One of the toughest challenges companies face is identifying and successfully commercialising valuable new products and services for existing and target customers. Many leading companies are addressing this challenge by deploying technologies across – and beyond – their organisations that allow their customers to participate directly in the creation and development process. Although this trend is not new, the ways in which companies are deploying technology are proliferating rapidly, as are the opportunities for customer involvement. Essentially, companies are using technology as a "bridge" that allows teams, departments, functions, and customers to carry an idea forward into a new product or service. By building these bridges with a select group of key customers, they are able to forge strong relationships with these customers and then exert substantial leverage across a wider customer base.