Service blueprint & Service process explained with example

Summary

This video script from Marketing 91 Comm explores the concept of service blueprinting, a tool used by service firms to visualize and manage the service delivery process. It breaks down the components of service blueprinting, including physical evidence, customer and employee actions, and support processes. Using the Oberoi Mumbai as a case study, the script illustrates how these elements come together to create a seamless and luxurious customer experience, from arrival to departure.

Takeaways

• 📘 Service Blueprinting: A tool used by service firms to manage service encounters and visualize the service process.
• 🏢 Components of Service Blueprint: Includes physical evidence, customer actions, employee actions on stage, backstage actions, and support processes.
• 👥 Customer Actions: The steps customers take during the service delivery process, depicted chronologically in the blueprint.
• 👩‍💼 Onstage Employee Actions: The face-to-face interactions between customers and frontline employees, visible to the customer.
• 🔍 Line of Interaction: The boundary between the customer and the employee, crossing which leads to 'moments of truth'.
• 👨‍💻 Backstage Employee Actions: Invisible to the customer, these actions support the service delivery, such as phone calls or preparations.
• 🔧 Support Processes: Activities by non-contact employees necessary for service delivery, like internal processes and systems.
• 🤝 Line of Internal Interaction: The interaction between backstage employees that support the service delivery.
• 🌆 Oberoi Mumbai Example: A case study illustrating how service blueprinting helps understand and manage the service delivery process in a hotel setting.
• 🛍 Physical Evidence: Tangible elements like decor, staff appearance, and amenities that influence customer perceptions of quality.
• 🍽️ Moments of Truth: Critical points in the service delivery where customer interactions occur, impacting their overall experience.

Q & A

What is the purpose of service blueprinting in service management?

Service blueprinting is used to better manage service encounters by providing a clearer visualization of the service processes, helping service firms to understand and improve the procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities involved in delivering a service to the customer.

What are the components of a service blueprint?

The components of a service blueprint include physical evidence, customer actions, onstage employee actions, the line of interaction, backstage employee actions, support processes, and the line of internal interaction.

How do customer actions influence the service delivery process?

Customer actions include all the steps that customers take as part of the service delivery process and are depicted chronologically across the top of the blueprint. They influence the service delivery by showing the customer's involvement and interaction with the service.

What is meant by 'onstage' employee actions in service blueprinting?

Onstage employee actions refer to the actions of frontline contact employees that constitute a face-to-face encounter with the customer. These actions are visible to the customer and are depicted in the service blueprint.

Can you explain the concept of 'moments of truth' in service encounters?

Moments of truth occur every time the line of interaction is crossed via a link from the customer to a contact employee or the company's self-service technology. These are critical points where the customer directly experiences the service.

What role do backstage employee actions play in service delivery?

Backstage employee actions include those actions that involve invisible interaction with customers, such as telephone calls and other activities undertaken in preparation to serve customers. They are crucial for the smooth operation of the service delivery process.

How are support processes depicted in a service blueprint?

Support processes are depicted below the line of visibility and include all the activities carried out by non-contact individuals and units within the company that are required for the service to be delivered.

What is the significance of the line of visibility in a service blueprint?

The line of visibility in a service blueprint marks the boundary between what is visible to the customer (onstage) and what is not (backstage). It helps differentiate between customer-facing and internal service activities.

Can you provide an example of physical evidence from the script?

An example of physical evidence from the script is the Oberoi Mumbai's hotel building exterior and infrastructure, which creates an impression of luxury and grandeur for the guests.

How does the Oberoi Mumbai utilize service blueprinting in its operations?

The Oberoi Mumbai uses service blueprinting to understand and manage the processes involved in delivering services to customers, from the moment they arrive at the hotel to their departure, ensuring a high-quality service experience.

What is the importance of the line of internal interaction in a service blueprint?

