{"id":43514,"date":"2020-07-01T15:05:52","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T22:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"\/us\/en\/blog\/?p=43514"},"modified":"2025-03-13T06:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T13:25:56","slug":"customer-journeys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-journeys\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer journeys: From creation to visualizing to mapping"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How well do you <em>really <\/em>know your customers?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imagine your business has just released a new set of products that you\u2019re selling through your storefront and online. You notice the amount of sales through both are pretty evenly distributed, yet the customers who are buying in-person seem way more satisfied with the same exact product than those who found you online. Why is this?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, there\u2019s going to be an aspect of trial and error in any growing business as you learn through the evolution of your products and services. Still, for a business to run efficiently, you need to be able to remove as much guesswork as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you do that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By understanding the full journey in which a customer or prospect finds you, chooses you, and engages with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, you need to fully understand your customer journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a company that specializes in connecting businesses with customers through seamless communication tools, we focus on enabling great customer experiences, which is an approach any great business should share. But don\u2019t just take it from us. Take it from some of the most powerful business leaders today, such as Ann Lewnes, EVP and CMO of Adobe, who says that \u201cthe term \u2018customer experience\u2019 won\u2019t exist in the organization of the future. It will be so deeply entrenched in a company\u2019s product, process, and culture that it will be synonymous with the brand and represent the only way to do business.\u201d<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, it\u2019s not just smart businesses that are putting customer journeys on the radar, it\u2019s every business that\u2019s keeping pace with their competition.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll cover:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#what\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What a customer journey is<\/span><\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#benefits\">The benefits of knowing your customer journey(s)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#four\">The 4 stages of a customer journey<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#howto\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to build a customer journey framework<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\ud83e\udd1d Want to create your own customer journey map? D<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ownload the free template<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help you get started:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/netstorage.ringcentral.com\/blog\/Customer_Journey_Map_Template.xlsx\" data-id=\"69d1945608ad8\" id=\"69d1945608ad8\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:69d1945608ad8.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\ud83d\uddfa\ufe0f  Grab the free template<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">\ud83d\udccd Start building your customer journey map now. <\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Asset_ID__c\" value=\"ODAM-01756\" class=\"download-form-input\"><\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:69d1945608ad8.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy! <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"what\"><\/a><br \/>\nWhat is a \u201ccustomer journey\u201d?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A customer journey, or more specifically, a customer journey map, is a visual tool that maps the steps a customer has with a business. Though the scope can vary, an end-to-end journey might map out the first moment that someone becomes aware of your business, to the point where they\u2019ve bought in, to where they&#8217;re actively using your products\/services, to (ideally) becoming an advocate for it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes it&#8217;s linear, sometimes it&#8217;s cyclical (like when you upsell or cross-sell someone, get them onto a new product, and the steps begin again).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customer journeys help you achieve the wider goal of improving your overall customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While a customer &#8220;experience&#8221; happens during a moment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-interactions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interaction,<\/a>\u00a0the journey is the story that stitches all these individual experiences together into a collection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than that, the journey considers those sets of experiences across a collection of touchpoints. Meaning, if people find your website through your Instagram and reach out to you by email to finally connect one on one with a sales rep, then the customer journey captures four individual touchpoints where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">engagement<\/a> happens: your social channel, website, email, and sales team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To put it directly, an experience is a moment; the journey is the story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/improve-customer-experiences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">improve your customer experience<\/a>, you need to be able to zoom out and understand the wider story that\u2019s happening across time. Time is an important element of a customer journey because people have different needs and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-expectations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">expectations<\/a> at different points in their buying process. You can\u2019t delight a customer without understanding their mindset at each individual point in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we get into how exactly you can build a customer journey framework, it helps to understand why we\u2019re building them to begin with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>\u200b<\/i>[ebook-download title=&#8221;How customer-obsessed is your business?