Human-Centered Service Design
IDEO • Spring 2021
I honed design thinking to understand people’s needs, look holistically at interactions, and constantly iterate to create an experience that not only meets the needs of customers, but delights them.
Case Study:
Front Desk/Concierge in a Large Apartment Building
Objective
How might we enhance the communication between residents and staff to help their needs be met efficiently/effectively and compassionately?
Background
I studied the concierge/front desk staff in my large apartment building of 500 units and over 1000 residents. They handle packages, dry cleaning, food, and other deliveries, checking in visitors, and countless other things. They know most people's names and apartment #s.
Stakeholders
RESIDENTS - these are the people which everything is in service of. They have many needs: packages, deliveries, visitors. They value speed & convenience, safety and security of deliveries, friendly & courteous but also a deeper connection if possible. They want a high-value experience through efficiency, reliability, and personal touch.
STAFF - they are who make the service appear as a seamless experience. But this can be a lot of behind-the-scenes work. To lift the operational burdens of their job would allow them more space to engage with the residents in a meaningful way.
DELIVERY PEOPLE - they are a hugely important component of making the resident experience possible.
BUILDING MANAGEMENT - indirectly involved in the day-to-day, but the satisfaction of their residents ultimately effects their bottom line if they can reduce turnover.
Customer Journey
I learned how to research a customer’s journey and map their experience. I also learned the importance of focusing on the moments that matter.
The staff in this apartment building are good at what they do and genuinely seem to enjoy helping the residents. They are relatively well-equipped to execute their job successfully, but there are a few moments (in green and orange) that could be amplified even more. These moments offer the most opportunity to add value, or improve on all three lenses:
O - Operational (functional needs)
U - Unique (differentiate)
V - Drivers of High Value
The area I focused on for the course was the package logging and disbursement to the residents.
There are a lot of packages and deliveries happening throughout the day. Each delivery is checked-in manually. Is there a way to make this process easier and quicker so the staff doesn't feel rushed and stressed?
Storyboard Prototype
I practiced brainstorming ways to bring the service to life by building, testing, and iterating these moments as service prototypes.
Optimizing package check-in and pickup/delivery
Residents value a personal, high-touch experience so I didn’t want to fully automate the process and remove the interaction with the staff. This solution augments the staff’s speed and reliability in logging and disbursing packages, allowing them more time to interact and build rapport with residents.
1–2
Packages are automatically scanned as they are dropped off at the building. Automatic scanner reads name/apt # and gives shelf location where package goes in storage room. Tracks multiple packages for a single apartment.
Solves: cumbersome check-in process for packages, delays getting packages checked-in. Automatically groups packages together for apartments. Streamlines the work of the staff so they can spend less time rushing to check in packages and more time greeting and interacting with residents.
Remaining Questions: Could be integrated from delivery companies to be the same tracking scan? Is it helpful to add a 2nd staff member to work solely in the package room sorting and bringing packages to the front desk?
3–4
RFID in key fob alerts front desk staff when resident is in lobby, lights up their package area in storage room. Staff can dismiss alert if resident is not ready to pick up packages at that time.
Solves: Speed and ease with which staff can recognize who needs to pick up their packages and where those packages are. Less reliance on memorizing 1000+ residents names/apt #s.
Remaining Questions: Could also be location-based setting in app, but worried about location tracking privacy?
5–6
Front desk staff has more time to interact with residents. They can remind residents of upcoming activities/events and RSVP them right then. They can also set up reservations at local restaurants, etc.
Solves: Frees staff from operational process and allows them to act as more of concierge. High value added.
Service Blueprint
I then developed a service blueprint to illustrate the components of a service and aid in sharing with stakeholders.
This apartment building already has a high level of service, which residents value. I focused on how to amplify an already good service moment. By augmenting it with enhanced behind-the-scenes technology, it frees up the concierge to focus on the human touch of having a conversation with the resident and helping them RSVP for building activities or set up reservations for a local restaurant.
Reflections
Finding the moments that matter
These large buildings often provide a lot of amenities, but they can suffer from being stretched too thin due to the large scale. It was difficult choosing just one idea to work on given the time I had for this course. I'm fortunate to be in a well-managed building currently, so I focused on further amplifying the good moments to provide even more high value surprise & delight.
There are many other opportunities to further improve the lobby experience for the residents. One idea would be a kiosk in the lobby that cycles through upcoming events and activities—in the building and the neighborhood—possibly with an option to RSVP right there.
I'd love to dive deeper into package delivery with staff from companies like Amazon, FedEx, UPS, DHL. I would be interested to see what their pain points are when handing off packages to building staff. I'm sure they would have a lot of feedback that could lead to further improvements.
I also thought another key resident might be a homebound person that needs their deliveries taken up to their apartment for them. Their priorities and what they value are likely very different from the 'typical' resident. They might not be the 'ideal' customer, but is it worth exploring how trust is built with them?
Looking across industries
A common tool at high-end department stores allows sales staff to keep notes of clothing sizes and preferences for their customers to help provide more personalized service and better follow through. Implemented here, the concierge/front desk staff could log details about a restaurant they booked for the resident, and then be prompted to follow up with them and ask how the meal was (without having to necessarily go from memory).