Designing and Managing Service Processes

CHAPTER 8

Designing and Managing Service Processes

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

People Processing Service

Possession Processing Service

Mental Stimulus Processing Service

Information Processing Service

Service 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.

ServiceBlueprint

Process

Points of contact

Evidence

Service Blueprint

What is it?A picture, guide or map that accurately

portrays the service system.A service blueprint allows all parties in the

service experience to accurately understand and deal with service situations

Service Blueprint Components

Signage

Benefits of Service Blueprinting

Identifies fail points in the delivery of a service Take preventative measures Prepare contingency plans

Facilitates a top down, bottom up approachFacilitates internal communication between

departments and SBUsHelps to define customer and employee rolesIdentify potential areas of strengthIdentify bottlenecks.

Key Components of a Service Blueprint

1. Define standards for front-stage activities2. Specify physical evidence 3. Identify main customer actions4. Line of interaction (customers and front-stage

personnel) 5. Front stage actions by customer-contact personnel6. Line of visibility (between front stage and

backstage) 7. Backstage actions by customer contact personnel8. Support processes involving other service

personnel9. Support processes involving IT

Customer’s Role in Service Delivery

Levels of Customer Participation

Low or minimal participation Consumer presence required during service delivery

Moderate participation Consumer inputs required for service creation

High involvement Consumer co-creates the service product

Customers as Service Co-creators

Customers can be thought of as “partial employees”: Contributing effort, time, or other resources to the production

process

Customer inputs can affect organization’s productivity and quality of service processes and outputs. How?

For the relationship to last, both parties need to cooperate with each other

Key issue: Should customers’ roles be expanded or reduced?

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Discussion Question #8

Customer Participation and Self-Service Technologies

Proliferation of New SSTs

Customer Usage of SSTs

Success with SSTs

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Discussion Question #9

Self-Service Technologies

Benefits SST machines are conveniently located and accessible 24/7—

often as close as nearest computer! Obtaining detailed information and completing transactions can

be done faster than through face-to-face or telephone contact People in awe of what technology can do for them when it works

well

Drawbacks SSTs fail – system is down, PIN numbers not accepted, etc Poorly designed technologies that make service processes

difficult to understand and use they mess up - forgetting passwords; failing to provide

information as requested; simply hitting wrong buttons

Customers as Contributors to Service Quality and Satisfaction

Customers can contribute to: their own satisfaction with the service

by performing their role(s) effectively by working with the service provider

the quality of the service they receive by asking questions by taking responsibility for their own satisfaction by complaining when there is a service failure

Importance of Other (“Fellow”) Customers in Service Delivery

Other customers can detract from satisfaction: disruptive behaviours overly demanding behaviours excessive crowding incompatible needs

Other customers can enhance satisfaction: mere presence socialization/friendships roles: assistants, teachers, supporters, mentors

Strategies for Enhancing Customer Participation

Figure 13.3