In my previous post, I explained the importance of creating a Customer Journey Map (CJM) and outlined the first three phases of the process – research, evaluate, acquire.
Let’s continue the journey together with you, the customer, buying shoes for a friend.
Use: So your friend absolutely loves her new ankle boots, which delights you. Not only are the shoes comfortable, she says, but they are stylish and look great. Her endless stream of compliments and gratitude is enough to assure you that, yes, the product you purchased is, indeed, fabulous.
- CJM Rule #4: Discover Moments of Truth for how and where to differentiate by creating a “wow” experience. Despite all the online obstacles and detours, the customer is ultimately extremely satisfied with the quality of the product. An added bonus is that the customer happily responds to the acknowledgment of their purchase and includes some positive customer feedback on the website.
Renew: With your friend constantly raving about her new shoes, you decide to return to the store to purchase a pair for your sister. This time, though, you skip the website, calling the store beforehand instead.
- CJM Rule #5: Assess the pain points and prioritize actions to maximize impact. The customer is satisfied with the product, so much so they decide to make another purchase. However, they recall their unsatisfactory experience with the website and decide to use an alternate channel (i.e., phone call) to make another purchase. With the right online enhancements, a customer’s experience could be greatly improved.
Advocate: Although your friend is head-over-heels in love with her shoes, you’re still disappointed by your online shopping experience. You spent all that time looking online for those shoes, only to learn they were OUT OF STOCK the whole time? Still, you have to admit that everything worked out in the end, so when your friend later asks you, “By the way, where did you get those shoes,” you tell her the truth, but also add, “Just be wary of the website. It’s not always current.”
- CJM Rule #6: Consider Customer Experience measurements like transaction counts, Net Promoter Score, and complaint data. The customer advised a friend to shop at the department store, but warns against the company’s website, since it’s not reliable based on their experience.
In each of the phases outlined above, you – as a customer – experienced a range of actions, thoughts, and feelings, otherwise known as “moments of truths,” which made up your overall experience. This, in essence, is the process of journey mapping; it enables organizations to truly see themselves through the eyes of their valued customers.
While the example above is illustrative of only one customer’s experience, it’s important to note that when creating a CJM, an organization must consider various processes like delivery and billing, as well as multiple data points – customer service calls, social media presence, survey responses, and even marketing materials in order to identify the most common customer pain points. This will equip an organization with the right tools and information to remedy the most frequent and impactful customer frustrations, therefore maximizing financial performance and improving customers’ overall experience.
To learn more about Customer Journey Mapping, please contact us.
