My approach to Service Design …
I have found that the term “service design” can contain multitudes. So this is how I apply it in my own work:
Start with the customer. Always. Use any number of tools to do this. But do it thoughtfully, inclusively, and with empathy. Use as litmus test for every decision.
Be flexible. Leverage human-centered design concepts. Anything that follows this general flow will work, e.g. discovery + definition + ideation + prototyping + testing. Recommend you don’t fall in love with your own lingo. Match to what the organization uses or risk the work being siloed and not actionable.
Iterate. Plan with outcomes and impact in mind. Design backwards from how the customer will experience your new widget in the world. Constantly tweak. Constantly get feedback.
Design with implementation and impact in mind. Work with your colleagues - and customers - across the organization to make sure the new idea is actionable. This may mean your cute little service design project for a specific target customer just turned into a really complicated internal process design project for a cross-functional team. Be ready :-)
Design Challenge #1
How might we … create an online subscription service that reinforces and sustains in-person learning?
PlayworksU online learning so schools can maintain and sustain learning
Organization: Playworks, a national nonprofit providing social-emotional learning for kids - via play!
Background: For 20+ years, Playworks had successfully delivered evidenced-based outcomes for elementary school kids by delivering in-person programs. Playworks now wanted to create an online learning channel to support, sustain, and ultimately scale these impacts to 10% of elementary schools by 2020. In order to do this, Playworks needed to build out a new channel, identify target customers, create a content strategy, and ultimately deliver a new service in a new way.
Goal: Build and deliver online learning that works for teachers and school-based adults who want to invest in a healthy school culture, but also have to navigate a busy elementary school ecosystem.
My role: As Director of Service Design, my role was to create and deploy a customer insights strategy (working cross-functionally to conduct primary and secondary research with principals and teachers); create a business and customer learning case to make decisions to meet development and production timelines (creating decision matrices and business cases); create an integrated learning strategy across all Playworks in-person and online services (20+); prototype online curriculum design to align with in-person services; create multiple customer personas; create customer service journey & blueprint for delivering a combined online/in-person customer experience and support sales, quality, and delivery teams to implement
Outcomes: PlayworksU launched August 2018 and now serves 1000+ schools
Design Challenge #2
How might we … create a customer experience that meets the brand promise expected by the ultra-premium cardmember?
Centurion Card by American Express (launched 1999)
Improved cardmember issue resolution rate to 82%
Organization: American Express, an American multinational financial services founded in 1850
Background: In 1999, American Express showed what seemed to me a lively sense of humor by launching a long-rumored, and subject of urban legend, “black card” for ultra-premium cardmembers. The Centurion Card set the bar for exclusivity and access with benefits that included elite travel, service, and concierge. Think last minute reservations for hottest restaurant. Helicoptered out of Himalayas. That sort of thing.
Goal: By 2000, the card had successfully created buzz and competitors were starting to appear in the market. American Express needed to re-examine how to ensure the customer experience maintained the best-in-class service the brand promised.
My role: As the first to hold the title “Centurion Advocate” (my favorite job title ever), I was in charge of developing a streamlined service strategy to create an integrated premium customer experience - where one did not exist operationally. My role was to create new ways to understand, measure, and ultimately deliver the customer experience at a relationship - rather than transaction level. In order to create streamlined communication and decision making, I designed and led multi-tiered (executive, director, front-line) and cross-functional (travel, concierge, customer service) teams. Together, we co-designed three new ways of thinking about the customer experience. First, we aligned on shared customer goals and metrics. Second, I co-designed with marketing a customer feedback survey that looked and felt like an extension of the Centurion brand (including paper and font choices). Third, I ensured a bi-weekly workshop-type meeting with cross-functional front-line representatives to review customer data, share case studies, and come up with recommendations for the executive steering committee to consider.
Outcomes: With the development and launch a unique customer survey methodology we were able to show: (1) satisfaction increased by 9%, (2) dissatisfaction decreased by 30%, (3) issue resolution increased by 82%. As of 2019, Centurion® Card from American Express remains the most widely acknowledged prestigious invitation-only “black card” in the world. See here for additional project resources