The line of internal interaction represents the interaction that occurs between backstage employees and the internal activities that support service delivery. It is important for understanding how different parts of the organization work together to provide service.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Service Blueprinting and Customer Interaction

This paragraph delves into the concept of service blueprinting, a tool used by service firms to visualize and manage the service delivery process. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities involved in delivering a service. The paragraph outlines the components of service blueprinting, including physical evidence, customer actions, employee actions both on and off stage, the line of interaction, and the line of visibility. It also introduces the concept of 'moments of truth' that occur during customer-employee interactions. The summary of the Oberoi Mumbai hotel's service delivery process illustrates how these components work in practice, from the guest's arrival to their check-in, room entry, and dining experience, highlighting the significance of physical evidence and employee actions in shaping customer perceptions.

05:01

🍽️ Dining Experience and Hotel Check-out Process

The second paragraph continues the narrative of the guest's journey at the Oberoi Mumbai, focusing on the dining experience and the check-out process. It describes the physical evidence that contributes to the guest's perception of the restaurant, such as decor, menu variety, and food presentation. The onstage employee action is portrayed through the waiter taking orders and the backstage employee action through the kitchen staff preparing the food. The paragraph also details the guest's room experience, including the amenities and the bellboy's service. The check-out process is covered, from the guest informing the front desk to the billing and payment, with the physical evidence of the lobby and the efficiency of the process highlighted. The summary concludes with the guest's departure, emphasizing the final impression created by the hotel's exterior, parking, and valet service.

Keywords

💡Service Blueprinting

Service blueprinting is a technique used by service firms to visualize and manage the service delivery process. It helps in understanding the customer's journey and the various stages of service interaction. In the video, it is used to analyze the service process at the Oberoi Mumbai, from the customer's arrival to their departure, highlighting the different components of the service blueprint.

💡Physical Evidence

Physical evidence refers to the tangible aspects of a service that customers interact with and which influence their perception of quality. In the context of the video, the physical evidence includes the hotel's exterior, the lobby's decor, and the room amenities, all of which contribute to the guest's first impression and overall experience.

💡Customer Action

Customer action encompasses the steps that customers take as part of the service delivery process. It is depicted chronologically in a service blueprint. In the video, customer actions range from arriving at the hotel, checking in, proceeding to their room, dining at the restaurant, to checking out, illustrating the customer's journey through the service process.

💡Onstage Employee Action

Onstage employee action refers to the activities performed by frontline employees that are visible to the customers during a face-to-face encounter. The video script describes various onstage employee actions, such as the valet parking the guest's car, the reception staff registering the guest, and the bellboy carrying luggage to the room.

💡Line of Interaction

The line of interaction is a conceptual boundary in a service blueprint that marks the interaction between the customer and the onstage employee. Each time this line is crossed, it signifies a 'moment of truth' in service delivery. The video uses this concept to illustrate the critical points of customer-employee interaction, such as when the guest checks in or when the bellboy delivers the luggage.

💡Backstage Employee Action

Backstage employee action represents the activities of employees that are not directly visible to the customers but are essential for service delivery. In the video, backstage actions include the valet parking the car out of the guest's sight and the kitchen staff preparing the food for the restaurant, which are crucial for the guest's experience but occur behind the scenes.

💡Support Processes

Support processes are the activities carried out by non-contact individuals within the company that are necessary for the service to be delivered. These processes are often invisible to the customer but are vital for the smooth operation of the service. The video mentions the internal reservation system and the kitchen staff's food preparation as examples of support processes.

💡Line of Visibility

The line of visibility in a service blueprint separates the activities that are visible to the customer (above the line) from those that are not (below the line). It helps in distinguishing between what the customer sees and what happens behind the scenes. The video uses this concept to differentiate between the guest's visible interactions with the hotel staff and the unseen preparations and services.

💡Moment of Truth

A moment of truth occurs each time the line of interaction is crossed, representing a critical point in the service delivery process where the customer's perception is shaped. The video script describes several moments of truth, such as the guest's first impression upon arrival and the interaction with the reception staff during check-in.

