Service design

¿Qué y por qué del diseño de servicios?

What is service design?

The origin of this field is found in the texts of Lynn G. Shostack, Vice President of Citibank in New York and Marketing Director for the “European Journal of Marketing” (1982):

The service is a process that is possible to represent as a molecular system composed of elements, links and evidences. It is possible to represent and apply to understand the service ex ante and design it better, to modelize, test and replicate.

According to the UK Design Council, (2010):

Service design consists of making useful, accessible, efficient and effective a service.

Why design service is interesting

It allows us to adapt to the current reality: evolve from the industrial model to the post-industrial model (from material to intangible).

It is the main driver of economy nowadays. 70% of development countries product comes from the service sector.

Main part of current services are new and very complex products.

Due to the existence of the Product Service System – PSS. In great extent nowadays companies have a service component in their offer even if they are not aware of it.

Service design draws the user’s experience through its journey along the service process. It is based on a collection and analysis of information about the user, stakeholders (staff, partners, etc.) and the environment where the service takes place.

Customer journey map provide a structured vision of the user service experience.

The result is the service visual map as well as the application guide for problem solving, bottlenecks and critical situations detected at the earlier analysis stages.

For this purpose the service designer conducts spontaneous interviews, routes observation, in-depth interviews, “personas” generation techniques (fictitious characters), design of scenarios, expectations’ maps …

It is possible to visualize, represent and establish a sequence of the process. We obtain a visual map of the user’s journey pointing out needs and conflicts of every stage. The service it is modelized and touchpoints are defined.

Touchpoints build a “journey” between the organization and the user. This story describes in an understandable way the interactions that occur during the service and the motivations and emotions that are associated to these interactions.

Usefulness of service design

It contributes to improve the service quality.

Resources optimization. Reduces costs and improves profitability.

To be aware of the service process tunes the staff.

It improves the user perception. Customer feels that service is focused taking into account her needs.

Standardizes and contributes to improve the service quality, increasing the capacity to react against any mishap or change.

It becomes a continuous process, a way of working and an attitude towards the continuous improvement of the service and the experience.

Objectives of service design

To improve the user experience.

To discover how to enrich and move our customer.

To ease the work of the staff involved in providing the service.

To organize and connect in a coordinated way the activities that have been planned individually through the years.

To detect improvement points in order to maximize the strength of the communication which is a source of reputation and image.

To optimize the use of resources.

To detect problems, identify the origin and propose solutions.

This field has been successfully applied to services such as:

Hospitals and healthcare centers to improve the management of patients, procedures, information, people flow control etc.

Airlines whether in land or in flight services.

Museums and heritage facilities: flow management, visits segmentation, visit experience improvement.

Public administration in services related to citizen’s attention.

NGOs and institutions in charge of assisting disadvantaged sections of society: to plan how to provide the service, how to look and organize human resources, volunteers, materials and to develop assistance protocols.

Stages of the service design process

Exploration and analysis

Recogida de información e identificación de perfiles.

Listening.

Primary information gathering.

- - In depth interviews: CEO, managers, personnel…
  - Questionnaires to users: post-service, about expectations and experience.
  - Field observation: users’ route, people flow observation, touchpoints study.

Desk research and existing information analysis.

- - Study and analysis of existing information: catalogues, statistics, calendars, formats …
  - Study and analysis of similar companies or institutions: management, structure, services …

Service modelling

Visualización del “Viaje del Usuario” Customer Journey. Mapa de ruta del Usuario.

The mapping.

User journey map design.

- - - Service stages study:
  - - - Pre-service.
      - Service.
      - Post-service.
    - Expectations identification. Experience nature and level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
    - Assessment of touchpoints and critical points detection.

Implementation guide.

- - - Proposed customer journey.
    - Recommendations and proposals.

Touchpoints design

Los puntos de contacto con el usuario: web, atención, comunicación.

The engineering.

According to three axes:

- - Behaviour / Welcome.

Actions oriented to define, order and normalize the behaviour and relationships of the company and its staff with users, partners, suppliers, media etc.

- - Interfaces / Design.

Actions oriented to design the touchpoints whether physical or digital.

- - Story / Contents.

Actions focused on making a conscious management of the brand story and on providing this story with contents.

Implementation and follow up

Aplicación de las recomendaciones y evaluación de resultados

The way.

- Production and implementation of the actions designed and proposed in the map.
- Functioning tests and adjustments to the solutions.
- Follow up: once implemented it is necessary to assess and measure the right performance during the service with the aim of maintaining and improving the service and if necessary apply adjustments and updates.