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Flow, process and networks

Service blueprint

Links customer actions to visible service, backstage work and supporting processes.

  • Diagram
  • Responsibility
  • Service design

What it answers

How do visible service and backstage work support the customer?

Shape
Customer, frontstage and backstage layers
What it shows
Dependencies and potential service failure points.

Example

The question

What happens behind the scenes when a customer collects in store?

Click and collect service blueprint

Click and collect service blueprintFour layers: customer actions, front-stage staff, back-stage work and support systems, in four steps from ordering to collecting. Dashed lines mark the line of interaction and the line of visibility.CustomerOrders onlineGets textVisits storeCollectsFront stageText sentGreetsHands overBack stageOrder pickedPackedFinds parcelSupportStock systemSMS serviceShelf labelsTill system
Click and collect service blueprintFour layers: customer actions, front-stage staff, back-stage work and support systems, in four steps from ordering to collecting. Dashed lines mark the line of interaction and the line of visibility.Customer1. Orders online2. Gets text3. Visits store4. CollectsFront stage2. Text sent3. Greets4. Hands overBack stage1. Order picked2. Packed3. Finds parcelSupport1. Stock system2. SMS service3. Shelf labels4. Till system
Four layers: customer actions, front-stage staff, back-stage work and support systems, in four steps from ordering to collecting. Dashed lines mark the line of interaction and the line of visibility.

Illustrative data. It belongs to no company.

When to use it

Use it when

Service design and operational coordination.

Avoid it when

Missing support systems or unclear visibility boundaries.

How to read it

Read each customer action vertically through service layers, then follow hand-offs.

Note

Define visibility, interaction and hand-off boundaries.

The data you need

Layout
Wide service-stage table
Fields
StageOrder: integer; Stage,CustomerAction,Frontstage,Backstage,Support: text
One row is
One service stage with activities across service layers. What is the grain?
Rules
Align activities by stage and identify responsibility and hand-offs.
Optional
Visibility boundaries,FailurePoint,Owner,EvidenceSource.
Preparation
Validate the input grain and missing values. Align activities by stage and identify responsibility and hand-offs.
Units
Relationships and positions have no numeric unit by default. Label any counts, durations, probabilities or weights separately.
Example of the input layout: Wide service-stage tableA wide table: one row per item, with a separate column for each measure or period.StageOrderStageCustomerActFrontstageBackstage…ABC
A wide table: one row per item, with a separate column for each measure or period.

Worked example

Customer submits order; frontstage confirms; backstage validatesstock; inventory system supports it. Stock validation links a visible promise tohidden work.

StageOrderStageCustomerActionFrontstageBackstageSupport
1OrderSubmit orderConfirm orderValidate stockInventory system
2DeliveryReceive parcelSend trackingDispatch parcelCarrier
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