Service Blueprint

Hotels and restaurants are mainly involved in activities that offer products and services to their customers who stream in to have some snack or drink. The product part of the activities comprises of the physical dishes and drinks while the service part comprises of the relations between the organization and the customers. Success in the service industry mainly depends on the quality of service accorded to the customers. Services are usually uniquely such that no two or more services are the same and the production and consumption of a service occurs at the same time.

Service businesses are characterized by the constant interaction of the organization and the customers. This involves taking orders and giving instructions towards a facility in the organization. Similar to manufacture firms, service organizations identify the satisfaction of the customer as crucial to the survival of the organization. Service blueprints are documented tools that clearly show the numerous activities that occur when the customer and the organization meet (Zeithaml & Bitner 2006, p153).

It also highlights the key areas where the interaction often takes place. Service blueprints are crucial tools for the management of service industries since they highlight areas which the customer and the organization interaction occur and seek on improving these areas. The management tool seeks to improve on these areas to ensure customer satisfaction and create strong customer relationships. The improvement of these areas increases the strengths of the organization and provides it with the ability to compete with other organizations in the industry.

Blueprints comprise of five parts which analyze the whole interaction process between the customers and the organization. This clarifies the interaction process to the management who then attempt to identify areas that require improvement. The first part scrutinizes the conducts of the customer in the process of service delivery. It analyzes the customer input in the process to ensure the organization understands its customers therefore aiming at their satisfaction. Secondly, the blueprints outline the actions of the employees, waiters and waitresses, who are in constant contact with the customers.

These employees form a key input towards ensuring the quality of the organization’s services defined by their conduct and relation skills. The third part defines the operations that take place between the organization and the customers but they are not physical. These operations include the serving of dishes or drinks for their delivery to the customer among others. The non physical relations play a big role in ensuring customer satisfaction since they assist in the delivery of services by the frontline employees (Bruhn & Dominck 2006, p339).

The fourth part contains the processes conducted by other individuals that support the interaction process. These individuals are not contact employees but they rather acts as support systems to the contact employees. They facilitate their interaction process with the customer. These processes may include the laundry department that ensures the contact employee’s uniform is clean or the accountants who ensure the employees are motivated by adequately remunerating them.

The final part comprises of the tangible evidence that results from the interaction of the employee and the customer. Interaction between the employees and the organization results to the generation of material which is used for the efficient delivery of the service. The physical material contains the instructions given by the customer in identifying their needs. Between these parts there exist lines which describe the actual processes taking place. Between the customer actions and the front stage employee actions is the line of interaction which shows the interaction activity.

Between the front stage and back stage employee action, there is the line of visibility and between the backstage employees and the system processes there exists the line of internal interaction. These lines show the relationship between the organization and the employees and that between the organization’s employees (Berry & Parasuraman 2004, p149). The blueprints derive several advantages for the organization which assist in improving its operations. The blue print identifies the weak areas in building a strong relationship with the customer and thus the organization is able to improve on these areas.

The organization is able to improve on its strong areas where they continue in providing their best services. Service blueprints are flexible since they are easily adjusted with the operations of the organization (Fitzsimmons 2005, p79). They are not expensive to prepare and are easily compatible with the objectives of the organization. The disadvantage of service blue printing is that it focuses on the satisfaction of the customer which might not be beneficial to the organization.

Customer satisfaction may in turn become expensive for the organization thus reducing its revenue. The organization should therefore weigh the impact of the blue print on the organization. Conclusion. Service blueprints are aimed at improving the value and quality of the service offered by the organization to its customers. When the exercise is properly conducted, it has numerous benefits for the organization which out number the disadvantages. The improvement of the quality of the services strengthens internal and external relationships.