&#8221; link=&#8221;https:\/\/netstorage.ringcentral.com\/documents\/quiz_how_customer_obsessed_your_business.pdf&#8221; cta-text=&#8221;Take the quiz&#8221; src=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"benefits\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe benefits of knowing your customer journey<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before someone becomes a customer, there are so many small decisions along the way that get made. When you know the forces that affect these decisions, then you have the power to influence them towards your direction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We all know that information is power. In this case, information about the journey your customer takes to reach and engage with you is going to help you optimize your sales and marketing strategies. Here are some direct ways of how this happens:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>1) Know when and where to support: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout the process of your customer becoming aware of you to when they finally buy from you, more often than not, there are moments along the way where extra support could benefit them. Whether that\u2019s being unsure how to navigate to what they need or needing help with a return in store without a receipt, these are all situations that can be alleviated with the right customer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">support<\/a>. Recognizing that it\u2019s simply not possible to have someone available 24\/7 to answer customer questions, you might decide to have an FAQ page so that customers can help themselves anytime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2) Target who to reach better: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though digital marketing allows you to reach an abundance of people instantly, that doesn\u2019t mean you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">should<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reach an abundance of people instantly. The \u201cwide-net\u201d technique of casting far and seeing which customers stick isn\u2019t always effective\u2014and can drive up customer acquisition costs. You want<em>\u00a0<\/em>customers who are a good fit for your product and will actually stay long term. If you sell to just anyone and they end up leaving within a few weeks anyway, you&#8217;re wasting your own resources (and your salespeople&#8217;s time).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>3) Create highly personalized experiences: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before a customer reaches you directly, chances are they\u2019ve already come across you in other ways such as through your site, a review, or an ad. Having the ability to see the customer as the same person at different moments in time, rather than as three separate people will allow you to leverage each interaction to learn more about the customer overtime. With a record of past conversations and interactions with your customer across different touchpoints, you can use this information to tailor your products or services to them (like through targeted ads), or create experiences individualized for them (like knowing what other products or services to recommend).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This is where it&#8217;s useful to have some kind of social CRM or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center.html\">contact center<\/a> solution that can consolidate all those conversations across your social media channels, emails, and messages in one place. Like <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/digital-customer-engagement.html#ring-cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RingCentral Engage Digital\u2122<\/a>, for instance:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation\" title=\"Digital Customer Engagement | RingCentral Engage Digital\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PZC3o5YN90E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"four\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe 4 stages of the customer journey<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like any other journeys that come to mind, customer journeys have a beginning, middle, and end. In the context of business, it refers to the moments before, during and after a customer makes a purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lifecycle of the customer consists of 4 phases:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phase 1: Awareness<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The prospect has a problem they need solving and starts looking for the right product or service. They begin a search for the solution and become aware of your business for the first time.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: \u201cI need to create a new website. I might be able to do it myself, but I think it might be easier if I use a website builder. Let me Google \u201caffordable website builder.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phase 2: Explore\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The prospect explores their options and gathers more information, comparing different providers and evaluating the pros and cons between them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: \u201cIt looks like I could try using Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify. But eventually, I\u2019d probably need to sell clothing through my site so maybe one that can support e-commerce is better for me\u2026 let me explore the Features page of each site and check out what their users are saying.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phase 3: Purchase<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After consideration, the prospect decides to purchase your product\/service and becomes a customer. They gain value from the purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: \u201cI can\u2019t find my wallet&#8230; oh wait, they have PayPal! Looks like I can log in and start using site templates right away!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phase 4: Retention<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The customer is satisfied from the initial purchase and feels loyal towards the business. They show support by either recommending the product or service to others, or even by sharing positive feedback.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: \u201cWow that took less time than I waste in a single meeting&#8230; Incredible. I know a few people who might be interested in this, I think I\u2019ll share my referral code with them!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>\ud83d\udca1 Pro-tip:\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>Being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/proactive-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">proactive<\/a> in your customer service (such as by anticipating issues before they arise) isn&#8217;t just a great way to decrease customer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/inbound-calling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">calls<\/a>, it also drives loyalty and can improve your customer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-retention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">retention<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"howto\"><\/a><br \/>\nHow to build a<a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-journey-map\/\"> customer journey map<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 0: Answer the \u201cWhat will this do?