Service blueprints

What is it?

A service blueprint is a detailed visual representation of the total service over time – showing the user’s journey, all the different touchpoints and channels, as well as the behind the scenes parts of a service that make it work.

What is it useful for?

Helping everyone involved in delivering the service understand their role and ensure the user has a coherent experience.

How can I do it?

Initially map a user’s progress through different service stages, ranging from awareness, to use, through to leaving the service. In doing this identify touchpoint encountered. These touchpoints each can be segmented into different channels such as face-to-face or web.

The customer-oriented elements of a service are known as the ‘front stage’. Identify and map touchpoints and processes that need to happen behind the scenes for the ‘front stage’ part to work. These might include back office staff, logistics systems, or IT infrastructure. This is known as the ‘back stage’ part of the service. A service blueprint allows you to see the interaction between the front and back stages, ensuring links and dependencies between different service elements are coherent.

Some services might have a range of different offerings and require multiple blueprints. In developing a service blueprint it can be useful to work in teams, and carry out an initial pass before developing in detail.