Guest article by Birgit Mager.
When I started developing the field of service design in 1995, the service marketing domain, among others, inspired my work. Indeed, Lynn Shostack used the term “service design,” which was clearly focused on physical spaces. In that sense, design was still perceived as the discipline that creates physical evidence.
Over the years, service design has become a renowned and well-integrated design discipline aiming at the orchestration of strategies, structures, processes and interactions. Service design agencies and in-house service design teams have become the norm in both the public and private sectors.
While it was once important to establish a distinct identity for service design, the lines between disciplines are now blurring—and nowhere is this more evident than at the intersection of service marketing and service design. Both aim to create value for customers, but they approach the challenge from different angles. It’s time for these two fields to merge and innovate together.
Service marketing focuses on understanding customer needs, positioning offerings, and managing relationships across the service lifecycle. Service design, on the other hand, is about innovating and shaping the strategies, values, systems, touchpoints, and backstage operations that deliver those services seamlessly and effectively.
Operational-level marketing insights can fuel design decisions, and design prototypes can test marketing promises in real-world conditions. Together, they ensure that what’s being promised is desirable and deliverable.
To be successful strategically, both disciplines must create organizational and cultural change, which can only be achieved through a collaborative alliance of strong forces.
As customer expectations rise and digital transformation reshapes industries, organizations can no longer afford to treat marketing and design as separate entities. Teams that integrate strategic storytelling with human-centered design are better equipped to solve complex problems, from customer onboarding to loyalty programs to service recovery.
In short, cross-disciplinary collaboration is more important than ever. Let’s break down silos and build services that truly resonate. We hope to see you in Dallas!
Let’s break down silos and build services that truly resonate. We hope to see you in Dallas!
Birgit Mager
President of the Service Design Network (service-design-network.org)
