Service Design
03 / Service Blueprint
Key question
What happens behind the scenes?
The customer journey illustrates what the customer experiences. The service blueprint also shows what needs to happen behind the scenes to make it possible: people, systems and processes. This makes it clear why things go wrong at the front end and where to intervene.
Learning objective: You can create a service blueprint featuring frontstage, backstage, and support processes, and trace pain points back to their root causes.
See what is ahead, understand what is behind.
3.1 / The levels of the blueprint
Front, back, underneath.
A service blueprint organises a service into layers, separated by lines. The model was originally developed by Lynn Shostack (1984).
01
Front stage
What the customer sees and experiences: people at the counter, the app, premises, and messages.
02
Backstage
What happens behind the scenes: preparation, checks, team coordination.
03
Support
Systems and partners that support everything: booking system, payment, storage, insurance.
The line of visibility separates frontstage and backstage. Everything above it is part of the experience, everything below it makes it possible.
The line separates experience and work.
3.2 / Creating a blueprint
Column by column.
A blueprint starts with the stages and the actions of the customer. Below that, the visible touchpoints, backstage work, and supporting systems are mapped out for each stage—ideally together with the people delivering the service.
Pain points are highlighted where they occur. Often it turns out that an issue at the return stage has its root cause further down the line—for instance, because the booking system is unaware of the available spaces.
Causes are often found below.
3.3 / Identifying root causes
Thinking things through from start to finish.
For every pain point, it is worth asking: what is happening underneath? Who is involved? Which system provides what information? This is how you create solutions that actually work, rather than just papering over the cracks.
The blueprint is also a tool for discussions within the company. It shows everyone how their work relates to the customer experience, and makes responsibilities visible.
The Blueprint connects teams.
Exercise
A blueprint with causes
Task: Create a service blueprint for the Rhine bicycle parking station or for a service of your own.
STEP 1
Import the phases and customer actions from your journey.
STEP 2
Enter frontstage, backstage, and support for each phase.
STEP 3
Highlight the three biggest pain points.
STEP 4
Trace each pain point down and note the cause.
Evaluation: How many pain points originate below the line of visibility?