With social media accounts run by young, sassy interns making global corporations appear to be your best friend, the perception of companies and the service that they provide has shifted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now, more than ever, it is imperative to ensure that customers feel well looked after: research has shown that a staggering 86% of customers are willing to pay more for products that come with great customer service<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But how can you ensure that the customer\u2019s experience with your company is consistent and satisfying? Customer mapping is one much-used solution.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Customer mapping enables you to track the overall consumer experience, from pre-sale and purchase to post-sale support and, ideally, future interactions with your company. Using this data, you can identify the points in a customer\u2019s journey which are most important in ensuring they receive the optimal experience and remain loyal to your brand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But it\u2019s all very well saying \u201cYou need to collect data from your customers\u201d. The crucial questions are what sort<\/em> of data should you collect? Where and when should you be gathering it?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Data which will help you improve customer experience<\/a> can be both quantitative and qualitative.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One type of quantitative data that is particularly useful is web analytics: How many people are coming to your product via that video advertisement on Facebook? How often do people click through the \u201crecommended products\u201d link on your email newsletter? This will, in all probability, be data that your company already has access to. That means it shouldn\u2019t take much extra time or resources to collect.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Qualitative data is equally important, if more labor-intensive to obtain. Anecdotal data gathered from email or phone surveys and interviews can give you crucial information on the strongest and weakest aspects of your customer\u2019s experiences with you. Social media is also an excellent way to collect anecdotal data from your customers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That\u2019s it for the what, but how about the when and where?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When mapping your customers\u2019 experience, transition points are a good place to start. Consumers want continuity and a seamless progression between different stages of a transaction or experience, right?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One of the most common places to lose a customer is between the links of the lengthy chain making up their journey.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Perhaps the prospect of entering the same details into yet another form<\/em> was the final straw. Maybe there were a few too many click-through links in order to reach the final purchasing point, or having to call a number to complete the transaction was enough of a stalling point to put an end to it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n By focusing on touchpoints like these\u2014points on a customer\u2019s journey where they come into direct contact with your company or product\u2014you can really home in on the factors which are important to customer retention and satisfaction.<\/a> Remember to identify the touchpoints encountered at all stages of the customer\u2019s journey:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Mapping out which touchpoints have a high chance of keeping customers engaged<\/a> with your company (or of persuading them to make a purchase) and those which have a greater chance of ending a relationship between company and customer, enables you to strategically invest in customer service<\/strong> in the places where it can have the most impact.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s important to remember that what your company might consider key touchpoints for customers may not be significant in their actual experience of your business. Mapping the customer journey<\/a> lets you follow the experience of a customer as closely as possible, putting yourself in their shoes to understand what does and doesn\u2019t work along the way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat is customer mapping? <\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCollect hard numbers and soft data<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Focus on your transition points<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Walk a mile in their shoes<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n