\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When building a customer journey framework for the first time, you need to identify what problems you want to be solving with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, if you&#8217;re trying to look for ways in which you&#8217;re making things inconvenient for your customers, then your aim could be to explore all the touchpoints you have in the experience and correct their moments of frustration. Equipped with this knowledge, you can then better direct your team\u2019s efforts more efficiently to solve this problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some questions that\u2019ll help get you started:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How easy is it for your customers to get support?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How hard is it for prospects to purchase from your website?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What motivates a customer to choose you over their competitor?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can you reach more customers through new or existing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/communication-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">channels<\/a>?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do customers feel when they use your product\/service?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What makes customers recommend you to others?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are some reasons customers don\u2019t come back?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After crafting clear goals, follow these four steps to set up your customer journey framework: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Create user personas<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Build a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-journey-map-templates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">template<\/a> for your customer journeys<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Build your customer journeys<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Optimize your customer journeys<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 1: Create user personas<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal here is to gain an in-depth understanding of your core customers by gathering information and conducting first hand research. At the end of this step, you should have a series (about 3 to 5) of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/user-persona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">personas<\/a> that you&#8217;ve developed to summarize these findings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personas are a representation of your target customers that illustrate their general characteristics, motivations, and needs. While personas are usually depicted as a specific fictional person, they\u2019re essentially a composite that encapsulate observations of many real people. Commonly used to drive targeted marketing and build growth strategies, personas help you focus on designing your product or service for specific audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though personas don\u2019t always look the same, many do contain core elements such as traits, interests, goals, frustrations, and general lifestyle highlights. Personas can differ depending on the industry you\u2019re in as they\u2019re tailored to answer key questions about your customers. For instance, a business that sells educational courses might pay more attention to learning habits and time spent reading, whereas a retail business might pay more attention to brands their customers like to shop for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few examples of different styles of personas:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-43767 size-full\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/customer-user-persona-example-2.png\" alt=\"customer user persona example\" width=\"930\" height=\"700\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What this does well:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calls out a few distinct traits (protective, hardworking, etc.) that describe the user.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognizes that human preferences lay on a spectrum (by having a sliding scale when it comes to personality, preferred channels, and motivations).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43766\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/customer-user-persona-example.png\" alt=\"customer user persona example 2\" width=\"930\" height=\"700\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What this does well:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gives the persona a theme by having an overall tagline (\u201cThe Emerging Creative\u201d).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uses data visualization to condense information in easy-to-read ways (by having the low, medium, and high rankings across a number of different areas).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43517\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/user-persona-example.png\" alt=\"user persona example\" width=\"600\" height=\"847\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What this does well:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illustrates how the user spends their time (by providing a week-in-the-life timeline view).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measures industry-specific metrics that\u2019s relevant and useful for the business (such as estimating average monthly electricity use).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>How to create personas:<\/h4>\n<p><b>1. Collect information<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Start wide and gather as much as you can about your customers. There are many sources of data you can use to help with this exercise:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Learn from assumptions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014Every role in your business interacts with customers in a different way. Your product team understands what features delight users, while your sales team knows what specific problems they\u2019re trying to solve. Everyone likely has a set of assumptions (or better yet, hard facts) around who your users are. This is invaluable in that it allows you to learn from multiple perspectives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Web analytics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014What you\u2019re tracking on your site or social channels is a goldmine for user data. There are many behaviors you can distill from seeing click rates, conversion rates, bounce rates, and so on. For instance, a pattern of users leaving your site commonly after visiting your checkout page is a clear indicator of friction in the purchase process.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Firsthand research<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014Go straight to the source and talk to them! Conducting user interviews to test out the usability of a product\/service is the most direct way of knowing your users. Another way of doing this is to conduct focus groups.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Ask for feedback<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014If low on resources and time, you could also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-survey\/#6%20steps%20to%20create%20an%20effective%20customer%20survey%20for%20your%20brand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">send surveys<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (such as customer satisfaction surveys) to get a pulse on how your users feel about you at the end of a customer support exchange. