Service Blueprints

A Service Blueprint is a diagram that visualizes the relationships between different components of a service (people, processes, and objects) across the different stages of customer interaction.

info Quick Definition
A Service Blueprint is a diagram that visualizes the relationships between different components of a service (people, processes, and objects) across the different stages of customer interaction. It’s like a Customer Journey Maps|Customer Journey Map with superpowers, as it not only shows what the customer sees, but also everything that happens “behind the curtain” to make that experience possible.

What are Service Blueprints?

Imagine that a Customer Journey Maps|Customer Journey Map is the view a diner has at a restaurant: they see the menu, talk to the waiter, receive their food. A Service Blueprint is the complete blueprint of the restaurant: it shows the diner, the waiter, but also the cooks in the kitchen, the ordering system, the suppliers who bring the ingredients, and the cleaning processes.

A Service Blueprint goes beyond the digital interface and maps the entire service. It is structured in horizontal lanes:

  1. Physical Evidence: The objects and places the customer interacts with (e.g., a physical store, a website, a confirmation email).
  2. Customer Actions: The steps the customer takes. This lane is basically the Customer Journey Maps|Customer Journey Map.

— Line of Interaction —

  1. Onstage/Frontstage Actions: The actions employees perform that are visible to the customer (e.g., a waiter taking an order, a support agent on chat).

— Line of Visibility —

  1. Backstage Actions: The actions employees perform that are invisible to the customer (e.g., a cook preparing the food, a developer updating the database).

— Line of Internal Interaction —

  1. Support Processes: The internal systems and processes that support employees (e.g., inventory management software, payment system, company policies).

Why are they important?

  • They reveal internal complexity: They show how internal processes affect the customer experience. A customer pain point is often the symptom of a backstage problem.
  • They identify optimization opportunities: They are an incredible tool for finding inefficiencies, redundancies, and bottlenecks in internal processes.
  • They break down silos: They force different departments (product, marketing, operations, legal) to collaborate and see how their work interconnects to create the customer experience.
  • They are fundamental for omnichannel services: They are the best way to map complex experiences that occur both online and offline.

How are they made?

  1. Define the Scenario: Just like with a CJM, start with a specific scenario you want to map (e.g., “The process of returning a product purchased online”).
  2. Map the Customer Journey: First fill in the customer actions lane. You can use an existing Customer Journey Map as a starting point.
  3. Identify the Interactions: For each customer action, map the onstage and backstage actions that occur in parallel. Follow the lines: if a customer clicks “Buy” (customer action), a warehouse employee receives a notification (backstage action).
  4. Add the Support Processes: What internal systems and processes are needed for all of the above to happen? (e.g., payment system, logistics software).
  5. Add Evidence and Metrics: Include the physical evidence and, if possible, arrows showing dependencies and metrics like time per step.
  6. Analyze and find opportunities: Look for friction points, not just for the customer, but also for employees. A frustrated employee often leads to a frustrated customer. Identify areas to improve efficiency and experience.

Mentor Tips

  • It’s a team sport: Never, ever make a Service Blueprint alone. Its main value comes from bringing together people from different departments in a room (or a call) to map the process together. Each person will contribute a piece of the puzzle that others can’t see.
  • Don’t seek perfection, seek understanding: The first draft will be a mess, and that’s fine. The goal of the activity is the process of shared discussion and discovery, not just the final artifact.
  • Use real photos and artifacts: During the workshop, ask people to bring screenshots, emails, forms, etc. This makes the process much more tangible.
  • Start with a small scope: Mapping an entire company’s service is a titanic task. Start with a single scenario that is particularly problematic or important.

Resources and Tools