As technology evolves, so too do the ways in which customers can receive information, products and services. They are always learning in the same way that their needs are always changing.
An educated customer expects a certain level of quality with every brand interaction they encounter, which is why customer journey mapping is essential to plot and place each connecting point between brand and customer. Not only do these provide analytical insight into the actions and reactions of your customer-base, but they also address pain points associated with the overarching customer experience.
The downside? Customer journey maps can be challenging to create and difficult to maintain. Extracting insights can also be a tedious task, but the benefits that a well-executed customer journey map can provide are well worth the effort.
Here are four ways that you can optimise customer journey mapping to your advantage.
1. Multiple Journey Maps For Multiple Customer Types
There is no “one” customer type in any business scenario, which is why it’s important to incorporate data and information from multiple sources and channels in order to create a range of different customer journey maps. They should be flexible enough to cater to changing attitudes in different customer groups as well as inherent diversity. Through creating multiple maps, different customer experience scenarios can be identified, analysed and improved upon.
2. Monitor, Analyse, Rinse, Repeat
A tricky hurdle to overcome is accepting that some customers will find some difficulty in their interaction with your brand, or even problems with what you have to offer. This is human nature. Not everyone will love what you do, but negative feedback is actually your greatest opportunity for improvement. An accomplished customer journey map will give you the tools you need to actively address these pain points, instead of flying into a panic. By listening to what your customers have to say and finding solutions for their issues, you can swing the negative feedback in your favour.
3. Set And Manage Objectives
A major goal for all brands is improving customer loyalty and the direct route to this is by identifying clear objectives that rely on consistent planning. Having a definite path gives you a vision for the journey ahead, as well as milestones that need to be met in order to deliver a positive customer experience. By focusing in on very specific areas in the customer journey where the brand should be present, active and willing to help, it’s easier to break it down into more digestible segments of information that hold varying levels of importance. Teams can then receive a priority list of what to keep an eye out for, keeping the most impactful actions top of mind.
4. Be Persistent And Have Patience
Any new processes that are introduced to the business will take time to settle in and bear fruit. With customer journey mapping, the practice is arduous and gaining the insight from it involves a lot of detailed work and analysis, but persistence is key. Each customer interaction and problem solved is a small segment of a grand over-arching strategy to improve customer experience and, by extension, customer loyalty. So even the smallest action should be viewed as a vital piece of this gargantuan puzzle, and the entire process should be considered an ongoing investment of time, effort and patience.
While this level of work in enhancing customer experience is intensive, it’s not impossible. If you’d like to hire our team to manage these processes for you, contact us today and we can chat.