It is in this sense of doing things, not just for the customer
but also in concert with the customer, that the servicecentered
view emerges. It is a model of inseparability of the
one who offers (and the offer) and the consumer. Barabba
(1995, p. 14) extends the customer-centric idea to the “integration
of the voice of the market with the voice of the enterprise,”
and Gummesson (2002) suggests the term “balanced
centricity,” concepts that may be particularly compatible
with a services-for-services exchange perspective. We also
suggest that the interactive and integrative view of exchange
is more compatible with the other normative elements of the
marketing concept, the idea that all activities of the firm be
12 / Journal of Marketing, January 2004
integrated in their market responsiveness and the idea that
profits come from customer satisfaction (rather than units of
goods sold) (Kohli and Jaworski 1990; Narver and Slater
1990). Notably, this view harks back to pre–Industrial
Revolution days, when providers were close to their
customers and involved in relationships that offered customized
services. Hauser and Clausing (1988, p. 64) observe
the following: