Supplier representative activities and customer perceived value in complex industrial solutions

• Through a conceptual model, this paper links supplier representative's activities to perceived value.
• It uses a netnography of online sources relevant to complex industrial solutions.
• Most perceived value is emotional, social or functional in form.
• Findings show communications, planning, risk management and coordination are important contributors to these perceptions.

The study of value delivery through complex industrial solutions involves a service-rich deployment of resources, many of which are human. Despite this realization, few studies consider the activities of specific actors in this service-dominant context. Through an exploratory netnography of ten online community discussion boards, this study investigates the link between the activities of supplier representatives and the effects on customer perceived value in complex industrial solutions. The findings reveal four major categories of activity (communication, planning, risk management and coordination) as important sources of intangible value (conceptualized as emotional, social and functional outcomes). The data shows, however, that activities must be executed in a timely, accurate, appropriate and value-added manner. The study compliments research in complex industrial solutions through explicit consideration of activities and their relationship with perceived value from a supplier perspective.