Product-Service Information Systems – Übung 3

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass Chair in Economics – Information and Service Systems (ISS) Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 2

Service Blueprinting

•  “The development of a new service is usually characterized by trial and error. Developers translate a subjective description of a need into an operational concept that may bear only a remote resemblance to the original idea. No one systematically quantifies the process or devises tests to ensure that the service is complete, rational, and fulfills the original need objectively.” (Shostack, 1984, p. 133)

(Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons, 2011)

•  Service blueprint - capturing service design in a visual diagram (like building)

•  “A service blueprint allows a company to explore all the issues inherent in creating or managing a service.” (Shostack, 1984, p. 135)

•  “Service blueprinting, which started as an entirely manual process, has been automated by companies to provide “living blueprints” accessible to key parties online […].” (Bitner et al., 2010, p. 210).

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 3

5 Components of Typical Service Blueprint

①  Customer actions •  All steps that customers take as part of

the service delivery process •  Depicted chronologically •  Customers central to creation of

blueprint – laid out first •  All other activities support value

proposition offered to or co-created with customer

②  Onstage / visible contact employee actions

•  Separated from customers by line of interaction

•  Frontline contact employees; face-to-face encounter or also self-service technology

physical evidence that customers come in contact with is described at the verytop of the blueprint. These are all the tangibles that customers are exposed tothat can influence their quality perceptions.

Building a Blueprint

When building a blueprint, the first step is to clearly articulate the serviceprocess or sub-process to be blueprinted. Because companies often modify ser-vice processes to fit the needs and wants of different target customers (e.g.,check in process for an airline frequent flyer or first-class passenger versus otherpassengers), it is important to specify which segment of customers is the focus of

Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation

CALIFORNIA MANAGEMENT REVIEW VOL. 50, NO. 3 SPRING 2008 CMR.BERKELEY.EDU 73

FIGURE 1. Service Blueprint Components

PhysicalEvidence

Line of Interaction

Line of Visibility

Line of Internal Interaction

CustomerActions

Onstage/VisibleContactEmployeeActions

Backstage/InvisibleContactEmployeeActions

SupportProcesses

(Bitner et al., 2008)

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 4

5 Components of Typical Service Blueprint

③  Backstage / invisible contact employee actions

•  Everything that appears above line of visibility seen by customer; everything below is invisible

•  Activities by contact employees that involve non-visible interaction with customers (e.g., telephone call) or preparation for serving customer

④  Support processes •  Separated from contact employees by

internal line of interaction •  Activities carried out by individuals and

units within company who are not contact employees

⑤  Physical evidence •  Tangibles that customers are exposed

to that can influence their quality perceptions

physical evidence that customers come in contact with is described at the verytop of the blueprint. These are all the tangibles that customers are exposed tothat can influence their quality perceptions.

Building a Blueprint

When building a blueprint, the first step is to clearly articulate the serviceprocess or sub-process to be blueprinted. Because companies often modify ser-vice processes to fit the needs and wants of different target customers (e.g.,check in process for an airline frequent flyer or first-class passenger versus otherpassengers), it is important to specify which segment of customers is the focus of

Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation

CALIFORNIA MANAGEMENT REVIEW VOL. 50, NO. 3 SPRING 2008 CMR.BERKELEY.EDU 73

FIGURE 1. Service Blueprint Components

PhysicalEvidence

Line of Interaction

Line of Visibility

Line of Internal Interaction

CustomerActions

Onstage/VisibleContactEmployeeActions

Backstage/InvisibleContactEmployeeActions

SupportProcesses

(Bitner et al., 2008)

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 5

Exemplary Blueprint: Overnight Hotel Stay Service Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY VOL. 50, NO. 3 SPRING 2008 CMR.BERKELEY.EDU76

FIGURE 2. Blueprint for Overnight Hotel Stay Service

PhysicalEvidence

Ad/WebsiteHotel

exterior

Parking

Cart forbags

Employeedress

Desk

Paperwork

Lobby

Key

Elevators

Hallways

Room

Makereservation

Arrive at

hotel

Give bagsto

bellperson

Check in

Go to room

Greet and

take bags

Processregistration

Makereservationfor guest

Take bagsto room

Reservationsystem

Registrationsystem

Line of Interaction

Line of Visibility

Line of Internal Interaction

CustomerActions

Onstage/VisibleContactEmployeeActions

Backstage/InvisibleContactEmployeeActions

SupportProcesses

Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation

CALIFORNIA MANAGEMENT REVIEW VOL. 50, NO. 3 SPRING 2008 CMR.BERKELEY.EDU 77

Cart forbags

Employeedress

Menu

Deliverytray

Foodappearance

Food

Room

Amenities

Bathroom

Bill

Lobby

Hotelexterior

Parking

Deliver bags

Deliverfood

Processcheckout

Receivebags

Call room

service

Receivefood

Sign/tipEat

Sleep/shower

Checkout and leave

Take food order

Preparefood

Registrationsystem

(Bitner et al., 2008, pp. 76)

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 6

Procedure of Service Blueprinting

(Shostack, 1984, p. 135)

How to design a service blueprint? (1)  Identifying processes

•  Articulating service process or subprocess to be blueprinted •  Defining segment of customers in focus •  Specifying actions of customers as foundation – “When does the service start and stop

from a customer’s point of view?” •  Defining contact employees actions, onstage and backstage •  Defining support processes •  Linking customers with contact employee activies and to needed support functions •  Adding physical evidences

(2)  Isolating fail points •  build (fail-safe) sub processes to correct possible errors

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 7

Procedure of Service Blueprinting

(Shostack, 1984, p. 135)

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 8

Procedure of Service Blueprinting

(Shostack, 1984, p. 135)

(3)  Establishing time frame •  Consideration of execution time of service as major cost determinant •  Calculating maximum of deviation

(4)  Analyzing profitability •  Quantifying costs of delay •  Establishment of time-of-service-execution

standard to measure performance and control uniformity and quality

•  Serves as model for distribution of service

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

02.12.11 Slide 9

References

•  Bitner, M. J.; Ostrom, A. L. & Morgan, F. N. (2008), 'Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation', California Management Review, 66-94.

•  Bitner, M. J.; Zeithaml, V. A. & Gremler, D. D. (2010), Technology’s Impact on the Gaps Model of Service Quality'Handbook of Service Science', Maglio, Paul P. and Kieliszewski, Cheryl A. and Spohrer, James C.

•  Shostack, G. L. (1984), 'Designing services that deliver', Harvard Business Review 62(1), 133—139.

•  Fitzsimmons, J. A. & Fitzsimmons, M. J. (2011), Service Management - Operations, Strategy, Information Technology, McGraw - Hill.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass  

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Maass Chair in Information and Service Systems Saarland University, Germany