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Blueprinting

The service encounter is difficult to describe with accuracy and therefore there is a lot of subjectivity in its analysis. This inconsistency (variability) prevents quality measurement. This has given rise to many methodologies in service encounter analysis and measurements which seek to ‘map’ the service process. With such a ‘map’ and ‘scripts’, it is possible to be systematic in the encounter analysis This process is called ‘blueprinting’. Blueprinting has given rise to other methodologies like ‘servuction’.

To facilitate maximum satisfaction to the customers, more inputs were added to the service delivery. Service evolved from very simple steps to complex processes, & there arose a need for the marketer to get a bird’s eye view of the whole process. Blueprinting is flowcharting of service operation.

Blueprinting would prevent the manager from learning by costly trial and error. It (blueprinting) also enables marketing managers to understand the parts of the operating system that are visible to the consumer and hence parts of the servuction system. In the servuction sysrem, it is very difficult to identify components of an individual firm. Worse firms underestimate the sensitivity of points of contact. Service firms are now starting to realize the importance of the first call and its potential for generating revenues. They are setting up ’24 x 7 x 365 call centres to be manned by efficient and alert call handlers. The providers are adequately enabled by training, and computer facilities for all enquiry data access and customer and product details the service providers are trained to pick up the phone on the first ring.

Service flowcharts allow managers to better understand servuction Processes. Designing the process becomes the key to product design. In the design stage, it is ensured that the visible part of operations is supported by invisible processes. Flowcharts seek to identify the following:

• The time it takes to move from one process to another;
• The costs involved with each process step;
• The amount of inventory build-up at each process step;
• The bottlenecks in the system.

A customer blueprint has three core elements:

• Identification of all those functions that are essential to deliver a service along with the appropriate personnel with requisite responsibility, authority and accountability.
• The relationships amongst different functions of service components are explained by graphics and charts. The relationshio, is based on time and sequence with each other. For a hotel, the sequence of housekeeping in relation to reception and registration has to be elaborated with a specific time interval.
• Setting up of standards for each function with tolerance levels and variance from standards’ These tolerances for variance should not adversely affect the service quality adversely.

Steps in Designing a Blueprint

1. Identify the process to be blueprinted: This implies again that it would be impossible to blueprint the complete processes of the service provider in one format. The individual processes are to be identified for blueprinting. The summation of such processes would give the whole picture to the manager. Each process would by itself be an issue, and particular problem identification and appropriate solution formulation would be easier.
2. Map process from the custorner’s point of view: Through this method, the customer’s comfort zones can be identified. Processes can be modified if it is found that customers are not very comfortable with certain sequences. Consumers possess purchasing scripts that guide their thinking and behaviour during service encounters. The blueprint development process identifies steps where the system can go awry. Process involves specifying the timeframe of service execution.
3. Draw line of interaction: The line of visibility and the line of interaction have to be drawn clearly. The areas of interaction affect service experience the most.
4. Draw the line of visibility: These are processes in zones that are visible to the customers and in which the customer is most likely to participate. There are also the invisible zones which consist of processes and interactions that are necessary for servicing the customer but are hidden from his view. In a bank, this would include checking the credit-worthiness of clients, processing of documents, dispatch section operations, etc.
5. Map process from customer contact person’s view, distinguishing visible activities from those that are invisible.
6. Draw line of internal interaction.
7. Link customer and contact person activities to needed support functions.