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>\ud83d\udca1 Pro-tip:\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>It can be easy to forget these follow-up steps. That\u2019s why having<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a virtual communications tool <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that can, say, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/apps\/ringcentral\/integrations\/surveymonkey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">automate the process of sending surveys <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at the end of a customer exchange can make life that much easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>CRM tool<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014Let\u2019s not forget that your CRM tool is another goldmine for user data. This is true if you\u2019ve got a communication platform (like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/ca\/en\/contact-center\/overview.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral<\/span><\/a>) <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that supports popular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/best-customer-service-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer service software<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/apps\/?appCategory=CRM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Salesforce and Zoho)<\/a>. Imagine having every interaction (happening by video, phone, chats, or text) from any team (sales, marketing and support) logged so that they can be analyzed later:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-40151\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/zoho-1024x515.png\" alt=\"zoho ringcentral integration\" width=\"1024\" height=\"515\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>2. Segment your users<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Now that we\u2019ve gone wide, let\u2019s distill it all down and recap what we\u2019ve learned. At the end of this, you should have three to five types of customers that represent that majority of who you serve. Congratulations, you\u2019ve just discovered your core set of personas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>3. Build your template<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This is all about defining the metrics you want to consistently track across each and representing them in clear ways. The examples above should give you a good idea of key information you should include, but as mentioned, you should tailor personas to fit your business. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because personas are meant to inform decisions over time, you should invest to make sure they&#8217;re functional and practical to use. In other words\u2014pay attention to design! Make it visual and, please, stay away from building personas in a Word document! Even without a designer, there are online tools like Uxpressia<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that can help you craft visually engaging personas.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Input and update<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: With the template and metrics nailed down, put on your creative hat and start writing. Taking all the information you\u2019ve previously gathered and segmented, bring your users to life by giving them backstories, goals, and personalities. Try to keep your personas as distinct as possible, as in, eliminate big overlaps (the Resourceful Mother and the Adventurous Bachelor shouldn\u2019t both have the same views when it comes to managing money). And remember, personas are a tool that will continuously be used and updated, so treat this process as more of a cycle to keep coming back to as you regularly learn more about your customers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 2: Build a <a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-journey-map-templates\/\">customer journey map template<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned, the tactical tool for organizing this information in a visual way is called the customer journey map.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember those four stages of the customer journey (Awareness, Explore, Purchase, Retention) we touched on earlier? Great, because to start our template we\u2019re going to need to come back to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to persona building, journey mapping is all about understanding the mindset and experiences of your customers by putting yourself in their shoes and imagining what the process of engaging with you looks like.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To do this, you\u2019ll need to come up with ways to organize all of this information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During each phase, common ways to think about the customer\u2019s experience is to explore:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Actions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: What specific steps are they taking? Who are they speaking to? What are they seeing, hearing, feeling?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Motivations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: How are their needs being met in the current phase? What needs to happen to motivate them to enter the next phase?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Pain points<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: What uncertainties are preventing them to enter the next phase? Are there barriers to their understanding, ease, and comfort?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Feelings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: What frustrations do they face? What moments delight them? What are they responding well to? What moments stand out for the good or bad?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are different ways you can structure your customer journey map, some with more detail than others, but at the very minimum, your map should outline the set of actions users are taking across the phases and look something like this:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43518\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/customer-journey-map-example-1024x379.png\" alt=\"customer journey map example\" width=\"1024\" height=\"379\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To keep building on your map, you can include all the different touchpoints that you share with your customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>\ud83d\udd0e Touchpoints:\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>Touchpoints are all the points of contact where you provide a service, process a transaction, or simply exchange information with a customer. These can be during a customer support interaction, at the checkout line, when someone comes across your Facebook ad, and so on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At every touchpoint, there\u2019s also a channel that the exchange happens though, these can be:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In-person and in-store<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phone calls and web calls<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video calls and screen shares<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Text\/SMS<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Live chat and chatbots<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobile apps<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social media and posts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mail<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surveys<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea is that the customer journey map should help you understand your customer\u2019s experience at each touchpoint across multiple channels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some examples of templates that combine these elements in different visual ways:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43519\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/customer-journey-map-example-1-1024x880.png\" alt=\"customer journey map example\" width=\"1024\" height=\"880\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What this does well:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provides a direct quote to summarize the experience and emotions of the customer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Includes the length of time someone might spend in each phase.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43520\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sample-customer-journey-map-1024x537.png\" alt=\"sample customer journey map\" width=\"1024\" height=\"537\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What this does well:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Has a short description of the persona and gives a story of what she embarks on.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Includes \u201cMoments of Truth,\u201d which from an optimization perspective (more on this below!), identifies key business opportunities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 3: Build your customer journeys\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the template ready to go, this is where things get interesting. Using your personas, you\u2019re going to build out standard customer journeys. These are \u201cstandard\u201d because the goal isn\u2019t to capture the journey of every single customer. Like personas, customer journeys are more generalized and represent the actions of an aggregate group of users who share a common theme.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two ways you can do this:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>1, Create separate maps for each persona<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Advantage:<\/em> For journeys that describe a complex series of activities, keeping each persona separate is just much cleaner overall to manage from a visual and functional perspective. For personas with very distinct and different goals, it just might not make sense to note the similarities and meeting points between them. Plus, you don\u2019t need to worry about fitting everything onto a neat page and packing it with more information than it can fit. Most importantly, this will let you focus on creating a strong, detailed narrative for each persona.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Create a single map for multiple personas<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Advantage:<\/em> These journeys illustrate how the separate experiences of two personas can merge at the same point. Why is this useful? Because at the same moment in time, two people will have two very different sets of expectations\u2014while one person feels delighted by the abundance of choice online, another might feel discouraged. Having more perspectives like this allows you to make more informed decisions overall on how to better serve all your customers, not just a subset.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s an example of what a multi-persona map might look like:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43521\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/multipersona-customer-journey-map-1024x632.png\" alt=\"multipersona customer journey map\" width=\"1024\" height=\"632\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you decide on which approach works best for you, refer back to all the customer information you gathered during the persona development stage to begin filling in your map.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All the same rules apply, by the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is, keep it neat, well designed, and simple to understand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A well-developed customer journey map has the right level of detail that paints a complete picture of one\u2019s entire experience, yet simple enough for anyone in your business to pick up and follow along. Basically, it should be able to live as a standalone, self-explanatory tool that doesn\u2019t need context or notes to be understood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For teams unfamiliar or don\u2019t have the resources to design something custom, Uxpressia<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> also provides an online tool for creating customer journey maps, with the ability to collaborate, gather analytics, and attach files.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 4: Optimize the customer journey<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working with your customer journey is a journey in itself.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With your customer journey map on hand, look through and see what the cumulative end-to-end effect you\u2019re leaving on your customer is. Though their intent and goals will shift as they move through the phases, you\u2019ll want to make sure that their experience feels consistent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does a consistent experience look like? For customers, it\u2019s being treated as though the business is familiar with you after even just the first point of contact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter how a customer comes into contact with you (in-person or online) you want to ensure they\u2019re receiving the same level of consistent support and that they can pick up where they left off without being treated like a new customer each time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Creating an omnichannel customer experience<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Businesses that deliver fragmented experiences have a much harder time retaining customers. In fact, those with weak <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/omnichannel-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">omnichannel<\/a> customer service retain only 33% of their customers, while those with robust omnichannel strategies retain on average <em>89%<\/em> of their customers.