Final Writing Assignment

Designing Customer-Focused Service Processes Nancy J. Stephens, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Marketing Faculty Director, Online Executive Programs Cases and Instructions Blueprinting Case 1: Azure River Tubes Azure River Tubes (ART), which has an exclusive concession agreement with the State Department of Natural Resources, offers tubing trips down the Azure River from Scenic Bend to Lookout Bridge, a distance of 12 miles. The Azure River is located about 15 miles south of Capitol City and runs through a series of canyons. The journey offers outstanding views and the chance to enjoy an undeveloped and unspoiled natural environment. Most customers are college students and young adults from Capitol City who enjoy spending an afternoon in the sun floating down the scenic Azure River. Because it is hot and sunny, customers need to be prepared. They are advised by ART in its brochures, advertisements and website to bring sunscreen, hats and long-sleeved shirts to wear over their bathing suits. Many tubers forget at least one of these essential items. The ART Rental Shack at the river stocks a complete line of accessories for anyone who has forgotten something. Customers start their journey down the Azure River at Scenic Bend, where they park their vehicles in a parking lot owned and maintained by ART. Parking costs $5 for all day, but is free for those who spend at least $20 in the ART Rental Shack. Before they begin their tubing trip, customers must rent a tube at the ART Rental Shack. ART inventories over 200 tubes in a backroom of the rental shack. Two college students work there part-time, filling the tubes with air and maintaining them. Each tube is checked for air pressure and leaks before it is rented to a customer. Customers can either bring their own refreshments or buy food and drink from the ART Rental Shack. In addition, ART will sell or rent small floating coolers to keep snacks cold. The coolers can be attached to a tube with a hooked rope. At the end of the 3-4 hour trip, customers arrive at Lookout Bridge, where they exit the river. If they wish, they can take a shower at the ART Deck House next to the bridge. An ART van takes them back to their vehicles at Scenic Bend where they started. Steps in Designing a 1. Identify the process to be blueprinted. – basic business concept – a service within a family of services – a specific service component 2. Identify the customer segment that receives the service. 3. Map the process from the customer’s point of view. 4. Draw the line of interaction. 5. Draw the line of visibility. 6. Map the process from the customer contact person’s point of view distinguishing visible (“onstage”) activities from invisible (“backstage”) activities. 7. Draw the line of internal interaction. 8. Link customer and contact person activities to the necessary support functions. 9. Add physical evidence 10. Add moments of truth, pain points and opportunities for improvement. line of interaction SUPPORT PROCESSES CONTACT EMPLOYEE ONSTAGE ACTIONS CUSTOMER ACTIONS PHYSICAL EVIDENCE ONSTAGE TECHNOLOGY line of visibility line of internal interaction Azure River Tube Rental Blueprint External Pain Point Visitor finds out parking costs $5 Moment of Truth Are there enough tubes and are they priced right? Internal Pain Point During peak hours the two college students might be overwhelmed ART Rental Shack appeara nce Park in Scenic Bend parking lot Rent tube @ ART Rental Shack Buy snacks at ART Rental Shack (optional) Rent mini cooler at ART Rental Shack (optional) Float down Azure River and a arrive at Lookout Ridge Take shower at ART Deck House (optional) Ride ART van back to Scenic Bend parking lot Appear ance of tubes Azure River appeara nce ART van appearanc e and reliability College students greet and help w/ tube rentals Take customers back to their car Fill tubes w/ air and maintain them Have ART Renal Shack stocked w/ enough tubes, mini coolers and snacks Make sure ART vans are clean and full of gas External Pain Point Visitor finds out that he must buy or rent a mini cooler if he does not have one Purchase new tubes to replace old ones Maintain parking lot (refinish if there are potholes or cracks) Remodel or make repairs to ART Deck House Clean and maintain Deck House Repair vans if needed Service Blueprint Components CUSTOMER ACTIONS “ONSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONS “BACKSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONS SUPPORT PROCESSES line of interaction line of visibility line of internal interaction PHYSICAL EVIDENCE “ONSTAGE” TECHNOLOGY ACTIONS Definitions of the Components •Def: All tangibles that customers come in contact with that impact customer quality perceptions. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE • Def: All steps, or groups of steps, that customers take or experience as part of the service process being examined. Phases are sets of related steps. CUSTOMER ACTIONS •Def: The actions by customer -facing technology (e.g., websites) that customers experience as part of the service process. “ONSTAGE” TECHNOLOGY ACTIONS •Def: The contact employee actions that involve face -to -face interactions with customers. “ONSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONS •Def: Other contact employee actions (not involving face -to -face customer interactions) including email/phone contact with customers, preparation work, and any activities that facilitate the service process. “BACKSTAGE” CONTACT EMPLOYEE ACTIONS •Def: Activities that facilitate the service process and are done by individuals who are not contact employees. SUPPORT PROCESSES CUSTOMER PHASES Useful Symbols Moment of Truth Internal Pain Point External Pain Point Customer -provider interaction which is critically important to the relationship. Gap felt by the provider but not by the customer which leads to internal friction or inefficiencies. Gap felt by the customer and potentially provider which leads to lower service quality perceptions. Opportunity to Improve Potential opportunity to improve experience, satisfy customer, demonstrate quality, etc. Instructions: There is no “right ” or “wrong ” blueprint. Your team ’s goal is to map out the process and determine what actions are necessary to produce a great customer experience, considering the human factors of the service process from the point of view of the customer. The value in blueprinting is the discussion you have with your co- workers; you get insight by understanding different perspectives of employees who see customers face- to-face, who talk or email with customers only, and who never even see or interact with customers. All these people are responsible for giving your customer a great experience. Draw Your Own Blueprint Thank you Good luck in designing customer - focused service processes. Nancy J. Stephens, Ph.D. [email protected] http://wpcarey.asu.edu/csl/