Improving the Customer Journey

Posted by alvina on February 26th, 2019

Businesses design customer journey maps to improve internal and external processes. But at times, the workflow gets clogged and we hear plenty of talk about customers experiencing roadblocks and dead ends while interacting with brands.

Why is this happening? Because brands overlook measuring journey maps using journey analytics.

A customer journey map is a diagram demonstrating the steps the customers go through while engaging with the brand or its products and services. For example, an e-commerce store might create a map showing steps to purchase products. The steps could be research, consideration, sign-up, purchase, delivery, and loyalty.

Sure, mapping customer journey gives an overview of the customer experience (CX) and how they move through the sales funnel but that shouldn’t be the end goal. The real value lies in how the data is used to heat things up in terms of ROI. That’s where journey analytics comes into play.

Journey analytics is nothing but the systematic compilation and analysis of customer data across all channels and time to measure customer behaviors – including the good and bad. To continue with the aforementioned e-commerce store example, perhaps a customer may reach out to the vendor or customer support team to check, “Hey, I received a faulty item, how do I request a return/refund?”

Getting a closer look at such data gives a chance for brands and businesses to rework on their workflow to address complex roadblocks in CX. For example, the e-commerce store can quantify the number of calls they get about faulty product delivery, online store’s bounce rate, customer attrition and retention rate, decrement or increment in brand value, etc. Furthermore, it gives them an opportunity to optimize market expansion tactics, too.

So, you have all the possible data to optimize and improve the customer experience. What about the touchpoints? Have you given enough consideration to identify the touchpoints at different stages? If not, it’s time to do so. Because they tie everything together when it comes to customer experience.

Among different touchpoints a brand can have, websites are crucial. Website aids in moving potential customers move through their journey, all the way from brand awareness to brand advocacy.

You’ve got only 8 seconds to make a great first impression. So, do not clutter the homepage with content and awful design. Instead, use a clean layout, visuals, typography, and colors that sum up the brand’s value.

The moment your potential customer finds the website is nothing but a maze, you’ve lost them forever. Not to forget, SEO and online visibility concerns here. Use a drop-down menu or anchored navigation bars so the users can easily move through the site.

We’re living in the mobile-first world and so should your website. A 2018 study showed that about 52.2% of all website traffic worldwide was generated through smartphones. Hence, it’s important to make sure that the site is responsive.

Instead of a poorly drafted ‘About us’, tell an emotionally backed story to give better answers to ‘Who, Why, What, When, and How! Though it may sound simple, it goes a long way. We promise!

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alvina

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alvina
Joined: March 22nd, 2017
Articles Posted: 259

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