Today's technologies provide an opportunity to go one step further - not only to facilitate purchasing, but also to help the customer better use what they have already purchased, manage their operations more efficiently, or make better decisions.
Such a digital solution becomes not just another service channel, but an additional reason to choose that particular supplier and work with them longer.
A company selling products often knows more than it actually leverages
An equipment supplier knows when machinery needs maintenance, which parts fit it, and what problems most commonly arise when using it. A food products supplier knows product prices, package sizes, yields, and how its customers form their assortment. A building materials seller understands technical characteristics, consumption rates, product compatibility, and knows what is most often needed for a specific job.
An agricultural machinery manufacturer can see machine performance data, fields, completed work, and their results. All this information can be used not only to sell the product or serve the customer, but also to help them perform part of their own work.
A good example - John Deere
John Deere sells agricultural machinery, but its Operations Center platform helps the customer manage a much broader part of their operations. A farmer can plan work, view machinery and field information, monitor work progress in near real-time, and analyze results before planning the next season. Employees, consultants, and other software providers can also be connected to the system.
In this way, the manufacturer becomes important not only at the time of machinery purchase, but also in the customer's daily work.
A construction equipment supplier can help manage not only their own tools
The Hilti ON!Track system is designed for construction companies' equipment and materials management. It allows registering not only Hilti equipment, but also equipment from other manufacturers, so the customer can see their assets and their location in one place.
This is more than a portal for viewing orders, invoices, or warranties - the system solves the customer's daily asset management problem.
A supplier can help the client calculate, plan, and make decisions
Similar capabilities can be found in many traditional businesses. A food supplier to restaurants could have a tool where the client creates a dish from the supplier's products, enters the portion size, and sees its cost price. As product prices change, the system could show which dishes have seen reduced margins or what impact a recipe change would have.
A construction materials supplier's client could specify the planned work, area, or other parameters, and the system would calculate the required quantities and compile a materials package. A packaging materials supplier could help evaluate package size, its storage or transportation space, and the impact of different options on price.
Energy equipment suppliers can help monitor equipment condition, energy consumption, and potential issues. For example, Schneider Electric offers remote equipment monitoring, diagnostics, predictive analytics, and recommendations in its digital services to improve equipment performance and reduce downtime.
The sectors and solutions differ, but the logic is the same: help the client achieve the result for which they purchase the product.
The most valuable ideas often don't need to be sought far away
Such services don't necessarily start with a large innovation program or complex artificial intelligence system. Often it's enough to look at what's happening today between the client and the account manager.
What calculations do clients constantly request? What Excel spreadsheets do employees prepare for them? What consultations does the sales team repeat dozens of times per month? What information does the client need to gather before placing an order?
It's worth looking at existing data as well. A company may have information that the client doesn't have or finds difficult to use. These are often where the most interesting digital service opportunities emerge.
Not every digital service has to be paid
A valuable digital tool doesn't necessarily have to become a separately charged product. A free calculator can help choose a product faster, a design tool can help form a shopping list, and an equipment register can remind about necessary maintenance or operating materials.
A cost calculation or planning tool can also strengthen the relationship with the supplier, as the client accumulates their data in it and incorporates it into daily work. In this case, value emerges through higher sales, more frequent repeat purchases, customer retention, or lower service costs.
When can a digital service become a separate product?
The boundary begins to shift when a solution creates value that is no longer directly tied to the core purchase. If a tool helps manage the client's entire process, analyzes performance results, predicts problems, or automates a significant portion of work, a basis for separate pricing emerges.
Hybrid models are also possible: basic functionality is free while advanced analytics is paid; software is included in a higher-tier service plan; fees are tied to the number of users, assets, or managed equipment.
A 2025 study of U.S. B2B companies shows that the relationship between digital service expansion and profitability is not linear: initially, their development may improve profitability, but as offering complexity grows, so do organizational costs. More digital services do not automatically mean better business.
What matters most is not the number of features, but the areas where technology solves a sufficiently important client problem.
The greatest value is not necessarily additional revenue
A digital service can increase sales of core products, bring the client back more frequently, reduce service workload, help identify their needs earlier, or accumulate more information about product usage.
In some cases, this may eventually lead to a new source of recurring revenue. Therefore, when evaluating an idea, it's important to ask not only how much the client will pay for it, but also which business metric it should change.
How to select what's worth testing?
Not every good idea is worth turning into a project right away. First, it's worth checking whether the problem recurs frequently enough for the client, whether its solution has clear value, and whether the company has something that would allow it to solve that problem better than a generic market tool—data, expert knowledge, connection to the product, or an existing process.
It's also important whether the idea can be tested on a small scale. If value can be demonstrated with a single calculation, one product group, or one client process, there's no need to build a large platform right away. The first goal should be to verify whether this is actually useful to the client and whether this benefit matters to the business itself.
From product supplier to business partner
Technology is gradually changing the boundary between product and service. A manufacturer can not only sell equipment but also help use it more efficiently. A wholesaler can not only deliver products but also help the client plan. A supplier can not only take orders but also provide tools that make the client's work easier.
Therefore, companies with many clients, specific sector knowledge, and long-standing relationships with their customers should ask themselves one question:
what are our customers doing themselves today that we have the knowledge, data, or processes to make significantly easier for them?
The answer to this question can sometimes be more valuable than yet another new sales channel.
Frequently asked questions
What is a digital customer service?
It is a technology-based service that provides additional value alongside the core product or service - helping to calculate, plan, monitor, analyze, or manage part of the customer's operations.
How is this different from customer self-service?
A self-service system typically helps the customer perform actions in their relationship with the supplier - place an order, view invoices, documents, or order status. A digital service can also assist in the customer's own business process.
Does a digital service have to be paid?
Not necessarily. It can be used for customer retention, increasing sales, or reducing service costs, while extended functionality can be charged separately if needed.
Which businesses are these services most relevant for?
The greatest potential usually lies with companies that know their customers' operations well, have specific data, sell more complex products, or work with customers over a long period of time.
How to find the right digital service idea?
It's worth analyzing the client's work and looking for areas where they need to do a lot of calculations, gather information, make repetitive decisions, or constantly seek help from the supplier's employees.
Is it worth building a complete system right away?
Usually not. It's better to start with one clear use case and verify whether it's actually useful to customers.