Marketing: Custom Edition for Texas A&M University 17th Edition by William Pride,Ferrell

Exercise 4

A service blueprint "maps" the various processes, actions, and tangible evidence that comprise a service. It describes in detail the movement of people (customers and service providers)-for example, their interactions and the possible outcomes. A blueprint helps marketers identify operational weaknesses, critical customer- provider points of contact, and opportunities for service innovation.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is often the butt of jokes when it comes to service. Indeed, its design is often considered archaic, especially in comparison to its competitors. Also, its processes are clunky and time-consuming. Visit a local post office and create a blueprint of its service. Then, using this blueprint, consider how intangibility, inseparability, perishability, heterogeneity, client-based relationships, and customer contact affect the marketing of services provided by USPS.