Service blueprints provide a visual map of a service process from the customer's perspective. They show customer actions and touchpoints, as well as frontstage and backstage employee actions and support processes. The key components are the customer actions line, line of visibility separating visible and invisible employee actions, line of internal interaction separating employee actions from support processes, and evidence of service. Service blueprints can be used for new service development, improving reliability, service recovery strategies, and informing various business functions like human resources, technology, marketing, and operations management.

1. Service Blueprint

2. Service BlueprintService blueprint is a picture or map that accurately portrays the service system so that different people involved in providing it can understand and deal with it objectively regardless of their individual point of view .Particularly useful at design and redesign stages of service development.It provides a way to break the service into logical components and to depict the steps or tasks in the processes, the means by which they are executed and evidence of the service as consumer experiences it.

3. Service Mapping/BlueprintingA tool for simultaneously depicting the service process, the points of customer contact, and the evidence of service from the customer’s point of view.ProcessServiceMappingPoints of ContactEvidence

4. Blueprint componentsBasic components of Service Blueprint are:Customer actions“Onstage” contact employee actions“Backstage” contact employee actionsSupport processes

5. Blueprint componentsCustomer actions: it includes steps, choices, activities and interactions that customer performs in the process of purchasing, consuming and evaluating the serviceOnstage employee actions: steps and activities that the contact employees performs that are visible to the customer.Backstage employee actions: steps and activities that occur behind the scene to support onstage activities.

6. Blueprint componentsSupport processes: covers the internal services, steps and interactions that take place to support the contact employees in delivering the service.

7. Service Blueprint ComponentsCUSTOMER ACTIONSline of interaction“ONSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONSline of visibility“BACKSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONSline of internal interactionSUPPORT PROCESSES

8. Service Blueprint ComponentsLine of interaction: direct interactions b/w the customer and organization.Line of visibility: this line separates all service activities that are visible to the customers from those that are not visible.Line of internal interaction: separates contact employees activities from those of other service support activities and people.Physical evidence

9. Express Mail Delivery ServiceTruckPackagingFormsHand-held ComputerUniformTruckPackagingFormsHand-held ComputerUniformPHYSICALEVIDENCECustomerCallsCustomerGives PackageReceivePackageCUSTOMERDriverPicksUp Pkg.(On Stage)DeliverPackageCONTACT PERSON(Back Stage)CustomerServiceOrderAirportReceives& LoadsFly toSortCenterLoadOnTruckDispatchDriverUnload&SortFly toDestinationSUPPORT PROCESSLoad onAirplaneSortPackages

10. Overnight Hotel StayBillDeskLobbyHotelExteriorParkingHotelExteriorParkingCart for BagsDeskRegistrationPapersLobbyKeyElevatorsHallwaysRoomCart for BagsRoomAmenitiesBathMenuDeliveryTrayFoodAppearanceFoodPHYSICALEVIDENCEArriveatHotelGive BagstoBellpersonCallRoomServiceCheck outandLeaveCUSTOMERReceiveBagsSleepShowerGo toRoomReceiveFoodEatCheck inGreet andTakeBagsDeliverBagsDeliverFoodProcessRegistrationProcessCheck Out(On Stage)CONTACT PERSONTakeFoodOrder(Back Stage)Take Bagsto RoomRegistrationSystemRegistrationSystemPrepareFoodSUPPORT PROCESS

11. Building a Service BlueprintStep 6Add evidence of service at each customer action step.Step 4Map contact employee actions, onstage and back-stage.Step 3Map the process from the customer’s point of view.Step 1Identify the process to be blue-printed.Step 2Identify the customer or customer segment.Step 5Link customerand contact person activities to needed support functions.

12. Application of Service BlueprintsNew Service Developmentconcept developmentmarket testingSupporting a “Zero Defects” Culturemanaging reliabilityidentifying empowerment issuesService Recovery Strategiesidentifying service problemsconducting root cause analysismodifying processes

13. Blueprints Can Be Used By:Human Resourcesempowering the human elementjob descriptionsselection criteriaappraisal systemsSystem Technologyproviding necessary tools:system specificationspersonal preference databasesService Marketerscreating realistic customer expectationsservice system designpromotionOperations Managementrendering the service as promisedmanaging fail pointstraining systemsquality control