Membership Benefits

Service Strategy

The Center for Excellence in Service focuses on the development of cutting edge, customer-oriented service strategies that accelerate the effectiveness of the Center Members' Service initiatives. A talent base of over a dozen world-class faculty, as well as Ph.D. and MBA students, helps Center Members develop practical service strategies to improve service, increase customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, customer lifetime value, and customer equity. The Center strives to deliver flexible, wide-ranging, multifaceted solutions to these and other service strategic challenges.

Service Research

The Center for Excellence in Service leverages the expertise of its renowned faculty members and students, both from within and outside the Smith School, to develop and execute joint Member/Center projects. From service marketing to consumer research to data mining to e-Service to CRM, the faculty offers Members a diverse, interdisciplinary perspective on emerging Service issues. Center conferences and journals provide Center Members with access to the latest thinking in service.

Service Networking

The Center for Excellence in Service provides Center Members with the opportunity to interact with leading Service executives from other organizations, providing Center Members with a variety of networking forums that may spawn innovative strategies and approaches to Service challenges. The Center investigates and benchmarks industry best practices in Service and supports a framework for collaborative problem solving.

Recognition as an Service Leader

Collaboration with the Center leads Center Members to be recognized as leaders in Service. When desired, the Center publicizes the Members’ Service innovations, and their leading-edge research and strategy, both online and in traditional media, in news releases, academic publications, and the trade press.

Other Specific Benefits

MBA Team Projects – The MBA Consulting Project involves a team of 2-5 students working on a project for one semester. Generally these projects are done mostly on campus, with visits to the company as necessary.

AMA Frontiers in Service Conference – This is the world’s leading annual conference on service. The annual conference is held in the Washington DC area in odd years, and elsewhere in even years.

Faculty Research Projects – One or more faculty members work on an applied research project of current interest to the sponsoring Center Members.

Doctoral Dissertation Research – A Center Ph.D. student specializing in Service does his/her doctoral dissertation research on a topic of current interest to the Center Member.

Subscription to Journal of Service Research – Center Members receive a free subscription to the Journal of Service Research.

Additional Consulting Services – Additional consulting services are available from Center faculty at a reduced consulting rate.