Chapter 3 Research Methodology
3.2 Research methods and steps
3.2.1 Service blueprint
Before starting collect any data it is necessary to create a blueprint, and in accordance with it conduct an observation. Blueprint shows visible guidelines for a firm including all operations or processes a customer and a company both face during service delivering process.
Clear blueprint helps to reach better understanding of customer’s perceptions and reduce the risk of service failure. For service evaluation at MTC following detailed blueprint of three stages is used.
I stage: pre-core service encounter
- Students search information via FB, website; ask teacher’ or friend’s advice
II stage: core service encounter
Internal factors:
Service provider:
Mood / emotions
Distraction
Personal factor
Desire to answer
Knowledge (ability) to answer
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Clear instructions
Service receiver:
Mood / emotions
Language barrier
Desire to understand
Prior knowledge (false or true) External factors:
Environmental factors (weather, temperature, surroundings, colleagues / friends
(waiting behind) Number of employees serving at that moment
Long queue
Time pressure (friends waiting outside, lunch time, break time)
- Identifying the question searching solution answering / not answering end of service delivery
III stage: post-core service encounter
- Long term (survey for students) - Short term (feedback, reminder email)As it was mentioned above pre-core service encounter is highly important in service delivering process, as it helps to get an image of the entire institution and it creates customer expectations. A student may face pre-core encounter by asking a question to the teacher or friend, by searching information via the Internet, etc. However, as the time limits this survey will not focus on this stage, the information above is given to create a better understanding of the whole service delivery process.
During second stage there is a formation of the main process, which starts when a staff identifies a question and then tries to find a solution and explains it to the student. Depending on staff’s answer the entire system of service delivery leads to success or failure. The results rely on external and internal factors mentioned above. This phase is the main purpose of observing, therefore, further analyses and conclusions will be given according to the information gathered in this stage.
The third stage completes the entire picture, as it helps to understand what students received during interaction and what they feel about the system. There are two ways how to keep
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the communication, the first one is by running surveys, asking students opinion and their experience. The second one, keep in touch with a student and remind him/her about details which probably have not been covered during first interaction. Due to the narrow and specific purpose of this study, post-counter stage will not be covered either, and given information is for evaluation purposes only.
This scheme gives a brief overview of the whole process rather than shows detailed picture, therefore, following blueprint with emphasizes on customer’s journey and concerning only the second stage, is created (please, check Appendix 1). The explanation of this blueprint will be given based on customer journey. Blueprint consists totally of 6 steps and includes Gaps row, where all the gaps are written in numerical order, where 1 is Listening, 2 is Design and Standards, 3 is Performance, 4 is Communication, and 5 is Customer Gap.
To make interaction between service recipient and receiver more successful, it is necessary to take into account the importance of office location, entrance, doorbell, as they function is to make a signal of a new service delivery process. When a client enters information center, employee should welcome a newcomer and be ready to help. During this first step
Performance Gap might occur, for example, when the staff is not trained enough how to greet the clients. In this step the employees should be ready to start the communication and therefore, catch customer’s attention.
Right after entering the office, a student is looking for a desk he/she might ask a question, therefore, to avoid feeling of perplexity, it is better to arrange employees seats and internal signage, which help to indicate whom the client should ask, otherwise Design &
Standards Gap can arise. Another way is to install a queue ticket machine, which helps not only distribute the flows of clients, but to avoid the next problem which is queue. In the office there should be proper signs where the queue starts and where need to line up, at the same time employees might help students to find their required desk, this is also a highly useful technique for avoiding Performance Gap. Standing in a line happens only in case there is at least on more student in the office otherwise, this step can be omitted.
When student starts to ask a question, a staff has several option how deal with it, the first one, directly answer student’s question, the second way is to ask related clarifying question(s) and manage the answer(s), then solve student’s problem. The third way is more complicated, because it involves participations of backstage employees. When a staff from front
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desk has not enough knowledge or responsibility to deal with a problem, he/she might ask other employees to help, therefore it is highly important that the first staff passes information along to backstage employees. It will help to respond quickly and avoid repeating information by the service receiver. At the same time to avoid shifting responsibilities the company could provide its employees printed materials or install a database where the staff him/herself can search required information for their references. And the lack of these materials might cause the second gap – Design and Standard one. Online chat or phone calls may speed up the answering process if some clarifications are required, therefore company could also consider communication tools among the employees for avoiding Performance Gap. As students need to pay for their study or join any activities, the company should have enough devices to manage payment process.
After the solution is provided the employee should make sure the student received information successfully, if not, then repeat previous steps by asking questions and clarifying them. This step is highly valuable for the company, because any wrong action might cause one of four gaps, there might be Listening gap, if the company does not know how to deal with the student’s request, they did not study that issue properly. Same as in previous steps, there can be Design and Standards, and Performance Gaps, however, there can arise even Communication Gap if the company does not meet customer’s expectations.
When both parties agreed that the solution is final, the service delivery is about to end.
It is highly important to arrange office space in such a way that when a student leaves the office, he or she will not interfere with other students standing in a line or sitting at the desk. It will help to avoid any inconveniencies during service delivery process and also avoid 2 gaps: Design and Standards and Performance ones.