Editor's Note:  Take a look at our featured best practice, Design Thinking - Poster (printable in A0, A1, A2) (1-page PDF document).  Design Thinking poster gives a detailed description of a Design Thinking process.  It is great as introduction to design thinking, an overview of a possible design thinking project, encouraging innovation and design thinking.  Poster presents some typical tools for design thinking: Problem [read more]

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Service is a complex, multi-tiered process involving a number of individuals and technologies that either work in unison or encounter problems.  In order to encourage Innovation and improve Customer Satisfaction, it is essential to visualize each step and participant, from consumers to third-party vendors.

Here, Service Blueprints perform an essential function.  As its name suggests, the Service Blueprint aids in the creation of a service process blueprint.

Service Blueprints are a highly effective for Service Design.  They enable businesses to methodically envision, evaluate, and improve their Customer Experiences.  Service Blueprints depict not only the customer-facing components of a service, but also the fundamental processes, interactions, and contacts that comprise the complete service ecosystem.

Service Blueprint has become among the most valuable tools for service providers.  The approach was initially implemented in the context of Service Design, and later employed to analyze operational efficiency flaws.  The Service Blueprint is one of the most widely used instruments for supervising Service Operations, shaping Service Design, and enhancing Service Delivery.

The Service Blueprint includes a process flowchart that depicts the service delivery process from the customer's perspective.  Usually, producing a Service Blueprint consists of 7 steps:

  1. Differentiate activities, order, and relationships.
  2. Identify criteria, variations, instructions, guidelines, services, and stock.
  3. Depict extra lines.
  4. Determine line of visibility.
  5. Provide timeframes and identify responsible individuals.
  6. Identify failure points and waiting periods.
  7. Manage divergence and complexity.

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A Service Blueprint process consists of inputs in the shape of unprocessed materials, a process that alters the inputs, and provides outputs that are finished products.

Let us delve somewhat deeply into a few of the steps.

1. Differentiate activities, order, and relationships.

Examining the Customer Service scenario initiates the process irrespective of whether a new process is being initiated or an existing one is being mapped out.  The actions of the consumer are arranged in chronological sequence.  Activities, their order, and their relationships are analyzed independently.

2. Identify criteria, variations, instructions, guidelines, services, and stock.

The following phase involves identifying and incorporating criteria and permissible variations, written instructions, operational directions, additional services, and inventory for each step into the service blueprint.

Identification is conducted after building a comprehensive customer service experience and including customer action sections such as:

  • Front-stage activities.
  • Backstage activities.
  • Support processes.
  • Tangible materials.
  • Timeframes.

3. Depict extra lines.

If necessary, the additional lines are shown next, such as the physical interaction line or the IT interaction line.  When dealing with complicated services, it is recommended to depict more lines.

Interested in learning more about Service Blueprint?  You can download an editable PowerPoint presentation on Service Blueprint here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

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