💡Service Encounter

Service encounter is the direct interaction between the customer and the service provider, which is a key component of the service delivery process. The video emphasizes the importance of managing service encounters through service blueprinting to ensure a positive customer experience, as seen in the various interactions the guest has with the hotel staff.

💡Internal Interaction

Internal interaction refers to the communication and collaboration between backstage employees and the internal processes that support service delivery. The video script mentions the interaction between the restaurant staff and the kitchen as an example of internal interaction, which is essential for the efficient and timely service of food to the guests.

Highlights

Service process involves procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities for service delivery.

Service blueprinting is used to manage service encounters and visualize service processes.

Physical evidence includes tangibles that influence customer quality perceptions.

Customer actions are the steps taken by customers during the service delivery process.

Onstage employee actions are frontline interactions depicted in the service blueprint.

Moments of truth occur at each interaction between the customer and the employee.

Backstage employee actions are invisible to the customer but crucial for service delivery.

Support processes are activities by non-contact employees required for service delivery.

Line of internal interaction is the communication between backstage employees.

Service blueprinting helps visualize the entire service delivery process.

The Oberoi Mumbai example illustrates the application of service blueprinting in a hotel.

Customer's first impression is influenced by the hotel's physical evidence.

Onstage employee actions, like valet parking, are part of the customer's visible experience.

Check-in process involves onstage employee actions and backstage support systems.

Physical evidence in the guest's room contributes to their overall experience.

Restaurant dining experience is shaped by physical evidence and onstage employee actions.

Backstage kitchen staff are essential for the timely delivery of food.

Check-out process includes onstage employee actions and backstage support for efficiency.

The final impression of the hotel is influenced by the valet service and physical evidence.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to marketing 91 comm

