Ten steps to a better customer journey You might think the journey someone takes to becoming your customer is quite straightforward - they see your product, buy your product and use your product. But a customer may have many other interactions with your brand between those key steps. And they are all moments when you need to convince them to stay loyal. Customer journey mapping lets you visualize every touchpoint, so you can make sure you’re sending the right message, at the right time.

Customer journey touchpoints can include:

Hearing about your product from friends

Doing research on your product

Finding your product online or in a store

Having the product repaired

Ten steps to create your customer journey map

Business goals Nail down your business goals so your journey is focussed on achieving them

Interactions Identify the moments where you usually communicate with your customers

Focus on purchase Group these moments into pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase

Missing points Note any interactions you may have missed - think about those things that happen before and after each key stage (e.g. adding an item to a cart before making a purchase)

Customer satisfaction Think about your customers’ goals and how they might feel throughout the journey

Customer frustrations Identify any stages where your customers might have a negative experience

Plan Make a plan to improve these areas (e.g. by creating more consistency between in-store and online messaging)

Journey map Visualize your customer journey map (sticky notes are useful here)

Brainstorm

Implement

Brainstorm ideas for new touchpoints, justifying how they’ll improve the journey

Implement your new touchpoints, remembering to test and review how well they work

Step into your customer's shoes and make a purchase on your website or in-store. Then do the same with your competitors. What works well, and what doesn’t?

Your journey mapping checklist You know your goals and your customers’ goals You understand the 3 stages of your customer journey You’ve shopped for your own product/service You’ve asked customers about their experiences with your brand You’ve tested your competitors’ customer journeys

See you next year

Customer tastes and habits are always evolving, and technology changes quickly. So, it's smart to do journey mapping once a year.

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