In 2022 businesses should focus on supporting their customers by tailoring the experience they have online. By doing this you can help your business thrive within the community and stand out from your competitors. But, how can you tailor your customers' online experience? The best way is by creating a unique, customer experience map.

Customer experience or CX refers to a customer’s perception of the experience with your business or brand. Therefore, you should aim to create a seamless, customer experience covering all interaction points. From email sequences to social media posts to how customers are greeted online and offline. This may seem like a lot of work, however, it’s worth it. In fact, 86% of shoppers are willing to pay more when they have a great customer experience.

Below are the details to focus on when creating a customer experience map for your business.

1. Learn About Customer Service vs. Customer Experience

Many businesses confuse great customer service with a great customer experience. However, they are two different concepts, though customer service has an impact on the customer experience. Customer service primarily refers to set scenarios where staff directly interact with customers. This could be while checking out, asking a question, calling for store hours, and any other direct interaction. Whereas customer experience concerns all touchpoints with customers, not just direct interaction. Customer experience includes advertising, product placement, website functionality, and store presentation. Any part of your business that the customers sees or interacts with affects the customer experience.

2. Gather Data

To build your customer experience map, you’ll need to understand your customers. Look at all the touchpoints customers have with your business and where these interactions take place. Look at any reviews you have online, or from feedback forms in store. Check Google Analytics for demographics, locations, and website actions. Mine data from your social media, from comments, likes, and previous advertising.

3. Map Out the Touchpoints

The touchpoints of your customer experience refers to the interactions they have before purchasing. By looking at the touchpoints, you can see the stages of the buyer’s journey. The five main interactions during the customer lifecycle are;

1. Awareness – this is how customers find you, and often the first impression of your brand
2. Appeal – if the first impression goes well, they will begin to learn more about your brand.
3. Ask – this is where the customer takes the next step. Whether it’s following on social media, visiting the website, or the physical store. They begin to research and learn about your brand.
4. Act – If all previous steps go well, the customer will make a purchase.
5. Advocate – Once they have the product, and have completed the purchasing process, they may become an advocate for your brand. If it has been a positive experience they will likely share their experience with friends and possibly online.

4. Assign a Purpose to Each Touchpoint

Once you know all of your touchpoints, you can focus on how to serve them. Consider the customers’ needs at each point and how you can best help them. Consider using social media to help with each touchpoint. For example, using Instagram to create brand awareness and generate website traffic. Showcase your products and include instructional videos. Ensure that you give equal focus to each touchpoint. Remember the customer experience should be seamless from start to finish.

5. Create a Buyer Profile

Discover what your customers are interested in, what issues they are having, what motivates them, and what they value. To do this, you can develop buyer profiles. These are fictional avatars or characters that represent potential customers. Include the most popular traits and characteristics of your most valuable customer segments. Use data obtained from customer reviews, Google Analytics, Facebook, and Instagram to create the original profiles. Then continue to adapt review, tweak and change the profiles as you learn more about your customers. The biggest advantage of buyer profiles is the ability to personalize marketing. For example, if you sell skincare, how you market to above 40-year-olds will be different to those in their 20’s and 30’s. By creating buyer profiles for these categories, you can craft targeted ads and increase conversions.

Now that you have all the relevant information, you can put together a customer experience map for your business. Convert the information into actionable and informative insights. Often, the customer experience map is made up of various timelines, as the cycle continues to repeat. Ensure you include the touchpoints, customer’s needs, opportunities, potential barriers, customers motivation and emotions, problems to solve, and customer perspective. By using these categories, and the advice in the infographic below, you can create a customer experience map the guides and supports your customers.

Infographic Credit GetVOIP.com