Service Blueprint 2022 by Sasa Mlinarevic.

Process management builds on the Service Blueprint 2022, which will be presented below. The Service Blueprint 2022 is a design tool that can be used to prototype a service map. It also serves as a visualization tool that thinks through, communicates and critiques services. The chronological rhine sequence of the individual activities is shown with the help of the blueprint.

Goals of the Service Blueprint 2022

The service blueprint is a method that visualizes all process steps, events and decisions. Thus, a service creation process can be mapped in all its process steps.

The simultaneous interaction between customers and the interfaces in the company is mapped on a service map. The visibility of the customer can be displayed combined with that of the provider.

It is suitable both as a tool for new processes and process optimization.

Usability

• Create structures
• Record and design business processes
• Plan projects
• Record and design business processes

Involved

• Responsible business areas affected
• Management

Strengths and advantages

• Visualization of the different lines of interaction that a service process involves:
• Designing the service from the perspective of customers and their relevant interaction points in the process
• Easy verification of what processes are going on in front of and behind the eyes of the customer
• Parallel processes can be visualized
• Employees with frequent customer contact have processes that have to be completed side by side
• Integration of the customer:
• Mapping of the interaction with the customer and the interface(s) in the company
• The view of the customer can be combined with that of the company
• Easy to understand
• Internal view across departments:
• Backend processes and actors
• Cross-departmental understanding promotion (IT, product management, ..)
• Increased customer view compared to classic BPM
• Weaknesses become recognizable

Weaknesses and disadvantages

• Valid customer insights must be available as a basis:
• First, solid and valid customer knowledge must be gained
• Customer data usage
• Operational and analytical CRM go hand in hand
• Unclear for complex processes
• High effort for creation, but strongly dependent on process or sub-process and level of detail

It makes methodical sense to focus on the right and business-critical processes or sub-processes, improve them and thus a) better processes and b) create an excellent customer experience.

Procedure for service blueprint 2022

Where the customer is in direct contact with the company and is actively involved, this has a major impact on customer satisfaction. Such interaction points are particularly critical to success and should be examined more closely.

With the help of the order of the individual activities within the service blueprint in its chronological sequence and proximity to the customer, all necessary information is visible at a glance:

• Timing
• Interfaces and its problems
• Decision-making situations
• Weaknesses and sources of errors
• Visible and invisible processes for customers

A common understanding is fostered by the method and leads to subsequent improvements in the company:

• Customer satisfaction
• Target achievement
• Efficiency

The service blueprint can be divided into four main steps.

1. Preparation

• Identify performance process and assemble suitable team
• Analyze requirements and define goals

2. Record process
3. Record the current status of existing services
4. For new process, creation of rough process model

• Define trigger and result
• Classify customer activities and sub-processes
• Define a sensible time sequence for the sub-processes
• Find out and classify processes with proximity to the customer
• Connect input and output

3. Improve process

• Define desired target state
• Identify problems
• Develop solution e.g. by means of creativity techniques

Possible questions:

• What does the ideal target process look like?
• Can process steps/interfaces be omitted?
• Are there tasks that can be worked on in parallel?
• Simplification of information transfer possible?
• Where can the customer experience be improved?

The concept can be optimized through tests and improvements.

4. Implement target state

As soon as the target concept has been adequately elaborated and adjusted, implementation can begin. Success is to be reviewed regularly against the defined objectives and adjusted where necessary.

At my employer, Zurich Invest AG, which provides financial services to B2B and B2C customers, the Service Blueprint can be applied to various business-critical areas, such as IT processes in general, CRM interface to sales, interface to custodian bank – customer, interfaces customer service – customer, …

Now the first step is to prioritize, identify the business-critical processes and apply the service blueprint methodology to optimize the processes and improve the customer experience.