To be honest, the maps are more like medieval maps than anything from Rand McNally. But simply naming the sacrifices and arranging them in relationship to one another can make explicit important problems that a company never finds in satisfaction data. For example, work we did at a major retailer found more than 80 areas of sacrifice. In addition, the retailer can provide on-site pagers to help customers stay in touch with each other. The 55 dimensions used in such efforts fall into 14 categories.
Some questions focus on process flows.
Some questions stem from less obvious dimensions, such as what we call social and personal flows. These include the sacrifice of time that occurs when someone is standing in the queue for a bank teller or supermarket checkout clerk. Many customers do not want the dealer's license-plate frame on their cars. Then AOL showed that customers much preferred being able to pick a personalized name. Some companies, like Lexus, have reinvented the process by picking up and dropping off vehicles, making the activity almost transparent.