<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But let\u2019s back up a bit and explain what an <\/span>omnichannel experience<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> looks like and how customer journeys help with building one. Consider all the channels where touchpoints happen in this customer journey, for instance:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A couple needs to get a mortgage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They do a quick search online to see what their options are and read through the sites of a few reputable companies <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>(Channel: website)<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After browsing different offerings, they choose one company to go with and fill out a form to speak with an agent for more help.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agent greets them by name when they pick up <\/span><strong>(Channel: phone)<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and verifies that the information they shared is still accurate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the call, the agent sends them an email <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>(Channel: email) <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">summarizing the recommendations they talked about. In the email, there\u2019s also a set of credentials for the couple to log in to an online portal for more information.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon login <\/span><strong>(Channel: online portal)<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the couple sees their personal information has already been filled out and their mortgage has been pre-approved.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A day later, they get a text <\/span><strong>(Channel: mobile)<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to check the portal for their welcome package. The process is complete, and they\u2019re set to move into their new home.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pleased by how easy the process was and noticing a referral link, they share the link with their friends who are looking for mortgages as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You probably have had similar experiences of connecting with businesses through multiple channels over the course of your engagement. By now, this is a pretty standard practice. Businesses are reaching prospects and customers by adopting channels that they\u2019re used to using (like sometimes choosing to text them instead of emailing\u2014did you know that 98% of messages sent by text are opened compared to only 20% when sent by email?).<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In doing so, communication stays regular and consistent. This is why it&#8217;s so important to have a multi-channel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/communication-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">communication platform<\/a> (like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/solutions\/small-business.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RingCentral<\/a>!)\u2014it <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">allows you to connect with your customers in ways most convenient to <em>them<\/em> while also allowing you to capture insights through all those channels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During these communications, businesses need to make sure that they know their customers\u2014not in a &#8220;we&#8217;re collecting all your information and Big-Brothering you&#8221; way, but in a way where you remember to give them a small gift on their birthday for instance, or where you automatically fill out information in forms so that it&#8217;s more convenient for them like in the mortgage example above.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is what delivering an omnichannel experience means, and understanding the customer journey can help you create these experiences because it helps bridge gaps in the process. For instance, in the above, by learning that customers regularly want to speak to an agent by phone during the Explore process, you can add an automated appointment scheduling tool to reduce the friction for them to move into the Purchase phase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By understanding how customers interact with your brand across multiple channels, you can optimize your journey to alleviate their frustrations, pain points, and help nudge them along in their journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get started on your next customer journey(s)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s no single way to create a purposeful journey. A lot of this will come down to what customer data you currently have, as well as what resources or tools you plan on adopting to gain those insights. What we will say though is that the combination of a strong CRM and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">communications tool<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> goes a long way to building end-to-end journeys that accurately reflect how your customers are behaving and what they\u2019re experiencing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The value of customer journeys is that they act as mirrors to reflect what is and isn\u2019t working with your current products or services, implementation techniques, costs, and\/or operations. Understanding this data allows you to make improvements in a more targeted, intentional way rather than through blind trial and error.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the day, the key to unlocking this value is to stay on top of updating your journey as your business continues to evolve and your customers\u2019 needs change over time\u2014which of course means regularly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><\/sup> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">business.linkedin.com\/marketing-solutions\/blog\/sales-and-marketing\/2018\/customer-journey-map-definition-benefits-examples<\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2, 3<\/span><\/sup> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">uxpressia.com\/personas-online-tool<\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><\/sup> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">behaviouralresponse.com\/customer-journey-optimization<\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 <\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">campaignmonitor.com\/blog\/email-marketing\/2019\/01\/roi-showdown-sms-marketing-vs-email-marketing<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How well do you really know your customers? Imagine your business has just released a new set of products that you\u2019re selling through your storefront and online. You notice the amount of sales through both are pretty evenly distributed, yet the customers who are buying in-person seem way more satisfied with the same exact product &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":43522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[18026,18740,18739],"class_list":["post-43514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership","tag-customer-journey","tag-customer-journey-maps","tag-customer-journeys"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Customer journeys: From creation to visualizing to mapping | RingCentral Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn all about customer journeys, from how to understand your 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