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The Cost to Serve Model
Quantify experience gaps and align your service design with sustainable delivery goals.
IN-PERSON OR ONLINE
Model real services, not hypotheticals
This blended course includes optional in-person workshops and online coaching. We guide you through applying the model to your actual services, not generic examples.
LEVEL
Intermediate – Strategic & Operational Leaders
You should be familiar with service design or responsible for implementing or improving service operations at a system level.
STRUCTURE
Real-world application
We help you apply the framework to three services within your organisation. You’ll receive feedback and hands-on support to embed it into ongoing work.
OUTCOMES
A measurable model to reduce inefficiency, ideally within a service design operational function.
By the end, you’ll have the tools to model and measure the cost of poor service delivery—informing design, ops, and business decisions with confidence.
Created by Gerry Scullion, The Cost to Serve Model is a deep-dive course for organisations wanting to understand the financial and operational impact of delivering their current customer experiences versus their intended ones. Most organisations measure their CTS through a desired outcome only. The CTS Model aims to measure both the unhappy path (the real journey) and the happy path.
This course offers a clear framework for uncovering the hidden costs of service breakdowns caused by human deviation, poor design, or systemic gaps. Through practical modelling and coaching, participants learn how to apply this approach across multiple services to surface operational pain points, internal inefficiencies, and missed opportunities.
What You’ll Learn
Understanding Service Deviations
Explore how human interaction outside of intended service delivery causes systemic strain, affects customer experience, and increases operational costs. Learn to identify where these deviations exist.
Quantifying the Cost of Dysfunction
Use a structured approach to map, analyse, and calculate the real cost of misaligned or inefficient service experiences. This includes time, money, and human energy.
Modelling for Improvement
By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped with a repeatable modelling framework to diagnose and present the ‘cost to serve’ across multiple services—and advocate for sustainable redesign based on evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this course for?
This course is designed for service designers, transformation leads, CX managers, and operations professionals working in complex organisations who want to uncover the true cost of experience gaps.
Do I need to know about Service Architecture?
No, but having a general understanding of service design principles will help. We introduce all core concepts as part of the course.
Will I need a computer?
Yes, you’ll need access to a computer to work on the modelling templates, engage with learning content, and participate in coaching sessions.
Have a question not listed here?
Please get in touch with us at support@thisishcd.com – and we will be more than happy to help you!
Get in touch to learn more about this course
What You’ll Get
- 3 x 120 minute live sessions
- A proven ‘Cost to Serve’ framework to apply in your organisation
- Templates and modelling tools
- 3 x 1:1 coaching sessions with Gerry Scullion
- Lifetime access to course materials and updates
