What is service design?  

Service design is all about designing seamless, user-centered experiences. It’s not just about making things look good—it’s about making services work better for both customers and employees. Think about mapping out a customer journey, identifying pain points, and ensuring every touchpoint is intentional. It’s human-centered and holistic." 

Imagine you’re redesigning a hotel check-in experience. Service design means thinking through everything: from the moment the customer books online to how they are greeted at the front desk, all the way to their checkout and post-stay feedback. Every interaction matters. 

 What is process redesign?  

While service design focuses on the customer journey, process redesign zooms in on the behind-the-scenes operations that make those services possible. It’s about efficiency, eliminating waste, and making workflows smoother for employees." 

Going back to our hotel example—process redesign would look at how housekeeping gets notified when a room is ready, how front desk staff manages guest requests, and how digital systems can reduce unnecessary manual work. It’s about making sure internal processes support the best possible service delivery. 

The connection between the two  

Now that we know what these two disciplines do - how do these two areas connect? The truth is, you can’t have great service design without strong process redesign. And vice versa.  

The best customer experiences are supported by well-optimized internal processes. If you only focus on the front-end experience and neglect the back-end processes, customers will still feel the friction. 

Take a contact center as an example. You could design a beautiful chatbot interface with friendly language and intuitive navigation. But if your internal processes don’t allow agents to access customer information quickly, the experience falls apart. Customers still end up frustrated. 

That’s why organizations that embrace both service design and process redesign create experiences that are both delightful and operationally sound. It’s about ensuring the customer feels the benefit of internal improvements. 

Bringing it all together 

What can you do to bring service design and process redesign together?  

1. Map the entire journey – Look at both the customer experience and internal workflows to identify gaps. 

2. Involve both teams – Service designers and process improvement specialists should collaborate from the start. 

3. Test and iterate – Use real customer feedback and employee insights to continuously refine both design and process. 

To wrap 

Service design and process redesign are two sides of the same coin—when they work together, businesses create seamless, efficient, and seamless experiences.