O GLE THORPE TOUR S SE RVICE DESIGN O B S ERVATIONS
TAB LE O F CO N TE NTS I N TR O DUC TIO N E X P E R IME N T B LUE P R IN T CO N C LUSIO N
IN T RO D U C T I ON
No matter the season, Savannah has become a hotspot for tourist to explore and delve into the rich culture the city’s historic district offers. Because of this rich historic value that Savannah offers, the trolley tours deliver the valuable experience of seeing these gems of knowledge that can’t be replicated on a web page. As service designers we observe from a customer’s perspective and evaluate ways in which an organization can improve their services to provide a better value proposition. Service design is a form of holistic design that involves the activity of planning and organizing users, infrastructure, material components of the service and bridging the communication gap between the users and the company in order to improve its quality and the interaction between the service provider and its users. Oglethorpe Gray line Trolley tours is one of Savannah’s well known touring services: one of the first suggestions when searching for Savannah tours. Located at the entrance of downtown Savannah, Oglethorpe Tour’s serves as a mediator between newcomers to Savannah’s rich history. It does this by traveling through the heart of downtown Savannah and telling the stories that gives Savannah its flavor. The tours detail everything from explanation of how spanish moss made its way to Savannah, to how distinguished city leaders lived in a past century.
EXPERIMENT Our journey began with understanding our environment from the perspective of a customer.To get a better understanding, our group decided to tackle this problem by seeing firsthand what elements are at play during a typical tour. Three researchers together and two researchers individually took part in three separate tours at different times throughout the day. Earliest being 9:00 to 10:30 and the latest 1:30 -3:00. Each member on the tour had different drivers thus giving us all a slightly different experience with the trolley tour service. Some common observations seen by all group members included not knowing when exactly the tour started as well as the uncomfortable seats on the trolley. There were also positive factors noticed during the research process. From our observation we noticed that depending on the driver giving the tour, the content of the tour itself differed. Some drivers lacked interaction. We consider the drivers to be the most important stakeholder because they interact with customers the most throughout the service. They do this through their witty commentary and well timed jokes leaving an impression on customers about Oglethorpe tours and Savannah. While on the tour, improvement opportunities were taken note of and mapped. The tour lasted 90 minutes, but it was clearly noticeable that passenger interest started to decline after 45 minutes. Oglethorpe Tours offers a separate service for passengers of the trolley tour, and is offered immediately at the end of the tour and throughout the rest of the business day. This service allows for passengers to utilize the tour’s shuttle service throughout the city, letting customers explore Savannah at their own pace. For the passengers who did not utilize the on-off service immediately, they were able to get back to their car via shuttle service associated with the company. The explanation of this service was inconsistent between the three tours we observed. Sometimes, the tour guide explained the service clearly and effectively while other times it was only mentioned. In our observations, we opted out of the on-off service in hopes to get back to our cars in time.
BLUEPRINT
B LU E PR I N T
It wasn’t enough to leave the field and internal research as sole means to assess how the process truly functioned with customers navigating the Oglethorpe Trolley service normally. Therefore, we created a visual info-graphic, also known as the Service Blueprint, that incorporates the process, how the customer goes through the process, what points of contact they have with other personnel within the service, and points of discomfort and delight found for the customers as well as personnel. Blueprints focus on the customer’s point of view while allowing the company’s network of processes to be physically shown during points of contact with the customer. This allows us to consider the importance of both the company’s and the customer’s experience. The Blueprint is an influential visual tool that allows a company to become cohesively aware of various team responsibilities, or lack thereof, shows the areas where the customer is dissatisfied/satisfied and reinforces the need for the company to be adaptable to its customers’ wants in order to create the value within their service that the customer needs. The Service Blueprint commonly has five elements that are tied together in order to emulate the natural flow of the service being experienced by the customer. The first element, User Actions, are the customers actions and decisions that are being made during key points in the experience.
The next element includes a few different parts including interaction and visibility lines as well as front stage and backstage. The line of Interaction depicts interactions happening between the customer, the service, and the staff. The front stage is the portion that visually depicts who interacts with the customer directly. The backstage is aide to the front stage, the customers, and the service itself. The line of visibility differs from the line of interaction in the idea that depending on the employee’s role, they could be completely invisible to the customer or vice versa. These interconnecting processes, individuals and services are all synced together by the next element, the support processes within the blueprint. Simply put, the support processes are the vertical lines from the elements that connect with other elements in the blueprint to visually depict the inner workings of the service that decide what and where the customers’ value is positioned. The next element, service positives and negatives, are the areas in which the customer is experiencing satisfaction or dissatisfaction at the service and the co-creation of value is either increasing or decreasing. Each point differs with each single interaction and result that comes about that interaction. The final element, the physical evidence, are tactile aspects that the customer will interact with that will affect the service experience. With these being tangibles, they help the customer determine the quality of the service, its efficiency and its value towards the customer.
