Designing and Managing

Service Processes

UNIT 3
Making
Bills
Service Blueprint
Airline Check-in Service Blueprint
• Customer arrives at the airport.
• Enters the airline check-in counter.
Customer Actions: • Provides ID and ticket.
• Receives boarding pass and proceeds to security
check.

• Airline staff verifies customer identity.

Front-Stage • Confirms booking, assigns a seat.
Employee Actions: • Provides customer with boarding pass.

• System automatically checks baggage status.

Back-Stage • Airline system updates passenger status and sends
Employee Actions: notification to baggage handlers.

• IT systems for seat assignment and boarding pass

printing.
Support Processes: • Baggage handling system.

• Airline signage, self-check-in kiosks, and boarding

pass.
Physical Evidence:
 Flowcharting Service Delivery

• Technique for displaying the nature and sequence of

the different steps in delivery service to customers

• Offers way to understand total customer service

experience

• Shows how nature of customer involvement with

service organizations varies by type of service:
 People processing
 Possession processing
 Mental Stimulus processing
 Information processing
The technique for displaying the nature and
sequence of different steps in delivering
services to customers is commonly known as
Service Process Mapping or Service
Blueprinting.
This visual tool helps both service
organizations and customers understand the
overall journey and touchpoints that occur
during a service experience.
It not only highlights the flow of activities but
also illustrates the customer’s role in the
process and their interaction with the service
 People Processing

 Definition: Services that involve direct physical interaction

with the customer or their body, such as healthcare, beauty
salons, or fitness centers.
 Customer Involvement: The customer is physically present
throughout the process, and the service is delivered directly
to them. For example, a medical examination requires the
patient’s physical presence, interaction with medical staff,
and involvement in the service process (like providing
information, undergoing tests, etc.).
 Service Blueprinting: In this case, the blueprint would
map out each physical touchpoint where the customer
engages with the service (e.g., check-in at the hospital,
consultation, tests, treatment) and indicate backstage
processes like test analysis and administrative paperwork.
People Processing Service
 Possession Processing

Definition: Services performed on physical goods or

possessions of the customer, such as car repair, laundry
services, or pet grooming.
Customer Involvement: The customer doesn’t need to
be physically present during the service delivery.
Instead, their possession (car, clothes, or pet) is
involved in the service process.
Service Blueprinting: The blueprint will show steps
like the customer dropping off the car at the mechanic,
updates on repair progress, and pick-up once the
service is complete. Backstage elements would include
repair work, ordering parts, and quality checks, which
occur without the customer's direct involvement.
Possession Processing Service
 Mental Stimulus Processing

Definition: Services that engage the customer’s mind

and emotions, such as education, entertainment, or
counseling.
Customer Involvement: Here, the customer’s mental
presence is required, and they are actively engaged
with the service (e.g., attending a lecture or therapy
session).
Service Blueprinting: The blueprint might detail how
a student signs up for a course, attends classes,
receives study materials, and interacts with
instructors. Backstage processes like curriculum
development or grading systems would be mapped but
occur without direct customer (student) interaction.
Mental Stimulus Processing Service
 Information Processing

Definition: Services that primarily process information on

behalf of the customer, such as banking, legal advice, or
data analysis.
Customer Involvement: These services typically involve
the customer providing information or data, and the
organization processes it to deliver a service. The
customer’s physical presence is not necessarily required.
Service Blueprinting: For a banking service, for example,
the blueprint may illustrate how customers log into online
banking, request a loan, and receive approval. Behind the
scenes, the bank runs credit checks, processes paperwork,
and evaluates loan eligibility. These backstage processes
are essential but invisible to the customer.
Information Processing Service
Design a Service Blueprint
Design Characteristics of a Service Blueprint
Design Characteristics of a Service
Blueprint
Service Blueprint Components
 Poka Yoke

Poka means ‘Mistakes’ & Yoke means ‘Avoid’.

Its objective is to achieve Zero Defects.Quality

assurance technique,

Aim - to eliminate fails in a service by preventing or

correcting mistakes as early as possible.

Term adopted by Dr. Shigeo Shingo as part of the

Toyota Production System in 1960.

It was originally described as “Poka-yoke”, but this

name means “Fail-Proofing”
 WHEN TO USE FAIL PROOFING

When a process step has been identified where human error can
cause mistakes or defects to occur, especially in processes that
rely on the worker's attention, skill, or experience. (Eg.
PharmaLab)
In a service process, where the customer can make an
error which affects the output(self-check-in kiosk at an
airport)
At a hand-off step in a process, when output (or for service
processes, the customer) is transferred to another worker (:
In a hospital, a nurse hands off a patient’s chart to a doctor)

When a minor error early in the process causes major

problems later in the process (Construction project)

When the consequences of an error are expensive or

dangerous(Nuclear Power Plant)
 Service Redesign

Service Redesign refers to the process of

modifying existing service processes, systems,
or touchpoints to improve customer
experience, increase efficiency, and reduce
errors. It involves rethinking and restructuring
service elements to add more value, enhance
quality, and streamline operations.
Example: A bank introduces online account
opening to replace lengthy in-branch
paperwork, improving customer convenience
and reducing processing time.
Service Redesign Approaches
 examples

 Elimination of Non-Value Added Steps

 Example: Online Banking – Traditional bank transactions often required multiple
steps, like filling out paper forms, which added no value to the process. By
eliminating these steps, online banking allows customers to complete transactions
quickly and efficiently, improving customer satisfaction

 Self-Service:
 Example: Supermarket Self-Checkout
 Supermarkets like Tesco or Walmart offer self-checkout machines, where
customers scan and pay for their items themselves. This self-service model allows
faster transactions, reduces the need for cashier staff, and gives customers more
control over the checkout process.
 Direct Service:
 Example: Telemedicine
 Instead of visiting a physical clinic, patients can access healthcare directly via

telemedicine services like Doctor on Demand. This redesign bypasses the need for
in-person visits, offering convenience and quick consultations directly from
healthcare providers.
 examples

 Bundled Service:
 Example: Streaming Service Bundles
 Services like Amazon Prime bundle multiple offerings,
including video streaming, music streaming, and free shipping
under one subscription. This bundling approach redesigns the
service delivery by providing several value-added services
together, enhancing customer experience and retention.
 Physical Service:
 Example: Bank Branch Redesign
 Some banks, like Capital One Cafés, have redesigned their

physical branches to resemble coffee shops, creating a more

relaxed and inviting space for customers to interact with
banking services. This redesign emphasizes physical service
transformation to create a better customer experience in the
banking sector
• SELF-SERVICE TECHNOLOGIES(SSTs)

Consumers are faced with an array of self-service

technologies (SSTs) that allow them to produce a service
independent of direct service employee involvement.

SSTs include automated banking terminals, self-service

scanning at supermarket checkouts, self-service gasoline
pumps, automated telephone systems such as phone
banking, automated hotel checkout, and numerous
Internet-based services.

Even the consultation and sales process has been

transformed to self-service with the use of electronic
recommendation agents

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