Service Design. Ben Reason
Чтение книги онлайн.
Читать онлайн книгу Service Design - Ben Reason страница 8
Название: Service Design
Автор: Ben Reason
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Управление, подбор персонала
isbn: 9781933820613
isbn:
FIGURE 1.4 An experience prototype of the insurance website built in Excel so that the real data could be used when testing with customers.
With this prototype, Gjensidige were able to carry out experience prototype testing with customers discussing and buying insurance, a salesperson selling insurance, and someone trying to make a claim. They tested what it was like for customers to try to buy the services face to face and what it was like for the sales staff. They also tested this process over the phone and observed the process from both sides of the call. To test the claims process, they went through the material with someone who had just had an accident. Actual staff and actual customers took part, and even though they knew they were taking part in testing, the conversations they had were very real. Through this process, the project team learned a lot about what needed to be done to shape, explain, and sell the new service proposition.
It was clear from the prototyping that the new approach changed the conversation from being about buying products to one about service. It meant that customers considered what they could afford on a monthly basis, taking into account what they earned, what was in their “rainy day” savings account, and what they would need in the event of a tragedy. They were able to see the difference their decisions about excess and payout levels made to their premiums, and the conversation was much more open, with the customers in control.
A series of touchpoints were prototyped—the one-page contract, informational leaflets, fake advertisements in a financial newspaper and a tabloid newspaper (Figure 1.5), and the bill customers would receive at the end—so that a broad range of the service experience could be tested.
FIGURE 1.5 Creating fake newspaper ads—one for a financial broadsheet, the other for a tabloid—helped the team understand how the marketing of the service would feel in different contexts.
The one-page contract prototype was a good example of the difference between what people say and what they do (Figure 1.6). Many interviewees said that they did not read long contracts and thus did not know what was in them, leading to a lack of trust in the insurance company. They suggested that a one-page contract would be much friendlier. During prototyping, however, it turned out that customers did not trust a one-page contract either, fearing that too much important detail was hidden from them, as their previous policies had been about 40 pages. Gjensidige ended up creating contracts with around 5 to 10 pages.
Prototypes were also made of the claim process confirmation documents. Traditionally, customers simply received a letter stating, “We have received your claim,” which left them uncertain about how the claims process was handled within the company. The redesigned confirmation shows the customer how the process unfolds over time and helps to manage their expectations (Figure 1.7). This way they know when to be patient and let the process take its course, and when they have cause to follow up.
FIGURE 1.6 A prototype of the one-page contract so many interviewees claimed they would prefer. Evidence showed that they did not trust it.
FIGURE 1.7 A prototype of a redesigned claim confirmation. This document manages customer expectations by illustrating how the process unfolds over time.
Lastly, the team prototyped an offer sent out in the mail after a sales call or meeting (Figure 1.8). The insights research showed that this was one of the most crucial touchpoint failures, and the company did not realize the potential of improving it. Previously, customers had an interaction with a salesperson in which they talked through a complicated policy, then would go home and explain it to their partners, but could not remember the details well enough to explain it. Because they could no longer understand it, customers could not make a decision. Redesigning this touchpoint helped people make a decision at home, and the company avoided losing customers because of this hidden problem. This is a good example of how services are created and experienced by interactions between people, often in a completely different context than the usual customer-provider paradigm.
FIGURE 1.8 A prototype of the mailed offer, which is an important touchpoint for customers. This document serves as the focal point for discussion and making a decision. This prototype shows an offer that could be revised by customers before the contract is signed.
The End Is Just the Beginning
The value of gaining real insights from all stakeholders—customers, staff, and management—is only half of the story. Translating these insights into a clear service proposition, and experience prototyping the key touchpoints, are essential. This process allowed for feedback not only on the design of the physical touchpoints themselves but also on the entire service proposition and experience. For the designers and for Gjensidige, it was important to know how something so radical would be perceived in the marketplace. The prototypes were created to test unknowns—for example, Was this a low-end or a high-end offering? The two types of newspaper advertisements helped reveal how the marketing of the service would feel in those different contexts.
Services are usually complex and expensive to roll out. In this case, such a radical change to Gjensidige’s offering was not just radical for them, but for the whole industry. It was also clear that it would take a lot of explaining to introduce the concept to their existing, loyal customers. In fact, having only two types of insurance turned out to be too radical even for Gjensidige and the way the entire industry works. This ending might have taken the wind out of the sails of this story, but there is an important innovation lesson to take away from it.
Thinking through radical ideas and prototyping the experience of them helped mature the cultural mindset within the company, and many of the insights have fed into Gjensidige becoming a totally service-oriented company. The Extreme Customer Orientation team acted as champion for the customer experience and the internal changes that needed to happen to deliver it well. A company-wide framework for customer orientation called the “Gjensidige Experience” was implemented. Management understands that this will be a key competitive advantage in the future, building on their vision that “we shall know the customer the best and care the most.”
Gjensidige made extraordinary efforts to simplify their insurance policies. They have worked hard to explain the claims process better and have developed a Web-based claims-mapping tool. Pricing has been worked out differently and is now fed into their online calculators. Although the big idea was not used as a whole, many of the small elements have now fed into the company in very concrete ways. Having the big idea helps bundle together lots of smaller, disparate innovations that would not otherwise have seen the light of day. It also helps challenge organizational traditions that may be holding back innovation.
Finally, mapping out the big idea in detail gives organizations an overview of problems and opportunities all in one place, which helps them make strategic decisions about what to deal with when, how those decisions relate to other parts of their business, and how to scale their service innovation up or down according to budgets and resources.
Gjensidige’s 183 activities is a very large number of improvements. Some were small; others were large undertakings rolled out over several years. The bottom line is important, of course, СКАЧАТЬ