Customer Journey Research

The Customer Journey

Organisations engage with customers at numerous points and in a multitude of different ways and the journey quite often starts before the customer is even aware of the product or service. The points of engagement play a critical role in winning and then securing loyal and happy customers. The success of an organisation therefore depends on a clear understanding of what the key points of engagement are, what’s expected at each point and the impact they have on customers.

Mapping the journey

There are any number of different ways of doing this but we typically look to adopt a systematic, three-stage approach:

1. Mapping the process – involves a detailed understanding of all the possible contact points i.e. the times and situations in which customers will interact with the organization.
2. Mapping the customer experience – provides an understanding of the mix of different customer experiences at each contact point, what’s expected and how well the organisation is delivering.
3. Developing measurement metrics – gives a structured way of measuring the effectiveness of customer contacts and obtaining meaningful measures.

How does mapping the customer journey help?

By understanding:

• The customer touch points that are most important for the business. 
• The areas of under (or over) performance so you know which areas are in need of attention and what the priorities should be.
• Where a different kind of service is needed – markets and customer expectations are changing quicker than ever so what you’ve always done won’t always work.
• Those areas of the business where contact with customers and prospects is below expectations and having a negative impact.

Customer journey mapping isn’t just about customer satisfaction and retention. It’s also about bringing a sense of focus and alignment for your business. All too often businesses (particularly larger ones) work in silos with not enough understanding for what other parts of the business do or how their work impacts on others. Customer journey mapping, when done properly, should involve people with different responsibilities coming together to help develop a customer-centric approach that everyone understands and buys in to.

At Sapio, we understand this and what we do is as much about facilitation and engaging internal stakeholders as it is about researching customers. We help by being: objective, unbiased and above all by not being inculcated by your internal processes and reasons “why it has to be done that way”.

Why not give us a call to chat about how we can help – we bring a different dimension to Customer Journey Mapping and the customer experience generally.