McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Service Mapping/Blueprinting

• A tool for simultaneously depicting the service process, the points of customer contact, and the evidence of service from the customer’s point of view.

ServiceMapping

ProcessPoints of ContactEvidence

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Application of Service Blueprints

• New Service Development• concept development• market testing

• Supporting a “Zero Defects” Culture• managing reliability• identifying empowerment issues

• Service Recovery Strategies• identifying service problems• conducting root cause analysis• modifying processes

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Service Blueprint Components

CUSTOMER ACTIONS

line of interaction

“ONSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONSline of visibility

“BACKSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONSline of internal interaction

SUPPORT PROCESSES

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Service Blueprint Components

DriverPicksUp Pkg.

DispatchDriver

AirportReceives& Loads

SortPackages

Load onAirplane

Fly toDestinati

on

Unload&

Sort

LoadOn

Truck

Express Mail Delivery ServiceSU

PPOR

T PR

OCES

SCO

NTAC

T P

ERSO

N(B

ack

Stag

e)(O

n St

age)

CUST

OME

RPH

YSIC

ALEV

IDEN

CE

CustomerCalls

CustomerGives

Package

TruckPackagingFormsHand-held ComputerUniform

ReceivePackage

TruckPackagingFormsHand-held ComputerUniform

DeliverPackage

CustomerServiceOrder

Fly toSort

Center

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Overnight Hotel StaySU

PPO

RT P

ROCE

SSCO

NTA

CT P

ERSO

N(B

ack

Stag

e)(O

n St

age)

CUST

OM

ER

HotelExteriorParking

Cart for Bags

DeskRegistrationPapersLobbyKey

ElevatorsHallwaysRoom

Cart for Bags

RoomAmenitiesBath

Menu DeliveryTrayFoodAppearance

FoodBillDeskLobbyHotelExteriorParking

Arriveat

Hotel

Give Bagsto

BellpersonCheck in Go to

RoomReceive

BagsSleep

Shower

CallRoom

Service

ReceiveFood

EatCheck out

andLeave

Greet andTakeBags

ProcessRegistration

DeliverBags

DeliverFood

ProcessCheck Out

Take Bagsto Room

TakeFoodOrder

RegistrationSystem

PrepareFood

RegistrationSystem

PHYS

ICAL

EVID

ENCE

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Step 1

Identify the process to be blue-printed.

Step 2

Identify the customer or customer segment.

Step 3

Map the process from the customer’s point of view.

Step 4

Map contact employee actions, onstage and back-stage.

Step 5

Link customerand contact person activities to needed support functions.

Step 6

Add evidence of service at each customer action step.

Building a Service Blueprint

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Example of Service Blueprinting

Brushshoes

Applypolish

Failpoint

BuffCollect

payment

Cleanshoes Materials

(e.g., polish, cloth)

Select andpurchasesupplies

Standardexecution time

2 minutes

Total acceptableexecution time

5 minutes

30secs

30secs

45secs

15secs

Wrongcolor wax

Seen bycustomer 45

secs

Line ofvisibility

Not seen bycustomer butnecessary toperformance

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Service Blueprinting Steps

1. Identify processes

2. Isolate fail points

3. Establish a time frame

4. Analyze profitability

McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2003. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved

Blueprints Can Be Used By:

• Service Marketers– creating realistic customer

expectations• service system design• promotion

• Operations Management– rendering the service as

promised• managing fail points• training systems• quality control

• Human Resources– empowering the human

element• job descriptions• selection criteria• appraisal systems

• System Technology– providing necessary tools:

• system specifications• personal preference

databases