SERVICE DESIGN TOOLS: Service Blueprints

Service Blueprints

One of the key outputs when designing a service, is the Service Blueprint.

I like to think of designing services like building houses. Once you’ve had the architects draw up the vision for what the house will look like (Concept level) you’ve got to then create plans that are detailed and clear enough for the builders to get in there and deliver the dream. They need to know where the wiring and plumbing need to be laid, the dimensions of all the rooms and to understand the special features.

Bringing us back to CX, the set up of a Blueprint is similar to a customer journey map. It’s an articulation of the pathway a user would take, but where as journey maps help to understand AS-IS, blueprints are used for concept journeys to articulate TO-BE, and critically hoe to make To-BE work.

Blue prints outline the target experience and customer needs at the top, and work through a series of boxes down the side including People, Process, Technology and Policy, and detail the visible and invisible actions required to deliver the target experience for the given pathwayRight at the bottom, I like to set KPI’s to ensure we know what success looks like to build into measurement post implementation. This is an example from a workshop I did with the Police Force, to understand what would be required in order to deliver more effective and efficient case management in a future where technology will be available across the Criminal Justice System and it’s partners.

They are a great tool for being able to help others move from a concept of a service to an operational, co-designed service thats worked through all the inherent challenges and opportunities and complexity that change on this scale takes!