Assignment: Blueprinting

SERVICE BLUEPRINTING:

You should create a service blueprint for a service firm of your choice (e.g. dentist, restaurant, funeral home, any retail store, zoo, student legal services, humane society, and hospital emergency service). In addition to the blueprint, you should write a report-type paper analysing the service processes of the firm using course concepts.

Directions

The aim of the project is to develop a thorough, detailed service blueprint for a service firm. The project can focus on an imaginary service firm or a real service firm.

Step #1: Develop a Blueprint

Graphical Portion of Service Blueprint. This assignment allows a student to demonstrate (1) an understanding of the blueprint concepts from class and (b) an ability to apply them in looking at a specific service provider. The blueprint must include the components described in Chapter 5 and content discussed by the UC lecturer/unit convener. Blueprints must have all lines clearly labelled, and arrows must be included in your blueprint to show the order of activities and how they are connected to each other. At least three customer actions, three front-stage contact employee actions, three back-stage contact employee actions, and three distinct support processes should be depicted.At least three potential bottlenecks or fail points in the service delivery process must be identified.

Pictorial Portion of the Service Blueprint. For the physical evidence layer of the service blueprint, students are expected to visit the business chosen and to visually capture the various components of physical evidence that customers experience. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to take pictures with a digital camera (Students should secure permission to take pictures of the service process from management of this service provider prior to constructing the blueprint). A minimum of 3 images is needed to include in the blueprint (the images should be small and pasted in the physical layer of the blueprint).

*Please Note: Students who focused on a hypothetical (imaginary) firm rather than a real firm, can use images from the internet to depict components of the physical evidence. Larger number of images would also be encouraged. The additional images can be placed within the written section of the assignment (report). Images within the written section of the assignment can be:
- Servicescape elements
- Other types of physical evidence (tangible components)
- Images about customer actions
- Images about employee actions (both on-stage and back-stage)

Step #2: Write a Report.

In addition to the actual blueprint, students are to write a paper (2000-2500 words- report) that addresses the following issues and include appropriate associated headings:

(1) Introduction: Describe the firm you chose, what service(s) of this organization you will be blueprinting, and why you selected those particular service(s);

(2) Body:

- Section A: Describe what you believe to be the three key customer actions depicted in the blueprint, and discuss why they are so critical to a successful service experience;

- Section B: Describe what you believe to be the three key frontstage contact employee actions depicted in the blueprint and discuss why they are so critical to a successful service experience;

- Section C: Describe three key elements of physical evidence revealed in the blueprint and discuss how they influence the customer's experience (please note that photos/images of these elements should also be included in the visual portion of the blueprint);

- Section D: Identifyand describe three fail points (points in the process where problems may occur) and/or bottlenecks (points in the process where backups or slow delivery may occur); Fishbone diagram should be placed within the text and each of the aspects outlined in the diagram should be elaborated in detail by relying on the literature in the area of services marketing (see page 427 for information on cause and effect analysis) You need to analyse each fail point and explain in detail what the underlying causes of the fail points might be.

- Section E: Recommendations:Suggest possible solutions/alternatives to address these (potential) problem areas; Using examples and support from the relevant literature in the areas of marketing, operations management and human resource management, you need justify why think your suggestions can resolve the problems.

(3) Conclusions: Discuss what was learnt in doing this assignment and how it could be applied in the business world.

Length: 2000-2500 words