Combining Service Blueprint and FMEA for Service Design

[[abstract]]This paper aims at combining the service blueprint and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to assist the service designers in designing a failure-free service system. In the proposed approach, a service blueprint of a service system should be, first, developed to identify the potential fail points and failure modes for both the front office and the back office service activities. Based on the blueprint, the FMEA tool is, then, applied to prioritize the critical potential failure modes of the service system and take the required actions to ensure the service design performance. An example regarding to a hypermarket service system was used to demonstrate the proposed approach. The example not only identifies the most potential failure modes but also provides the effects and possible causes for each of the most critical failure modes. This implies that the preventive actions for these failure modes from occurring should be the top focus in the service design stage of the example company. Some managerial implications are also provided