Thanks to all of you who responded to my introduction and request for
information about service mapping, aka service blueprinting. A number of
people weren't sure what the term refers to, and several asked if it's
related to process mapping. I'm not familiar with process mapping, so I
don't know, but based on my research, here's a summary:
A service map is a visual display of three critical elements of service:
the service delivery process, the roles of customers and employees, and the
visible elements of service. Creating a service map requires accurately
identifying the physicial evidence of service, the "surrogate indicators of
quality" (things people use to judge quality when they don't have the
knowledge base to make a direct judgment), the people involved in service
interactions, and the operational flow of activities that comprise service
delivery. A critical aspect of service mapping is the fact that it looks
at the service encounter from the perspective of the customer. This is one
of the characteristics that distinguishes the tool from production
blueprinting or flowcharting.
At the top of the map is the physical evidence perceived by the customer,
the customer's actions, and the customer's interactions with employees.
These all constitute experiences which are visible to the customer;
therefore, they are mapped above the "line of visibility." Below the "line
of visibility" are employee actions and support processes that are
invisible to the customer. A service map includes a horizontal line of
interaction above the line of visibility to indicate contact between the
customer and front-line employees, and a second horizontal line of
interaction below the line of visibility to indicate the interplay between
supporting employees and the service delivery processes.
The map can be read horizontally to understand the actions or steps
performed by the customer or employee (front-line or supporting), and read
vertically to understand the supporting actions, processes, and structures.
The physical evidence displayed at the top identifies tangible elements
that customers may use as surrogate indicators of quality. Each vertical
connection across a line of interaction indicates a point of contact.
These points function as "moments of truth" in teh service encounter and
can be more fully examined as a potential fail point in the service system.
The initial map for a service is kept simple and only the most basic steps
are shown. More complex diagrams can then be created for each basic step,
if desired, and the internal processes can be displayed in more detail.
Service mapping is useful as a means to reveal the integrated wholeness and
the dynamic complexity of a service delivery system. It assists in seeing
how the component parts interact in delivering service to a customer.
I hope this clarifies the concept of service mapping. I've drawn on the
work of G. Lynn Shostack, Jane Kingman-Brundage, Mary Jo Bitner, A.
Parasuraman, Valarie Zeithaml, and Leonard Berry. I'd love to hear from
anyone using service mapping, particularly in health care. Many thanks,
and happy new year!
-- Sharon Flanagan-Hyde fhyde@goodnet.com (Flanagan-Hyde)