Customer journey map – a map of consumer interaction with the product. It helps companies see their products and processes from a customer perspective. Customer journey map drafting provides business owners and marketers with valuable insight into issues so they can improve their customer experience and ultimately increase sales.
Let’s illustrate the buying journey with the example of a young mother choosing a stroller.
- She hangs out in the park with a woman who recommends a certain brand and model to her.
- Google for a better view of the stroller online.
- Goes to the women’s forum to get advice.
- Opinions are divided, so the woman still visits the site of recommendations.
- After making sure that the stroller fits, it looks for the lowest price on the net.
- Go to the website of the online store. But the terms of payment and delivery are not clear there. Luckily there is a phone number.
- The woman calls, but the operator does not answer. She already wants to hang up, but hears the manager’s answer. As a result, the application was completed.
- The customer received a stroller, plus a discount on her second purchase. Happy end, everyone is happy, the woman recommends the stroller to other young mothers.
Even in such a simplified example, the client goes through many stages. And on several of them, the sale is almost lost. If the brand knew which ones, it could strengthen these bottlenecks. For example, provide positive feedback on forums, payment and delivery information in a prominent place, faster responses from managers. This is one of the main goals of building a customer experience journey mapping workshop – to understand how a client comes to you and to make his experience flawless.
Before the advent of digital technology, it seemed that it was enough to “feed” more advertising to a potential client – and he will turn into a buyer. But the Internet appeared and with it additional channels through which you can learn about the product and choose the right offer. Brands no longer controlled the entire flow of information that a customer could receive – and therefore could not directly manage his solution.
Why do you need a customer journey map?
- Understand the client’s behavior, what he thinks and feels. So you can address the customer in his language, change the product not at random, but according to his needs. Develop solutions, design, and marketing strategies targeted at your customer.
- Find out the pains of clients and see at what stages they arise. By eliminating their causes, you reduce the number of failed trades. And once you find out what causes the wow effect and at what stages, you can enhance it.
- Spend less on attracting customers. There are statistics that it is 3-30 times more expensive to attract a new client than to retain an old one.
You can make a visualization in Google Sheets, special services, or draw with the help of a designer. Follow the steps outlined to create your own customer journey map. As you do this, you will discover the invaluable benefits of a journey map to a business.