24. September 2009 by Aidan.

I have set up a “Service Design & Innovation - Ireland” group on Linkedin.

Here is the overview from the Linkedin page:

There is a growing international reliance on design in the race to develop radically new, innovative, service offerings.
The demands for Service Innovation are highlighting the need for the practical application of Service Design and Product Servitization techniques.
Ireland is well positioned to play a leading role in the world in these areas however there is no cohesive approach being taken in Ireland to ensure that the experts in these fields are working together towards a common goal.
This group offers practitioners and other interested parties the opportunity to connect and start the discussion about how to move this forward and tap into the opportunities that exist today.

I am looking forward to having interested people join this forum with a view to improving Ireland’s overall standing in the areas of service design and innovation, before it’s too late!

Here is a link to the group page. 

Aidan

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23. September 2009 by Aidan.

The First Nordic Service Design & Service Innovation Conference takes place in Oslo on November 24th to 26th.

 It is being hosted by the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

Here are details from the organisers website:

The conference will run over three days, and participation can be for one or more days.

Day 1, 24th November: The Business case
A day addressing business issues and commercial potential. This day will present Service Design to business.

Day 2, 25th November: Crossover
A crossover day, bringing business and research together through tutorials, workshops and more. This day will encourage discussion, learning and sharing.

Day 3, 26th November: A research day
A day to discuss research into Service Design and design-related service innovation. This day will present ongoing and completed research into service design.

In addition to this we will have an exhibition space, poster session and various events. 

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23. September 2009 by Aidan.

Here is an interesting article written by Nicole Sturgill in BAI Banking Strategies. [article]

Nicole gives lots of interesting examples about the evolution and success of self-service in the banking industry.

I added a comment to the article, as follows:

“Good article, however you also have to carefully consider the employees perspective. One of the main opportunities to reduce costs through self-service is, as you mention, in the reduction of staff numbers needed. However, we expect those same staff to be responsible for the roll-out of the new service and to be advocates for it. If they feel that they job is at risk they will not be motivated to make it succeed. This needs to be managed very carefully.”

Aidan 

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20. September 2009 by Aidan.

The term “service” is used everyday is discussions about business activities and performance. At times it can be confusing because of the lack of definition in exactly what is meant by the term “service”. In fact, when discussing service it is very important that the context is understood.

There are two main areas of service that are unique and distinct and need to be understood. One helpful way of considering these are as the “service that you provide” and the “services that you offer”.

The “service you provide” covers the interaction of your business with everyone else. It can be the interaction with your customers primarily, but also with your suppliers and your own employees. Every company provides this service by the very nature of being in business (you sell something and you charge for it, you talk to your customers, etc). Anyone who interacts with your company experiences the “service your provide”. To improve customer satisfaction you need to ensure that the level of service you provide is of high quality, responsive and meets your customers needs. Service Design is increasingly being employed to optimise this process and ensure that your service meets or exceeds customer expectations. Essentially, the provision of this service is a cost for your company however the quality of this service can be a differentiator for your business.

The “services you offer” are completely different. These are closer to the product you sell. Essentially they are value added or essential services that you need to actively provide in order to grow your business. In this case it will often be the customers choice whether or not to choose to purchase your service.  These services are value added for your business and can substantially grow your revenue and develop longer term customer relationships. It is critical that these services are designed from the outset and not just drifted into, this is being addressed by the growing field of servitization.

For many companies there can easily be confusion between the service you provide and the services that you offer. These need to be considered as two separate aspects of service (”service” V’s “services”) and there are emerging design techniques and tools that can optimise both.

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