In an ideal scenario, each time a customer interacts with your business, they follow a specific and intentional path you have laid out for them.
It all starts with an initial attraction phase that intrigues the customer enough to move to an entry point (whether physically walking into your store, or initiating a phone call, email or viewing your web site). They then engage with your brand, and a purchase is made. This is followed by a smooth exit and positive experience that helps them further build their relationship with your company. (Note: Frederik Wiedemann from ReD Associates dives deep with more information about each phase. For more information, read his helpful post about improving the customer experience.)
Sounds easy, right?
You don’t ask someone to marry you on a first date…
What we’re seeing in today’s digital marketing world, is a paradigm shift. Companies have stiff global competition, and consumers are so savvy in their quest for information that grabbing their loyalty is a long process. Sometimes a long ‘dating’ process before they will consider your goods or services.
So how do we ensure that customers feel valued, respected and heard? And how do we show our employees their part in the customer service lifecycle? What about checking for fail points in the process?
One way you can make the customer experience intentional is with a customer experience blueprint.
Think of your customer experience blueprint as a simple line with points in which your customer interacts with your brand. Fill in your customer service interactions with your customer, followed by in-house services the customer doesn’t see (but that support their experience).
For an example, let’s use JOE’S BIKE SHOP.
Step one (Attract) will be the physical interactions of the customer with your service. In our case, points on it could include:
- Searching for nearby bike shops on a mobile device
- Visiting your website and determining if your services fit his/her needs
- Walking into the store
- Reading the sales poster
- Comparing the specs of a road bike to a mountain bike
Step two (Engage) will detail the customer service interactions your company has with a customer (the exterior services). Following our bike shop example, we could use points like:
- Providing real-time Q&A online
- Offering assistance to customers in-store
- Ringing up sales
- Explaining the service shop
- Offering warranties and maintenance
Step three (Optimize) showcases the in-house services that support the exterior. Points like:
- Back-end SEO work to show up in search results
- Maintaining a relevant and updated website
- Producing sales literature and in-store signage
- Ordering parts for the service center
- Maintaining stock systems
Then connect the points with a line of interaction that shows the process of a customer in the lifecycle.
Value of the customer experience blueprint
If you haven’t nailed it down already, developing your company’s Unique Value Proposition (UVP) will allow you to hone in on exactly who you are, who your customers are (hint: it’s not everyone) and where to focus your marketing efforts. Read more on our SG blog about 4 steps to building a UVP that sells.
Take the time to look at your business from your customer’s perspective. A sound blueprint can help you:
- reveal your customer’s pain points,
- give a common ground UVP for employees across departments, and
- answer where you differentiate in the marketplace.
If you say that the customer is number one—consider your own blueprint exercise. What better way to find out where the customer experiences value?
Not only can you improve service, but it offers you a chance to find ways to innovate.
What other benefits do you see in a customer experience blueprint? Add your ideas in the comments.
Want to develop your own customer experience blueprint, but can’t find the time? SG can facilitate a session for your team. Contact us today!