2. design
for service
contents
01 Introduction
02 Why it is beneficial to your company
03 How you can apply this to your company
04 Using design to improve services: examples
05 References
3. 01
Introduction
A new competitive
environment
Companies are under increasing Everyone loves a great experience.
pressure to provide personalised, Whether going to the grocer’s, or
customer-focused services. We shopping on-line, people always
live in a world where products and appreciate when things are easy and
services are getting more and more make sense. This makes them happy,
commoditised, and companies are and happy customers are worth more
struggling to compete solely on to every business.
price. In order to stand out from
competitors, companies need to This guide is intended to give an
recognise themselves as service overview of how you can use service
providers and strive to make what design as a tool to win the hearts and
they do more useful, usable and minds of your customers by providing
desirable for their users. memorable experiences.
2
4. 01
Introduction
Like products, services
can also be designed!
Put simply, businesses can use design provider. These are usually called
holistically to identify where, when ‘touch points’, and include the brand,
and how a service can be improved customer-facing staff, environments,
and made more valuable to those who sales and communications materials
provide and receive it. and channels.
Products and services differ in a For this reason, design for service
number of ways. The main implication is a very practical approach to
of those differences is that services, implementing a wider, design-led
as opposed to products, rely on the business strategy. Small businesses
interactions between the users and can use design as a creative and
providers of the service. accessible form of business planning
to align their strategy, brand and
The design of services must include communications around propositions
an analysis of all the points of contact that enhance customers’ experiences.
between the user and the service
3
5. 02
Why it is beneficial to
your company
We are living in the
service century
Today 89% of SMEs in Europe operate those beans are roasted and packaged
in some form of service industry. the added value, potential price and
Twenty million people in the UK work opportunity for differentiation is
in service organisations. The service much greater. Several steps beyond
economy now accounts for 72% of the this would be to offer a freshly
UK’s gross domestic product (1). The brewed cup of coffee, at which point
importance of services to the economy the opportunities to add value
will continue to grow, especially through service become even greater.
in industrialised countries where Companies such as Starbucks take
services account for the majority of this even further by employing
GDP. For example, services comprise experienced baristas to serve a wide
80% and 71% of the GDP (2) of the USA range of drinks (but still focused on
and France, respectively. coffee) in a comfortable environment.
They are no longer simply offering
In this new economy, the added value a cup of coffee, but a consistent
created by services is far greater experience to be shared with friends
than that of products. As a simple that will encourage customer loyalty,
example, when coffee beans are sold allow differentiation from the
as an unprocessed commodity they competition and increase profit.
have little value unless sold in bulk. If
source:
(1) Office for National Statistics
(2) WP Carey School of Business
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6. 02
Why it is beneficial to
your company
Everyone, like it or not, is
a service provider
The inclusion of good customer the iPod and iTunes. IBM is also no
service is becoming a key longer positioning itself as a hardware
differentiator for any type of manufacturer, but rather as a service
company, be it product or service provider by offering full IT solutions
based. In this new economy it is the for its clients.
whole experience, before, during or
after the sale that really counts. Because every organisation, like it
or not, is a service provider, staff
Customers are willing to pay a need to realise that they are service
premium for products and services providers too. For example, the
that help make their lives easier, telecoms engineer who goes up the
more enjoyable and exciting. mast to make sure that everything is
working properly has an enormous
In the service century, even big influence on the service experience
product brands like Apple and IBM that customers have. Or a courier,
are developing services for their whose manners and behaviour have
customers, realising that their a significant impact on customer’s
products act as gateways or enablers experience.
of these services. The classic example
is Apple and the integration between
5
7. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Five fundamentals of good
service
Services are delivered through
dynamic service systems of people,
processes and things – and often
other services. This means they can
appear complicated to improve – but
they aren’t.
In order to design better services,
companies can look at the five
fundamentals of good service to
understand where, when and
how things can be improved.
These fundamentals can help you
understand how different parts of a
service system relate to each other
and how each aspect of a service can
affect a customer’s experience.
6
8. The five fundamentals
of good service
Systems Value Journeys People Propositions
Services are provided and Different services create and All services are experienced over Services always involve people Services are generally packaged as a
experienced through systems and measure value in different ways, but time. People also take different and rely on both the user and the ‘proposition’ for users to buy into. A
relationships. Most services are most services try to provide the best journeys to, through, and from producer working together. Some service proposition is a useful term
produced and consumed within, or value for both users and producers. a service. Good service design services are very product-centred, to describe competing service offers
rely on other services. Good service Good service design is often about recognises these differences and but a service is never just a product, in a competitive marketplace. Good
design always looks holistically at the aligning the sometimes superficially examines what happens before, it is always about people. Good service design is about developing
service infrastructure. This involves different interests of producers and during and after the central service service design always puts people and designing valuable, innovative
understanding how the different users to create the best value for experience, for both producers and first and should involve users and propositions for users and producers,
parts of a service interconnect and both. Service design can be about users. producers actively participating in and creating exciting visions to take
how the service relies on the support cutting costs, but it is normally more the design process. existing propositions forward.
of other services. focused on adding value. To provide enjoyable experiences
companies need to understand how Ultimately, frontline staff are the face This means that successful
This means that to improve an Companies like FedEx create each point of contact between the of a company. In order to provide companies usually translate
experience you may look to change value and save money by helping user and provider affects the service enjoyable experiences, you might intangible service propositions into
things behind the scenes, such as customers help themselves. By delivery. need to ensure that your customer- tangible and desirable offerings. For
implementing training programmes providing an on-line tracking system, facing staff are properly selected and example, Innocent, the fruit drink
to customer-facing staff. customers can check when their trained. maker, was founded on the desire to
packages will be delivered. This helps make it easier for people to maintain
to avoid using a busy call centre to their health.
deal with customers’ enquires about
deliveries.