let's understand process process refers

to the procedures mechanisms and flow of

activities to which a service is

delivered in addition it involves tasks

schedules and routines by which a

product or service is delivered to the

customer service firms use service

blueprinting to better manage the

service encounter and to allow clearer

visualization of the service process

introduction because services are

frequently or produced in real time by

employees along with customers service

firms use service blueprinting to better

manage service encounters through a

clearer visualization of service

processes let's look at the components

of service blueprint physical evidence

these are all the tangibles that

customers are exposed to which can

influence their quality perceptions

customer action customer actions include

all the steps that customers take as

part of the service delivery process the

actions are depicted chronologically

across the top of the blueprint on stage

of visible contact employee actions

those actions of frontline contact

employees that constitute a face-to-face

encounter are depicted as onstage

contact employee action every time the

line of interaction is crossed via a

link from the customer to a contact

employee or the company's self-service

technology a moment of truth occurs line

of interaction this line marks the

interaction between the customer and the

onstage visible employee every time the

line of interaction is crossed via a

link from the customer to a contact

employee or the company's self servicing

technology a moment of truth occurs

together these activities comprise of

frontage activities this follows with a

line of visibility backstage or

invisible contact employee actions below

the line of visibility all other contact

employee actions are represented these

include those actions that involve

invisible interaction with customers

examples telephone calls as well as any

other activities of contact employees

undertaken in preparation to serve

customers of that on a part of the

former's responsibilities support

processes these include all the

activities carried out by non-contact

individuals and units within the company

that are required for the service to be

delivered such as ID processes line of

internal interaction it is the

interaction that occurs between the

backstage employees and the internal

activities that support service delivery

together these activities below the line

of visibility comprised of backstage

activities now let us look at an example

of the Oberoi Mumbai to better

understand how service blueprinting

enables the hotel to understand the

processes involved in the delivery of

services to customers c1 the scene

starts with a customer or guests

arriving at a hotel which denotes

customer action on arrival the customers

first impression is formed through the

physical evidence of the hotel that he

or she sees notably the hotel building

exterior and infrastructure the

appearance of the valet person and the

staff that greets him as well as the

parking facility for instance overall

hotel's physical evidence creates an

impression of luxury and grandeur with

its elegant and when lit building said

against a beautiful backdrop of marine

Drive and the well-dressed valet and

staff dressed in white warmly greeting

the guests arriving at the hotel the

first interaction marked by the line of

interaction takes place between the

guests and the onstage employee that is

the valley stuff as he greets the guests

and takes his car keys the valley stuff

then parks the car however this stage is

not visible to the guests and therefore

it is referred to as a backstage

employee action the support system in

this scene comprises the maintenance and

management of the parking lot because it

ensures the efficient and timely

delivery of service scene 2 in this

scene the guest enters the hotel to

complete his check-in formalities the

physical evidence at this stage is the

decor and ambience of the lobby the

waiting arrangement for the guests

appearance and hospitality of the

reception staff and the appearance of

the room key etc for instance overall

hotels physical evidence on arrival

consists of a flawlessly white atrium

lobby built with a sauce marble floor to

ceiling glass windows overlooking the

sea

a skylight ceiling for natural light to

flow through a stylish red piano Aki

center stage and the classy reception

area with well-dressed help desk tough

the on stage employee action is the

registration process done by the

employees at the reception the internal

reservation system that maintains all

hotel bookings is the support system

that assistant managing guests check-in

scene 3 the next scene involves the

guests proceeding to his room the

physical evidence that he sees around is

the elevator the hallway to the rooms

etc for instance in this scene overall

hotels physical evidence is a towering

hallway that offers a 360-degree view of

the hotel's interiors the onstage

employee action is the bellboy carrying

the guests luggage to the room scene 4

in the next field the guest enters his

room checks whether the basic room

amenities are in place and tips the

bellboy for delivering his luggage

the physical evidence here is the decor

of the room ambient conditions such as

the temperature and fragrance of the

room and room and bathroom amenities for

instance the rooms at the Oberoi boom

buy are richly furnished with dark wood

raw silk fabrics and handloom carpets

and they have a breathtaking view of

Queens necklace on marine drive with

lavish room amenities such as a bathtub

with a see-through wall for viewing the

room sparkling satin linens hot water

kettle minibar and refreshments passages

and shampoos dental kits and so on

additionally the room offers a welcome

package of handmade chocolates and a

bottle of champagne in case of sweet

rooms as explained earlier the onstage

employee action here involves the

bellboy placing the luggage in the guest

room scene 5 this scene involves the

guests heading to the hotel's restaurant

to dine the physical evidence includes

the restaurants decor the style of the

food menu along with the food variety

the presentation of food the aroma and

the taste of the dish is served for

instance in the Oberoi the restaurant

via offers a delectable range of Indian

specialities the table aesthetics and

warm lighting create a pleasant physical

evidence for the guests entering the

restaurant the onstage employee that is

the waiter at the restaurant takes the

guests order for

and passes it on to the backstage

employees that is the kitchen the

support system here is the preparation

of food done by the kitchen staff who

enable the timely delivery of food scene

six this scene starts with the backstage

employees actions which involves the

weight of picking of the prepared food

from the kitchen

followed by serving the guests the

customer action here is that guest

receives and consumes the food the

presentation of the food the aroma and

quality of taste constitute the physical

evidence at this stage for instance as

the jia restaurant in the Oberoi

chef paella was the first Michelin star

chef ever to be awarded for Indian food

this is owing to his innovative use of

ingredients and outstanding food

presentation as seen in these pictures

the scene moves to the next day when the

guest is due to check out the customer

action involves the guests informing the

front desk about the checkout and

proceeding to the lobby the physical

evidence is the room from which he is

about to leave the onstage employee is

the bellboy who carries the luggage to

the lobby while the support staff checks

the minibar and room amenities to

initiate the checkout procedure the

physical evidence is the lobby and

reception area efficiency of the billing

process and the presentation of the bill

the guests pays the bill and moves out

of the hotel to receive his car as he

enters the last scene where he waits for

his car in the last scene the physical

evidence is once again the hotel

exterior parking employee appearance and

the valet service the scene ends when

the onstage employee brings the guest

car to him and bids goodbye to him as he

leaves the hotel stay tuned for more

videos on marketing thank you