promote projects using Big Data in several areas of space (spatial data analysis, telemetry data analysis, etc.). This initiative allows the availability of various data under a data as-a-service model.
To do this, our team carried out a benchmark of best practices from industrial players using Data Labs in other sectors as well as an internal study of our client’s needs and expectations.
This allowed us to guide our client on the best development strategy to set up including the organization, the type of services to offer, the benefits and constraints to take into account, etc. Alcimed finally delivered recommendations on the Data Lab’s offer and business model, from its structure to the types of services.
Creation of a servitization offer to expand a target customer base in the field of ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconaissance)
Our team supported a Defense company wishing to build a new range of services in the field of ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) to extend its target to civilians, and to go beyond its historical clients in Defense.
We helped our client get a more detailed vision of the ecosystem around ISR and the needs and expectations of potential clients. Our analysis also allowed us to strengthen our client’s offer and to test the receptivity of its offer with potential prospects.
Finally, we identified partners of interest to launch such a platform.
Definition of a digital as-a-service platform dedicated to optimizing airline operations for an aeronautical player
Alcimed supported an aeronautical company in the definition of a new digital services offer whose goal is to provide pilots and airlines with tools but also scenarios and recommendations to help them optimize their operations.
To do this, we carried out a receptivity study with key stakeholders and potential users in order to assess the value of the service for airlines, as well as their needs and expectations. An analysis of market trends combined with the characterization of needs made it possible to identify potential high added value offers for the most suitable airline profiles.
The result for our client? The identification of the sources of value to target, a first segmentation of airline profiles with their associated needs and expectations, and finally the definition of the most suitable offer for each of these profiles.
Mapping of the digital services used by commercial airlines for supply chain, maintenance and operations
Alcimed supported an aeronautical company in the mapping of digital services proposed to commercial airlines to operate and maintain their aircraft to fuel their reflection about their strategic positioning.
This involved listing and characterizing more than 300 digital services that are currently offered as-a-service by: Aircraft manufacturers (Boeing, Airbus), Equipment manufacturers and engine manufacturers (e.g.: Rolls Royce, Honeywell, Collins, etc.), IT specialists (e.g. Lufthansa Systems, Skythread), Maintenance Repair Overhaul “MRO” suppliers (e.g.: Air France Industry, DELTA Tech Ops..).
We analyzed each service regarding several criteria and constructed a data visualization and comparison tool to help make relevant decisions.
Thanks to our work, our client was able to have an overview of these services (their technical model, the type of data used, their business model) to guide their digital strategy and to reflect on how they could strengthen their position on the subject.
Identification of opportunities for a defense player to develop a secure information exchange platform in a collaborative combat context
Alcimed supported a defense industrial player in the identification of opportunities for a secure information exchange platform for collaborative combat.
Through this project, we helped our client identify and characterize market opportunities for this type of platform. We helped them redefine their offer and analyse the market’s competition. Then, we assessed the consistency of the defense industrial’s solution in relation to the demand of potential customers, and determined the addressable market.
Thanks to the discussions with the stakeholders of the solution, we were able to identify and recommend areas for improvement in the value proposition of the service and to prioritize commercial actions in the short and medium term.
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Founded in 1993, Alcimed is an innovation and new business consulting firm, specializing in innovation driven sectors: life sciences (healthcare, biotech, agrifood), energy, environment, mobility, chemicals, materials, cosmetics, aeronautics, space and defence.
Our purpose? Helping both private and public decision-makers explore and develop their uncharted territories: new technologies, new offers, new geographies, possible futures, and new ways to innovate.
Located across eight offices around the world (France, Europe, Singapore and the United States), our team is made up of 220 highly-qualified, multicultural and passionate explorers, with a blended science/technology and business culture.
Our dream? To build a team of 1,000 explorers, to design tomorrow’s world hand in hand with our clients.
A servitization or as-a-service model consists of moving from a product-oriented model to a customer-oriented model, i.e no longer selling a product via a single act of purchase but selling the use or usage of that product as a service.
The term as-a-service also takes its place in the context of cloud computing to define the outsourcing of infrastructure, platform and “as-a-service” software (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
The three major as-a-service models are:
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): SaaS offers applications that are accessed over the web and are not managed by your company, but by the software provider
- Platform-as-a-service (PaaS): PaaS offers access to a cloud-based environment in which users can build and deliver applications
- Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS): IaaS offers virtualized computing resources (storage facilities, networks, processing power…).
All operate on a subscription basis, reducing the need for on-premise infrastructures and providing flexibility to users.