I want to first express my gratitude to the ISSIP in its promoters and series editor, Jim Spohrer, for providing the opportunity to all service innovation professionals to offer their knowledge and experiences about service through a book. Likewise, I want to thank my lovely wife, Miriam Celina García, who has lived with me and shared the magnificent experience of many years studying, teaching, and practicing service science in business and entrepreneurship environments.
My thanks also go to my colleagues and friends from the Academy and Industry for their review and enriching comments on the draft of this work, respectively: Professor Cesar Augusto Bernal, director of the research group on innovation and strategy at the International School of Economic and Administrative Sciences of the University of La Sabana in Bogotá, Colombia, and Dr. Julio Bucci, with extensive managerial experience in the Latin American oil industry and current CEO of pipelines business of the private company that serves the Colombian oil and gas industry.
I also want to thank the universities and their authorities who have allowed the academic inclusion of the service approach through their executive courses, workshops, advanced diplomas, and consulting services to companies.
Lastly, I want to thank Susan Schmidt-Perez and Ruben Pérez Márquez for their generous support in making a better possible understanding of this work.