The expression ‘customer journey’ depicts every single encounter a customer has while interacting with a brand. These experiences might be in a direct or indirect form. This intensive journey includes buying experience of the customers, yet its scope is beyond the sale/purchase of items. Right from the first time when a client gets aware of a brand to their post-buying experience, loyalty towards the products and at last, supporting the brand, customer journey of each association is unique.
Companies with a customer experience mindset drive revenue 4-8% higher than the rest of their industries.
Forbes
CUSTOMER JOURNEY STAGES
There are a lot of different stages/factors that sum up the total client experience. The following three stages, by and large, make up for most of the purchase decisions: Awareness, Interest and Consideration.
Awareness: Awareness includes spreading a general idea or information about your product and general services to your target audience(s).
Interest: Brands center around growth during the thought phase of the journey. This is where clients start to search for options to purchase. During this stage, your business tries to persuade prospective buyers to remember you for the rundown of accessible alternatives. Statistical surveying reports help businesses in recognizing how to speak with potential clients accurately.
Consideration: This stage prompts users to make a specific move. Utilizing a committed source of inspiration, you urge clients to make a purchase, buy into a mailing rundown, or avail services. Businesses should utilize this stage to offer their products and market them as the best options to tackle a customer’s concern.
Intent: Intent is when the buyer starts making up his/her mind to buy the offered product/service.
Evaluation: Evaluation means when the buyer starts evaluating the offered product keeping in mind various factors such as price, accessibility, brand image, delivery time, product quality, competitors’ product, and design.
Purchase: This is the most crucial stage where the buyer makes a move to purchase the product and completes the payment to seal the deal.
POST-PURCHASE EXPERIENCE
These stages were discretionary in past plans of action. The expansion in online shopping, notwithstanding, makes these stages as critical as the others.
Maintenance/ Retention: A loyal client brings in more customers. And costs are not exactly the same as acquiring new customers. Maintenance includes keeping clients content with a relationship supervisory group.
Advocacy: Most organizations value the advantages of verbal advertising. Notwithstanding, scarcely any organizations focus on an arrangement for reinforcing customer promotion. Urging every client to give feedback or insights can require significant investment and money. Connecting with influencers or bloggers is a compelling option in contrast to customary informal showcasing.
WHY MAPPING CUSTOMER JOURNEY IS SO IMPORTANT?
Knowing your customer’s emotions
Building a journey framework puts you straight in the brain of the buyer. Understanding the reasons why a client settles on a specific decision sets your business up for success. Mapping the customer journey is important to know the ways in which customers urge you to improve. Using this planning information with precision, businesses can easily fix pain points.
Dissect the problems and customize product/services
Planning gives your organisation relevant insights regarding the areas where business-customer interchanges miss the mark. For example, if your customer service is undermanned, clients don’t get help when they need it. Your clients become irritated on the grounds that they expect quick and brief answers. You settle the issue by employing another customer care agent to handle more client questions.
Improved representation and consumer loyalty
As more and more issues are settled seamlessly, the brand’s trust among clients increases which consequently helps businesses to build consumer loyalty. With positive customer feedback, customer care representatives are motivated to do their best.
Source: SupperOffice CRM
Trustworthy products, a commendable website, and a 24*7 in-call client care group are the ideal combination to attract target audience. In any case, when customers feel something is off in your communication they are bound to look for your competitors. Making a client experience map provides businesses a different perspective on their service offerings and reputation, one that their clients have of their business. This information acts as a guide that drives businesses through each touchpoint with customers to distinguish weak points on their part and enhance their user experience. By improving the client experience at each point in the journey right from product awareness to post-purchase experience, you center your business around your clients and that is the most important part of a business-customer relationship.