This presentation was part of the SDT2012 - the 1st international conference on service design and tourism, Innsbruck/Austria, August 23-24, 2012. For more info on the conference and other presentations visit: www.sdt2012.com. All rights reserved by the author(s): Jari Laitakari, Pöyry Finland Oy (Finland) Jari Laitakari is a senior consultant with Pöyry consulting company, specializing in tourism sector. He has a versatile experience of over 25 years in tourism development from public and private sectors. In 2011 he completed tourism related eMBA studies in University of Lapland. Based in Rovaniemi, © Arctic Circle. Service Chain Mapping of Turku – Tallinn Cultural Tourism 2011 Consulting company Pöyry Plc. conducted a service chain mapping for cultural tourism events and venues in Turku, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia in 2010 and 2011. Both the cities carried the title of European Capital of Culture in 2011. The customer service chain mapping was made in 2010 in two cultural events and two main cultural attractions. In summer 2010 there were two focus groups chosen to represent ordinary cultural tourism visitors. The focus groups in both the cities assisted small team of consultants in observing the service chain. In summer 2011 the scope of service chain mapping was widened. About 40 Cultural Tourism 2011 project participants were mapped out mainly using mystery shopping method. Based on mappings in 2010 the consultant created some components for training toolbox. Later, preparing for summer 2011, an e-learning tool was created in order to assist the cultural tourism service providers and their staff to identify and improve their service chains. Ideally the service chain identification from advance booking to after sales procedures should be made individually with hands-on approach. Service chain mapping is no fancy science, it is mainly customer orientation.

1. SERVICE CHAIN MAPPING OF TURKU –
TALLINN CULTURAL TOURISM 2011
BACKGROUND
• Cultural Tourism 2011 project in Turku and Tallinn has had an
objective to develop customer service chain as one competitive
edge in supply of culture related tourism products. The mapping
took place during the summers of 2010 and 2011 in two
European Capitals of Culture, Turku and Tallinn. After a
tendering process Pöyry Consultancy Company was chosen to
perform the customer service chain mappings.

2. SERVICE CHAIN MAPPING
Conducting of the assignment 2010 - 2011
• Summer 2010 the service chain mapping was conducted in limited
number of cultural events and cultural tourism attractions. The service
chain mapping was conducted mainly by using mystery shopping
method in Tallinn (Estonia) and Turku (Finland).
• The assignment was widened for summer 2011 in both cities to reach
more covering knowledge of the customer service chain.
• The service chain mapping analysis was made by team of Pöyry
consultants. In 2010 the team was assisted by focus groups from both
of the cities. In 2011 the focus groups were not utilized.

3. SERVICE CHAIN MAPPING
General elements in the mapping
Advance Languages, mediums, accuracy
information
Booking (Ticket
procedure delivery) Usability, reliability
Guidance Image, information value. How to guide new visitors?
Information
Building up How to prepare the visitors for the experience?
the tension
Actual visit Value for money, role of the staff, safety
or event
Enabling creation Keepsakes, souvenirs, pictures
of memories
Keeping up Carrying on the good mood,
the atmosphere extended experience
After sales
marketing
Customer relations marketing

4. SUMMARY OF THE SERVICE
CHAIN EXPERIENCES IN 2010
The following topics were generally paid attention to:
•PHASE: PRIOR TO ARRIVAL
•Advance information: Language versions were inadequate
•Use of social medias and e-marketing tools was quite low (video
clips, visitor comments, photo gallery, etc.)
•Information accuracy should be improved
•Business to business information
•Booking procedure: Cultural tourism product packaging missing
more or less
•Engagement of the visitors at the pre-service phase

5. SUMMARY OF THE SERVICE
CHAIN EXPERIENCES IN 2010
• Payment methods in the internet from different countries were
inadequate. There were differences in the payment processes
• All cultural events are not offered as (hotel) packages
• Guidance information: Visitor’s point of view is not reached, first
time visitors may find difficult to navigate in destination
• Building up the tension: There was no interaction prior to arrival
with registered customers to build up the tension or increase
sales
********
• PHASE: ACTUAL AND POST-SERVICE
• First experiences upon arrival: Guidance and signage to the
destination could be improved
• Building up the tension, the excitement, is lacking in general

6. SUMMARY OF THE SERVICE
CHAIN EXPERIENCES IN 2010
• Some glitches in bigger events at the hotels (room cards,
tickets, event information…)
• The main events and attractions have been organized
professionally
• Feelings and memories right after the experience: The good
feeling was not generally maintained after the actual event
• The sales of keepsakes, pictures and souvenirs could be
improved
• Collecting feedback and sharing visitor comments could be
developed via social media (e-guest books, reviews etc.)
• After sales marketing: Use of social media tools could be
improved, feedback opportunities could be utilized more
• Use of collected customer information could be improved

7. FOLLOWING STEPS IN SERVICE
CHAIN IMPROVEMENT FOR 2011 ->
• Simple service chain toolbox was created on basis of the
experiences of mapping in 2010
• The purpose of the tool was to assist the project participants to
integrate service chain thinking in the general quality
management
• The tools can be utilized for self evaluation of service chain.
• In addition another visual tool was created: e-learning tool that
was running CT 2011 project platform
– In the e-learning tool the Cultural Tourism actors can move
around with cursor for hotspots and test their performance in
terms of service chain components

9. Learning through
hot-spot info

10. SERVICE CHAIN MAPPING 2011
In 2011 the same events and attractions as 2010 were mapped out
by the consultant team in Turku and Tallinn in order to do the
follow-up evaluation. In addition the involved CT 2011 project
partners were evaluated, around 40 cultural attractions in total.
The consultant team prepared observation reports of each partner,
which then were submitted to the partners by the project
organization.

11. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
Customer orientation
The company or the organization would have to step out of its own
role and think about company’s service processes with the eyes of
a customer. For a company there is a risk to stick to old routines
and ignore the customer perspective.
Customer target group definition
The companies or cooperatives who have identified the target
audiences properly, find it easier to design functioning and
experience oriented customer service chain.
Service chain processes
The internal process identification is related to quality management
mindset. Besides the internal processes it is important to map out
customer behavior in the attraction, shop or event. By recognizing
the processes and the potential inconsistences in the chain is the
only way to start improving the chain.

12. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
Visibility, outlooks Accessibility. Accessibility
During the mapping some refers to location and access.
services very difficult to find Accessibility also refers to traffic
physically and even in the connections, opening hours,
internet. Visibility is part of presence in the internet, updated
design management. Design company information.
management is an ongoing plan Accessibility also requires the
on how a company should look disabled persons are taken into
like seen with the eyes of a account in service chain
customer. planning.
Location, location… Testing and evaluation service
chain
One of the key success factors
in terms of service chain Preferably there should be
management and business in random external testers. Process
general testing can be conducted by staff
also

13. Thank you for your attention
CONTACT:
Jari Laitakari +358 10 33 28 303; jari.laitakari@poyry.com
Service Design Tourism 2012 13
August 2012