More and more these days you will hear it said that ‘Service Design is everybody’s business’, not only that of formally trained designers.
We agree. Every project we undertake is a journey where our client will discover the value of service design for both them and their business.
All our client teams differ. Some might be in-house designers. Some are resurrecting skills they’ve learnt on a previous project. For some it’s a new, exciting and perhaps daunting break from their day to day discipline. But whether they be experts, novices or newbies, managers or support staff - a good Journey Mapping Workshop is the great leveler that encourages the client to step into the world of their customers.
At the end of each journey we will have created more than just an end touchpoint, playbook or customer strategy. We aim to install a real understanding of why a service design led approach is vital for success and longevity of any business.
This is why we leave behind 4 things:
The tangible, whether a touchpoint or playbook that will define the interactions between the business and it’s customers.
The vision for a customer centred strategy that demonstrates how the business will deliver products and services, the technology it will use and the actors involved.
The learning curve through first hand experience of using different methodologies to unearth customer insight and develop ideas.
But most importantly, the responsibility and tools to make service design ‘everybody's business’.
We leave behind the core principles that will help to make service design part of how the business operates and makes everyone responsible for designing business processes. These are to be used by everyone in the business who designs or delivers customer products or services, and to be used when taking any action that affects the customer experience – for both products and services.
1. Deliver value to their customers by learning to
Start (and finish) with customer needs. The better we understand these needs, the better we can meet them and the more useful we will be.
Deliver value as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Exploit the digital channels by offering digital options that are so good they become the customer’s channel of choice.
2. Using data and insight to shape products and services
Ask once. Never ask customers unnecessary questions, which means listening to the answers when we do ask.
Data – not opinions. Apply customer and market insight to improve value for our customers. We won’t guess or assume.
Make it personal by considering the customer’s context to personalise their experience and offer them their next best action(s).
3. Design great experiences
Work for everyone and will be designed explicitly to meet specific channels and customer needs.
No compromise. No excuses. Every decision is a design decision. The complexity of our industry and business is our problem, not the customers.
“Don’t make me think”. We will obsess about making things simple for our customers, delivering a seamless experience across all contact channels.
We aim to help bring stakeholders, service delivery teams and customers together to help co-create a better experience. And to embed this practice within the organisation to adopt a culture of user centred design - and break down the barriers of working in silos.
By the end of the journey we will all agree that ‘Service Design is everybody’s business’.