23-02-2013, 11:02 AM
An analysis through Service Blueprint of Pest Control India Pvt Ltd
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Abstract
The project aims at analyzing the service delivery process of PCI Private Limited, through service blueprint of the organization. The research is done by surveying the customers and the employees of the organization. Customers of the company are the centre of this research as they are the internal customers of the organization. As such the research also takes into account the ‘gaps model’ and service encounters, and tries to formulate a satisfaction index as well. This has been done because surveying customers, especially if they are high-profile is very tough task and as such asking them a large number of questions is not feasible. So, few important parameters have been set in this regard so as to understand the customer perceptions and expectations and subsequently the maximum possible gaps existing through minimum number of questions. The study is very ambitious but it has its own limitations like geographical constraints and availability of database. In order to do the research, extensive fieldwork was undertaken. Then based on the understanding of the fieldwork, office work and interaction with the employees the existing service blueprint was drawn and then analyzed. The research found out that service encounters play a crucial role in customer satisfaction. It concludes that for a higher level of satisfaction lesser number of service encounters should be there.
Objective
Services are difficult to conceptualize in development, due to their intangibility. It not possible to “experience” services with prototypes alone. Service-Blueprinting is a tool that gives a better understanding of the services and their basic processes. The objective is to establish the activities of the service production in a graphical representation. Service-Blueprinting with its strong client-focus differs from other methods of process analysis; Service Blueprinting supports client satisfaction. Service Blueprinting considers not only the client requirements during the process design, but also the firm’s internal requirements.
1. To analyze the existing service blueprint of PCI Private Limited.
2. To assess the service encounters with the customers.
3. To find out the service encounters which are most satisfying for the customers and which are most dissatisfying for the customers.
4. To find out the customer gaps in the process.
5. To suggest strategies for the improvement of the service delivery process of the company and as such delete those service encounters which cause dissatisfaction and encourage those encounters which satisfy the customers most.
Introduction
“A picture or map that accurately portrays the service system so that the different people involved in its development can understand and deal with it objectively of their roles or their individual point of view”
The service blueprint is a technique used for service innovation. The technique was first described by Lynn Shostack, a bank executive, in the Harvard Business Review. The blueprint shows processes within the company, divided into different components which are separated by lines.
Service- Blueprinting is a service planning help tool. It can be used for developing new innovative services as well as for improving existing services. The method is also appropriate for ensuring the quality of service processes. It can also be used for new employee training or for showing clients a service cycle overview.
The Service-Blueprinting output consists of a graphically-presented overview of the service process and its activities. Service-Blueprinting allows for visualization of the service development process in its early stages. In each process step, contact points between client and firm (and physical element, if a tangible service) become visible. It is possible to identify failure points and discover areas for innovation as well. This technique eases the identification of cost saving potentials and offers an excellent base for further Service-process management.
Service Encounters
Service encounters or the “moments of truth” create the most vivid impressions of the service when the customer interacts with the service firm. Through these encounters the customers receive a snapshot of the organization’s service quality, and each encounter contributes to the customer’s overall satisfaction level and willingness to do business with the organization. Errors committed at early stage are very critical and they do have a cascading effect, because a failure at one point results in higher dissatisfaction at each subsequent level. First interaction is especially critical for the image of the organization, however, that does not mean that other interactions are not important. Every encounter is important as it helps in forming a composite image of the organization. The difference lies in the magnitude of importance.
Customer Satisfaction
The first basic concept is that of customer expectation. Customer expectation, as Bitner &
Zeithaml say, are beliefs about service delivery that function as standards or reference points against which performance is judged. Thus, for providing a good quality service it becomes critical to understand what a customer expects coming into the service experience. Not understanding the expectations of customer can put a lot of cost to the company. Besides, it will stand to lose its customers and this ultimately may even lead to extinction of the firm from the market.
The second important concept is that of customer perception. Perception can be termed as the process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world. Now, in our case perception is the reflection of how a service has actually been received. Perceptions are always relative to the expectation. If there is no difference between expectation and perception than a customer is said to be satisfied, or in other words, we can say that if upon evaluation of a service the customer finds it to meet his needs and expectations then he would be satisfied.