There are physical aspects that the customer will often come into contact with that will affect the service experience. With these being tangibles, they help the customer determine the quality of the service, its efficiency and its value towards the customer themselves. Therefore it is important to take into account, “What are the physical items that will attract customers to my service”, “Are these physical items holistically designed to fit the company’s service goal?”, “What do I hope that my customer will gain from using the physical Evidence I’ve created them and how can I design, redesign and innovate the evidence to being even more groundbreaking than before?”.
START of the journey
Customer actions are the actions and decisions that are being made during key points in the experience. They are depicted chronologically at the beginning of the blueprint so as to maintain an equilibrium between the customer and the company's interactions. By using the customer's perspective as the central focus of the flowchart, it allows for the interactions that are happening during the experience to be seen through the co-creational process with the company.
THE SERVICE FOR THIS CUSTOMER STARTS WHEN THEY GAIN INTEREST IN VISITNG SAVANNAH, GA.
Physical Evidence Computer Tablet Smartphone
Advertisements Home Hotel
The line of In happening be the Personne visually depic directly; there employee inte interaction is
Smartphone Phone Brocher Computer Tablet Website
Car Public Transit GPS Smartphone
BEFORE
Printer Ticket booth Welcome Center booth Sticker/Ticket
The backstag customers, an visibility diffe idea that dep could be com vice versa.In t member that variables is no or front stage
Welcome Center lobby Building exterior Smartphone Car Benches Beverages Brochers Bathroom
W
DURING
Customer Actions
Customer Journey
RESEARCH TOURS IN THE AREA
ARRIVES/LIVES IN SAVANNAH
LOOKS UP WELCOME CENTER
DRIVES TO WELCOME CENTER
BUYS TROLLEY TICKET
WAITS FOR THE TOUR TROLLEY
G THE
Line of Interaction
Front Stage
Conciege
Greeter
Greeter
Ticketing Employee
Tour G
Parking Lot Director
Ticketing Employee
Other Users
Other
Other Users
Line of Visibility
Backstage Search Engine
Search Engine
Mapping Application
Website Platform
Website Platform
Janitors/Maintenance
Janitors/Maintenance
Opportunities
Service Positives and Negatives Positive Negative
Free parking when availible
Easily searched
Website isn’t on par with other trolley services operating in Savannah
Confusing as to what location is the pick-up location (Conflicting information)
Parking is limited due to customers leaving their cars in the lot and exploring the city through the on-off service
Waiting area has AC
Counter process isn’t explained
No Wi-fi No info on the tour itself besides the flyer Cluttered flyer Impresice trolley departure schedule
Map wi about t service handed don’t a one
nteraction depicts interactions etween the customer, the service, and el. The front stage is the portion that cts who interacts with the customer efore, when a customer and eract directly for service, the line of crossed.
These interconnecting processes, individuals and services are all synced together by the support processes within the blueprint. Simply put, the support processes are the vertical lines from the elements that connect with other elements in the blueprint to visually depict the inner workings of the service that decide what and where the customers’ value is positioned.
ge is aide to the front stage, the nd the service itself. The line of ers from the line of interaction in the pending on the employee's role, they mpletely invisible to the customer or the backstage element, the staff is in contact with any of the oted in order to prepare the service e to serve the customer properly.
The service positives and negatives are the areas in which the customer is experiencing satisfaction or dissatisfaction at the service and the co-creation of value is either increasing or decreasing. Each point differs with each single interaction and result that comes about that interaction.
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps
GETS ON E TROLLEY
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Car Sticker On-off Bus Savannah Phone Map Bust stop signs
AFTER
SITS DOWN
EXPERIENCES TROLLEY TOUR
ASKS GUIDE TO BE DROPPED OFF
STAYS ON TROLLEY TO BE DROPPED OFF AT WELCOME CENTER
EXITS TROLLEY
EXPLORES SAVANNAH!
Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Other Users
r Users
Other Users
Other Users
Other Users
Other Users
Other Users
On-off Bus drivers
Greeters
Traffic
Dispatch
Dispatch
Dispatch
Customers can be dropped off where they like
ith information the on-off e stops is d to you if you already have
Uncomfortable seating
No barrier between customers and the city
Customers don’t have to worry about parking accomadations
Audible clarity problems
Inconsistency in the expanation of where you can get off the tour between tours
Decline in interest after the first 45 minutes of the tour No interaction with tour guide (questions) Guide sometimes silent due to traffic Inconsistency in the tour itself
Confusion at which location is the “Welcome Center” (Customer and driver)
Confusing on the difference between trolley and bus services On-off service can take a long time depending on the demand
END
OPPORTUNITIES
START of the journey
THE SERVICE FOR THIS CUSTOMER STARTS WHEN THEY GAIN INTEREST IN VISITNG SAVANNAH, GA.
