Why you should deliver your service manually before you scale it

Most innovation teams design services in spreadsheets and presentation decks. They map out customer journeys, estimate resource requirements, and calculate unit economics based on assumptions. Then, they build the technology, hire the team, and discover that reality is far messier than their models predicted.

But the Service Simulation test is the most revealing method for understanding what it actually takes to deliver value to customers before you automate anything.

What's a Service Simulation test?

Unlike other experiments where you hide the manual work, customers know they're receiving a high-touch, personalised version of your offering.

You're not pretending the technology exists. You're delivering real value through human effort to understand exactly what's required before you automate or scale.

The insights come from actually doing the work, not theorising about it.

How a major property platform discovered what customers really needed

A big UK property platform we work with was exploring new services for their existing user base. Customer research revealed a common problem: people struggling to coordinate the timing of selling their current home with buying a new one. Many customers expressed interest in market timing insights to help with this challenge.

The product team was excited about building an AI-powered market timing tool that would predict optimal buying and selling windows. The initial concept involved complex data analysis, property value forecasting, and personalised timing recommendations.

Before committing to full development, we suggested running a Service Simulation to understand what actually goes into delivering valuable market timing advice. Together, we:

• Recruited 50 customers currently dealing with buying/selling coordination

• Created a simple process for customers to submit their situation details

• Had a property expert manually research and compile market insights

• Delivered personalised PDF reports with timing recommendations via email

• Included follow-up calls to explain the insights and answer questions

The simulation revealed insights that completely changed their product direction:

• Manual effort required: Each customer report took 6-8 hours to research and compile (vs. the estimated 30 minutes for automated processing). Most time was spent interpreting individual circumstances rather than market analysis.

• Customer engagement patterns: Customers valued the personal consultation far more than the written reports. The most useful part was the conversation about implementing the recommendations, not the data itself.

• Service complexity: Customers consistently asked for guidance beyond timing: legal advice, financial planning, moving logistics, and emotional support during stressful decisions.

• Evidence strength: 80+ signups within minutes of launching the simulation, far exceeding their initial estimates and validating genuine demand.

Based on these learnings, the we repositioned their approach:

• Built a hybrid advisory service combining human experts with data tools

• Created a simplified market snapshot service rather than complex forecasting

• Developed a conversation-based consultation model instead of report generation

• Established partnerships for related services (legal, financial, logistics)

• Invested in expert recruitment rather than AI development

This repositioned service delivered:

• 640 customers enrolled within 6 months

• £780K in annual advisory fees

• 25% increase in platform engagement among service users

• Clear competitive differentiation through human expertise

The simulation also revealed scalability challenges: high-volume success required significant manual work capacity. The team learned to anticipate resource requirements and plan for sustainable growth rather than assuming automation would solve demand spikes.

Without the Service Simulation, they'd have built an automated tool that missed what customers actually valued most about the service.

How to run a Service Simulation test

To run this test effectively, you'll need:

• A clear service concept with defined customer outcomes

• Team members who can deliver the service manually

• Customers willing to participate in a "pilot" programme

1. Define your manual process

Map out every step required to deliver customer value:

• How customers will submit requests or data

• What analysis, research, or work you'll perform

• How you'll deliver results and recommendations

• What follow-up or ongoing support you'll provide

2. Recruit pilot customers

Find customers who understand they're participating in a high-touch pilot:

• Existing customers interested in premium service

• Prospects willing to pay for personalised attention

• Industry contacts who value being early adopters

• Companies facing the exact problem you're solving

3. Deliver the complete experience

Provide the full service manually while tracking everything:

• Time spent on each process step

• Customer questions and clarification requests

• Points where additional expertise is needed

• Moments when customers seem most/least engaged

4. Measure both outcomes and process

Track customer satisfaction alongside operational insights:

• What outcomes did customers achieve?

• How long did each service component take?

• Where did you encounter unexpected complications?

• What would customers pay for ongoing access?

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Trying to simulate a service you can't actually deliver manually

• Focusing only on customer satisfaction without tracking process insights

• Making the simulation too complex to extract clear learnings

• Assuming automation will solve all the manual process challenges

Try this next week

Take your most promising service concept. Recruit 3-5 customers for a "premium pilot programme." Deliver the complete service manually while tracking every step and resource requirement. Focus on what surprises you about the actual work involved.

You'll likely discover that delivering real value requires different skills, time, and interactions than you expected.