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.
Process

Service Points of Contact

Mappin
g Evidence

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 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
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 Service Blueprint Components

CUSTOMER ACTIONS

line of interaction

“ONSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONS

line of visibility

“BACKSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONS

line of internal interaction

SUPPORT PROCESSES
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 Service Blueprint Components

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 Express Mail Delivery Service
Truck Truck
Packaging Packaging
Forms Forms
EVIDENCE
CONTACT PERSON CUSTOME PHYSICAL

Hand-held Hand-held
Computer Computer
Uniform Uniform

Customer Customer Receive

Calls Gives Package
Package
(Back Stage) (On Stage) R

Driver
Picks Deliver
Up Pkg. Package

Customer
Service
Order

Airport Fly to
Dispatch
Receives Sort Unload Load
Driver Fly to
& Loads Center & On
Destinatio Sort Truck
SUPPORT

Load on
PROCESS

Airplane
n

Sort
Packages
 Overnight Hotel Stay
Bill
EVIDENCE
SUPPORT PROCESS(Back Stage) (On Stage) CUSTOMER PHYSICAL

Desk
Hotel Cart for Desk Elevators Cart for Room Menu Delivery Food Lobby
Exterior Bags Registration Hallways Bags Amenities Tray Hotel
Parking Papers Room Bath Food Exterior
Lobby Appearance Parking
Key
Arrive Give Bags Call Check out
Go to Receive Sleep Receive
at to Check in Room Eat and
Room Bags Shower Food
Hotel Bellperson Service Leave
CONTACT PERSON

Greet and
Process Deliver Deliver Process
Take
Registration Bags Food Check Out
Bags

Take
Take Bags Food
to Room Order

Registration Prepare Registration

System Food System

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 Building a Service Blueprint

Step
Step11 Step
Step22 Step
Step33 Step
Step44 Step
Step55 Step
Step66
Map Map
Mapcontact Add
Identify
Identifythe
the Identify
Identifythe
the Mapthe
the contact Link
Linkcustomer
customer Add
process employee evidence
evidenceofof
process to
process to customer
customeroror processfrom
from employee and contact
and contact
be the actions, service
serviceatat
beblue-
blue- customer
customer the actions, person
person
printed. segment. customer’s onstage
onstageand activities each
printed. segment. customer’s and activitiestoto each
point back-stage. customer
pointofof back-stage. needed
needed customer
view. support action
actionstep.
step.
view. support
functions.
functions.

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 Example of Service Blueprinting

Standard Brush Apply Collect

execution time Buff
shoes polish payment
2 minutes
30 30 45 15
secs secs secs secs
Total acceptable
execution time
Wrong
5 minutes
color wax
Clean Fail
shoes point Materials
Seen by
(e.g., polish, cloth)
customer 45
secs

Line of Not seen by

visibility customer but Select and
necessary to purchase
performance supplies

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 Service Blueprinting Steps

1. Identify processes

2. Isolate fail points

3. Establish a time frame

4. Analyze profitability 
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 Blueprints Can Be Used By:
• Service Marketers • Human Resources
– creating realistic customer – empowering the human
expectations element
• service system design
• job descriptions
• promotion
• selection criteria
• appraisal systems

• Operations Management
• System Technology
– rendering the service as
promised – providing necessary tools:
• managing fail points • system specifications
• training systems • personal preference
• quality control databases

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