Physical Evidence Computer Tablet Smartphone
Advertisements Home Hotel
Smartphone Phone Brocher Computer Tablet Website
Car Public Transit GPS Smartphone
Opportunities
BEFORE
Printer Ticket booth Welcome Center booth Sticker/Ticket
Welcome Center lobby Building exterior Smartphone Car Benches Beverages Brochers Bathroom
DURING
Customer Actions
Customer Journey Time Taken
RESEARCH TOURS IN THE AREA
ARRIVES/LIVES IN SAVANNAH
LOOKS UP WELCOME CENTER
DRIVES TO WELCOME CENTER
BUYS TROLLEY TICKET
WAITS FOR THE TOUR TROLLEY
N/A
N/A
2 min
10-15 min
10-15 min
20-30 min
Stakeholders
Line of Interaction
Front Stage
Conciege
Greeter
Greeter
Ticketing Employee
Parking Lot Director
Other Customers
Other Customers
Ticketing Employee
Line of Visibility
Backstage Search Engine
Search Engine
Mapping Application
Website Platform
Website Platform
Janitors/Maintenance
Janitors/Maintenance
Opportunities
Service Positives and Negatives Positive Negative
Painpoints Free parking when availible
Easily searched
Website isn’t on par with other trolley services operating in Savannah
Confusing as to what location is the pick-up location (Conflicting information)
Parking is limited due to customers leaving their cars in the lot and exploring the city through the on-off service
Waiting area has AC
Counter process isn’t explained
No Wi-fi No info on the tour itself besides the flyer Cluttered flyer Impresice trolley departure schedule
Evidence Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Time
Trolley Sticker Map Seat Speaker Weather flaps Savannah (Environment)
Opportunities
Car Sticker On-off Bus Savannah Phone Map Bust stop signs
AFTER
END
GETS ON THE TROLLEY
SITS DOWN
EXPERIENCES TROLLEY TOUR
ASKS GUIDE TO BE DROPPED OFF
STAYS ON TROLLEY TO BE DROPPED OFF AT WELCOME CENTER
EXITS TROLLEY
EXPLORES SAVANNAH!
1 min
1 min
1 hr 30 min
5 min
7 min
1 min
N/A
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Tour Guide
Other Users
Other Customers
Other Customers
Other Customers
Other Customers
Other Customers
Other Customers
On-off Bus drivers
Greeter
Traffic
Painpoints
Map with information about the on-off service stops is handed to you if you don’t already have one
Uncomfortable seating
Dispatch
Customers don’t have to worry about parking accomadations
Audible clarity problems
Inconsistency in the expanation of where you can get off the tour between tours
No interaction with tour guide (questions) Guide sometimes silent due to traffic Inconsistency in the tour itself
Dispatch
Customers can be dropped off where they like
No barrier between customers and the city
Decline in interest after the first 45 minutes of the tour
Dispatch
Confusion at which location is the “Welcome Center” (Customer and driver)
Confusing on the difference between trolley and bus services On-off service can take a long time depending on the demand
A RE AS OF O PP ORT UN I T Y LOW-LEVEL INVESTMENT require little to no resources Clarification • Correct conflicting information about where the pick-up location for the tours is • Clarifying the difference between the different Oglethorpe Tours locations (i.e. nomenclature of the welcome centers) • Standardize explanation of the on-off service to customers at the beginning and end of the tour Adaptability • Adapt to the audible surroundings, speaker volume MID-LEVEL INVESTMENT require some resources Improving the digital experience • Website usability and aesthetics • Offering digital counterparts to physical media • Better informing the customer about the services offered Comfort • Adding comfort and convenience to the waiting experience • Comfortable seating Interactivity • Promote customer participation in the service Trolley maintenance HIGH-LEVEL INVESTMENT require a lot of resources Reliability • Improving predictability and attentiveness to onoff customers (Informing them through tracking or an ETA and offering more buses for quicker pick-up) • More reliable start times for tours (better than a 20-30 minute estimate) Comfort • Adding comfort and convenience to the waiting experience • Comfortable seating Detachment from the Trolley • Offer services that don’t just focus on the trolley tour and on-off shuttling like a more personalized approach to guiding customers through the history of Savannah
S C A D T EA M
KAUHI
ABBY
SAM
Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Service Design Major
Graphic Design Major
Service Design
New Port Beach, CA
Design for Sustainability Minor
Norwalk, CT
Nashville, TN
LOREMIS
GLANCE
e
Undergraduate
Undergraduate
n Major
Service Design Major
Industrial Design Major
Havana, Cuba
Service Design Minor Miami, FL
THANK YOU
Friends at Oglethorpe Tours, Thank you so much for the opportunity to observe your business. You allowed us to have a real world experience which is so valuable to our college experience. Not only was the service design learning helpful, but we also each learned so much about the city of Savannah while on your tours. All of your team members where hospitable and welcoming to each of us. We hope you find our work helpful to your business. We look forward to seeing Oglethorpe tours grow. Thank you again for your generosity. Sincerely, SCAD Team
SCAD SERVICE DESIGN FA L L 2 0 1 6