Look at a day in the life of ‘you’ and just think how much you do from the minute you wake up to the minute you fall asleep. Many of these tasks are just routine and you have made them as efficient as possible to complete. For example, if your morning coffee is a must, you probably have the coffee and mugs located very close to your coffee maker. It would be silly to have to get the coffee from the upstairs closet and then swing by the bedroom to grab a mug – not the most efficient process!
Now, think about your customer and ask yourself if you are making everything they want to accomplish on your site as simple and efficient as possible. You may have at one time, but at the speed digital has and will continue to evolve, it needs to be monitored continuously. The best way to keep the customer at the front and center of your decisions is by knowing what they need, what they want, and what are they trying to accomplish at every stage. This can be done through a customer journey map.
What exactly is a customer journey map?
It is a visual representation of the customer’s interactions with a brand throughout different phases of their journey. The framework is centered on the customer's goals, actions, questions, pain points, and feelings. In the completed form, it is a holistic view of the customer experience across all touchpoints. While simplistic in theory, with the non-linear and multiple journeys cross-channel and cross-device, this can be a very complex process.
Why is a customer journey map so important?
This is easy – it keeps the focus on the customer! It enables you to see where the customer becomes frustrated or encounters pain points that prevent them from completing their goal. You solve those and the customer has an improved experience leading to improvements in sales and loyalty.
This is also an essential tool to bring cross-functional teams together and align on a customer-first approach.
What are the key components in a customer journey map?
Components include the persona or personas, the specific journey, the customer goals, actions, and emotions across each for the touchpoints noted below:
All customer journey maps will be unique to the company based on the journey and the goal but have a similar framework. These are not a one-and-done, this customer journey map should be referenced as changes are made on the site to the evolving needs of the customer.
How do I start a customer journey map?
You need to determine the goal for the customer journey map as the first step. You may be launching a new customer program and want to review the journey for sign-up through account creation and program adoption. You could also be launching a new site and need the full journey to help prioritize key functionality.
A thoughtfully prepared customer journey map is an important component of your business strategy. These maps provide important insights into the relationship between your business and your customers and are a tool that enables you to adapt your tactics to ever-changing consumer behaviors and market conditions.
We can help you develop or validate your customer journey map. Contact us to learn more.
