Customer experience mapping is the technique of gathering and analysing data on how your customers engage with your business. It’s frequently mixed up with the customer journey map. Even though they are not identical, they possess significant overlap.
While a journey map presents the universal path to purchase a product (Acquisition, Conversion, and Retention), the experience map offers detail. They offer a visualisation of the interactions a person experiences at different stages of their journey.
The customer experience (CX) map enables you to determine the degree of satisfaction customers get from your organisation and compiles a comprehensive picture of their experiences. It also enables you to find areas where you may make adjustments to increase loyalty and your company’s competitive positioning.
A positive customer experience is essential for retaining customers and increasing revenue and growth. So when you’re not sure where the problem is along the customer journey, you can use an experience map to help you figure it out.
Why Customer Experience Mapping Should not be Neglected in 2021
Customers no longer just see an advert, purchase the goods/services, and enjoy the rest of their lives. This change in typical consumer behaviour has converted the marketing and sales industry into a busy and challenging world. Consumers may now use several electronic devices and channels to investigate what they want, find out a lot about it, and even buy it without going to a store.
To distinguish themselves from the competition, businesses must provide a consistent, pleasant client experience from the beginning of this journey to its very end. Mapping this journey is a useful technique for assessing any issues with customer-business interactions so that you can take the initiative to strengthen them. Based on the consumer data generated by the map, you can send more personalised messages to buyers.
Other excellent reasons to map out customer experience include:
Increases Personalisation
You may use the data gathered from this process to find chances to send consumers relevant communications at various phases of the customer journey map. You can steer a consumer from the Awareness phase to the Research phase by providing the correct message at the right moment if you know when they are ready.
Personalisation of the customer experience yields excellent results, such as enhanced client retention, greater customer loyalty, converting customers to brand promoters or advocates, and increased customer lifetime value.
Highlights Inconsistencies
Customer experience mapping reveals the disconnect between what consumers desire and what they get. According to a 2019 poll by Econsultancy and Salesforce, 42% of respondents thought mapping helped them discover these gaps.
The issues highlighted are frequently related to service or communication, making them simple to fix. For instance, some consumers have to wait a long time for a response on social media, or they receive emails discussing topics they are uninterested in.
The mapping process aids businesses in avoiding common blunders that might harm their brand’s image.
Uncovers Painpoints
Customer journey mapping reveals any phases in the process that irritate customers or appear to be a waste of time. These might include the requirement to fill out lengthy documents or go through several procedures to complete a transaction.
Removing needless hurdles makes the route to buy easier and less time-intensive, and the effort customers must exert is reduced. The more impressed a target buyer is, the more likely they are to spread positive words to friends and family about the brand.
Propels Companies Towards the Achievement of Overall Objectives
In addition to enhancing the buyer’s journey, CX mapping can facilitate the achievement of your overall company goals. According to the poll, 43% of respondents leverage mapping’s useful insights to build marketing strategies that help them meet their revenue and growth targets. Over half of those polled claimed they utilised the data to help enhance a product or service.
What are the Characteristics of a Good CX Map?
- Customer-centric strategy: An excellent CX map makes the consumer the centre of attention. Every effort is directed at prioritising the wants and wishes of the buyer, delivering them, and addressing the outcomes from the customer’s perspective.
- Well-Defined Strengths and Weaknesses: A map that depicts the benefits and drawbacks of the client experience is an excellent one. Also, any that does not explicitly state the flaws and vulnerabilities should be updated as soon as possible.
- Easy to Understand: A solid CX map should not remind stakeholders of math class, and it should be understandable and relatable to a wide range of people. To put it another way, there shouldn’t be much explanation necessary to deliver its findings.
Add Customer Experience Mapping to Your 2021 Marketing Strategy
A CX map is a useful tool that shows how consumers engage with your company throughout their journey. It provides you with a detailed picture of the user’s background and goals. You’ll learn about their inquiries and concerns, as well as the details of their journey through the sales funnel and where marketing and sales teams may make improvements.
This strategy places you in a superior position to grasp your consumers’ expectations and optimise their experience.