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9. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Six elements of
service design
We can learn a lot about how to
deliver great service experiences
by looking at organisations who are
excellent at it. When you look at these
organisations, they usually excel
under six headings:
•Vision
•Resources
•Reliability
•Responsiveness
•Reassurance
•Communication
The following guide can be used to
stimulate discussions about how your
company can reveal areas
for improvement.
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10. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Element 1: Vision
Excellent service organisations •Who are your customers and how
exhibit a clear vision about their goals can you identify which ones provide
and strategies. most income?
• Why do your customers do business
A vision for the future has to be based with you?
on an understanding of where the • What are your customers’ needs (in
business is now, who you are serving addition to what you offer them)?
and how you came to this point. • Who are – and how do you compare
to – your competitors?
Questions to ask should include: •Are there any legislative,
• What does your business offer your technological, market or cultural
customers? trends that will impact on your
• How does it afford to operate? business?
• How did the business start?
• What were the important
landmarks (difficulties and
successes)?
• What is your turnover and how
profitable is your business?
• What are your core capabilities and
strengths?
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11. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Element 2: Resources
Excellent service organisations •What are your brand values?
ensure that their appearance is •Can all employees articulate what
appropriate and aligned with the these values mean to their
service proposition. individual jobs and responsibilities?
•How do they want to develop the
In order to get the appearance right, brand going forward?
companies need to think about how •How do staff request resources
the environments, staff, equipment needed to serve customers?
and branding impact on the •How often is the equipment used to
customers’ perceptions. serve customers re-evaluated?
•How does the organisation measure
Questions to ask should include: its performance, and the
•Does your organisation design the performance of individuals
environments that staff work in and within it?
customers are served in?
•Have you made any changes as a
result of customer and employee
feedback?
•Are there appropriate training
programmes in place?
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12. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Element 3: Reliability
To develop loyalty, customers and no facility for automated check-in.
employees need to trust that the
service is reliable and consistent Questions to ask should include:
– being the same or better each time •What does your organisation
they experience it. promise your customers through
your marketing and
Being consistent also includes making communications channels?
sure that you don’t over-promise and •Do you deliver on these promises?
under-deliver by raising expectations •Are there any measures in place to
that can’t be met in all aspects of the ensure that your organisation does
business. not over-promise?
•Can you ensure that your services
All interactions with a customer are consistent over time and across
during a single transaction should different channels?
also be consistent in terms of your •Does your organisation deliver
brand values and ease of use. services that are easy for customers
to use?
As an example, an airline that offers •How usable and clear is your
easy on-line booking is not being organisation’s website?
consistent in offering convenience if
once customers arrive at the airport
there is a shortage of check-in staff or
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13. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Element 4: Responsiveness
Being responsive means offering a •How does your organisation measure
service just when and where it is the speed and effectiveness of its
required by a particular customer. services?
•Does your organisation recognise
Being able to respond to the specific the needs of different customers?
needs of a customer might be •How well does it respond and react
the difference between offering a to these differences?
mediocre or an enjoyable experience. •Do staff have the necessary
In order to do so, employees might autonomy to deliver a personalised
require some level of autonomy and service?
flexibility at the point of delivery. •What are the barriers to providing
If this is the case, staff will need to more autonomy?
understand what their boundaries •How willing are staff to serve
are and you will need to be aware of customers?
possible process barriers that might •How willing are they to go out of
prevent a customer being happy. their way to ensure the customer is
happy?
Questions to ask should include: •How willing is the organisation to let
•Does your organisation provide them do this?
service when and where it is
required?
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14. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Element 5: Reassurance
Everyone in your business should •How does your organisation
be competent, credible, honest and encourage a courteous working
courteous. environment?
•How does it train staff to be polite?
These capabilities and values will •How secure and well managed
reassure your customers that they are your organisation’s sensitive
should be doing business with you. documents and customer
relationships?
Getting this right will probably •How effective are staff at managing
require a training and development customers’ expectations of the
programme to ensure employees service?
have up-to-date customer service and •How honest is your organisation
technical skills. As well as offering a with its customers about what to
competent and credible face to your expect, and how honest is it when
business, appropriately trained staff things go wrong?
are more likely to take pride in their •What training programmes are in
work, be more enthusiastic and stay place to ensure that your employees
with you for longer. have the necessary, most up-to-date
knowledge to satisfy customers’
Questions to ask should include: requirements?
•How courteous are your staff?
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15. 03
How you can apply this
to your company
Element 6: Communication
In order to build long-term progressing. This helps to keep staff
relationships with both internal and motivated and ensures that everyone
external audiences, companies need is clear about the company’s
to be able to communicate efficiently. objectives.
Communication is a two-way channel: Questions to ask include:
companies need to advertise their •Do all people in your organisation
offerings, but they also need to understand the needs of different
listen. This means understanding the customers?
fears, concerns and expectations of •How does your organisation
customers from different segments. categorise its customers?
For example, customer-facing •How do staff engage in dialogue
staff should be able to engage in with customers?
dialogue with customers and pass •What happens to the output of this
on any potential concerns to the dialogue?
management team. •Does your organisation build
long-term relationships with its
Companies also need to focus on customers?
internal communication. Successful •Does your organisation regularly
companies have a participatory meet as a team to discuss progress?
culture in place, where staff can share
ideas and discuss how the company is
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16. service design
design by engine service design
www.enginegroup.co.uk
