Many organizations struggle to develop customer measurement systems that guarantee connection to and usability in decision making and action. This challenge occurs in organizations implementing their first measurement program, but also in organizations that have failed to deliver operational and financial results with already established measurement programs. Corporate structure is sometimes to blame; the existence of organizational silos often prevents functional managers from taking a "big picture" view of the company, and this myopia tends to interfere with a company's ability to connect customer measurements to operational, employee-based, and financial decisions. Burke's Blueprinting service helps companies overcome this problem.

Blueprinting sessions typically occur prior to the construction of a comprehensive customer loyalty measurement system; also common are Blueprinting sessions that jump-start the redesign of an existing measurement program. These sessions bring together key business leaders for a two- to three-hour session. An experienced Burke facilitator leads session participants through the process of building an end-to-end picture of how the company or business division works. Specifically, these sessions establish the following:

• Key measures of business and financial success
• Experiences and perceptions that affect customers' likelihood of retention
• Operational structures, processes, and measures that impact customer experiences
• Employee behaviors and perceptions that affect service delivery and ultimately customer loyalty

The product of these sessions is a detailed blueprint of the employee and operational determinants of customer loyalty, and the financial variables and business outcomes affected by customer loyalty (or customer defection). Blueprints then serve as the foundation on which a holistic customer loyalty measurement system is designed.

Client organizations enjoy substantial benefits from Blueprinting sessions.

• By involving business managers in early discussions that precede the development of highly visible customer loyalty measurement programs, managerial support and buy-in are likely among those best equipped to affect change based on program findings.
• Bringing together leaders from different functional areas increases overall communication across organizational units or "silos."
• Subsequent program architecture will be aligned with the existing processes and touch points through which the company interfaces with customers.
• The blueprinting map sets the stage for linkage analyses conducted to statistically connect employee and operational measures to customer attitudes and behaviors, and to financial results.

Burke's Blueprinting service helps clients step back and look at their business as an integrated system. This broad view sets the stage for development or refinement of customer loyalty measurement systems that produce results actually used by leaders to run the business.