Overview
A global leader in agricultural and construction equipment launched its NBFC in India to provide financial services tailored to farmers and rural entrepreneurs. As the NBFC scaled, customer and employee experiences began to fragment across touchpoints, revealing the need for a cohesive Service Design Framework that would unify delivery, improve consistency, and strengthen trust.
Discovery
Through research with field agents, credit officers, and rural customers, key challenges emerged:
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Fragmented experiences across digital and physical channels.
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Inconsistent service delivery between regions.
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Misaligned internal teams with unclear roles.
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Limited mechanisms to capture customer feedback.
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Over-reliance on field agents, leading to errors and training gaps.
These insights made clear that success would depend not only on refining digital touchpoints, but also on strengthening human capabilities within the service ecosystem.
Solution
To address these challenges, we designed a modular, scalable Service Design Framework named CLEARflow
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Key components included:
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Service Blueprint Template (NN/g format): Standardized visualization of customer interactions, backstage processes, and support layers.
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Persona Library: Segmentation based on behavioral insights, ensuring services aligned with real needs.
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Touchpoint Inventory: Mapping digital, physical, and human touchpoints to ensure consistency across channels.
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Governance Model: Clear roles, ownership, and a playbook for evolving services.
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Feedback Loops: Integrated from app reviews, customer support, and field visits for continuous improvement.
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Capability Building: Training modules for field agents to document tacit knowledge, reduce errors, and improve hygiene checks.
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This framework not only redefined service delivery, but also challenged the misconception that “more applications = more success.” By simplifying tools and focusing on true digital transformation (vs. surface digitization), the NBFC reduced complexity for both customers and employees.
CLEARFlow™ is a practical method I created to spot and solve problems in how services actually run, not just what customers see, but what happens behind the scenes across teams, tools, and handovers.While most service design focuses on the customer journey, CLEARFlow™ goes deeper, into the hidden flows of decisions, delays, confusion, and coordination between teams.​​“Designing a beautiful road means nothing if the wheels are broken. Service journeys feel bumpy not because the path is wrong — but because the flow underneath is fractured.”​as quoted by me during a certain workshop with Students of Service Design.
C– Clarify the Trigger When and why does the process start?
Example: At John Deere, many requests came in half-ready. Field teams and analysts had different ideas about when a request was ‘ready.’Aligned on a common trigger: the request begins only after 3 key data points are submitted — customer ID, purpose, and loan amount.
L – List What’s Needed What information must be shared at minimum? Example: We co-created a shared checklist to define a 'complete' request.This included: ownership proof, land size, and local credit scores.Result: Standardized requests across zones, cutting follow-up loops by ~40%.​
E – Establish Shared Roles Who does what and who checks? Example: Used a RACI canvas to define responsibilities: Field teams: collect + validateAnalysts: review + decideResult: Less ambiguity, fewer “who owns this?” moments.
​A - Align on Channels One clear channel per step.​ Example: WhatsApp was fast but chaotic. We introduced templated messages like:“Case ready – Name: ____, Loan: ____, Docs: Yes”Result: Maintained speed, added structure.
R – Reduce Rework Loops Templates, auto-checks, fewer bounces Designed reusable submission formats with validations built in. Result: Requests sent right the first time, reducing ping-pong.​FLOW – Fasten Learning LoopsTrack escalations & evolve the process Every escalation was tagged by root cause. Held bi-weekly reviews to spot patterns and update checklists or formats.Over time, the process improved without needing central facilitation.
Impact
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Standardized service delivery across regions.
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Reduced error rates at the field level by simplifying responsibilities.
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Improved agent confidence through structured onboarding and training.
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Consistent customer journeys across physical and digital touchpoints.
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Ongoing adaptability via CLEARflow’s built-in feedback and realignment loops.