{"id":6537,"date":"2018-12-11T19:17:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T19:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocketsource.com\/?p=6537"},"modified":"2024-03-28T22:05:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T22:05:58","slug":"customer-journey-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocketsource.com\/blog\/customer-journey-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Pairing a Business Transformation Framework and Customer Journey Map to Guide Your Sales Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the hottest sales tools today is the customer journey map which, believe it or not, hasn\u2019t been around for that long. It wasn\u2019t until recently \u2014 around the time that modern consumer behavior became more complex \u2014 that many companies started leveraging this crucial tool to increase sales. To better explain why, let\u2019s blast back to the past for a look at how today\u2019s buyer\u2019s journey \u2014 and thereby the sales process \u2014 has evolved over recent years.<\/p>\n

But first, a quick caveat. <\/em>The brainchild of the Customer Journey Map, co-founder of RocketSource, Buckley Barlow, tends to over-engineer things. \ud83d\ude09 The customer journey map is a prime example. Over the past 20 years, Buckley has iterated on the traditional version of customer journey mapping so much that he decided to call the latest version the “customer insights map”. But, for the sake of understanding, in this post we’ll refer to the concept of visually documenting a buyer’s journey as a customer journey map. Now, onward!\u00a0<\/em>
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The Sales Process: Then and Now<\/h2>\n

I have a background in sales. I’ve watched with fascination as the market has changed at rapid speed.<\/p>\n

A decade ago, customers weren\u2019t interacting with technology in quite the same way we do today. The Internet of Things<\/a> (IoT) wasn\u2019t commonplace. It was a foreign concept to make a request or purchase by merely saying, \u201cHey, Google!\u201d or \u201cAlexa…\u201d.<\/p>\n

The way people found what they wanted to buy varied too. Although consumers used search engines to research products and services, there was still a healthy skepticism about shopping online. Today, even the simplest tasks are done via an omnichannel<\/a> approach. As evidence of this, take a look at the difference in back-to-school supply purchase behavior in 2017 and 2018. Moms today are ordering online or via an app for in-store pickup or curbside pickup rather than dragging kids through the stores.<\/p>\n

\"omnichannel<\/p>\n

Technology has changed the fabric of the customer\u2019s journey across all industries \u2014 not just retail. To understand how it\u2019s changed your industry, a customer journey map can shed light on what your buyers are doing, from the awareness stage, all the way through the purchase and beyond.<\/p>\n

A word of warning\u00a0<\/strong>before you get started<\/strong>: too often we see companies dive head-first into customer journey map creation without considering how to use the insights they provide for the long term. Customer journey maps are powerful sales tools, but not when treated as one-off initiatives.<\/p>\n

Before stretching a giant, blank customer journey map across the wall, grabbing those sticky notes and jumping into it, it\u2019s essential to ensure that you’re approaching your mapping exercise through the right lens. That lens stems from the business framework you use in your organization.<\/p>\n

Customer Journey Mapping Via the Lens of a Business Framework<\/h2>\n
<\/div>
\nIn today\u2019s fast-paced, quickly evolving business environment, the framework you choose must encourage you to do three things: infuse data, internalize the meaning of that data and honor the nuances of today\u2019s modern consumer.<\/p>\n

Infusing Data<\/h3>\n

Traditionally, the surface level analytics found in most customer relationship management (CRM) tools are pretty much the extent of what\u2019s used to drive most make-or-break decisions. Just look at how many B2B marketers struggle with CRM integrations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"b2b<\/p>\n

A whopping 39% are novice when it comes to integrating data with their CRM, and 14% aren\u2019t even sure where data fits in. These companies are missing tremendous opportunities by not tapping into data. So why aren\u2019t they? It\u2019s certainly not because there is a shortage of data out there. There might be multiple reasons, but in our experience the primary reason is the lack of a framework to guide what\u2019s needed from the data during the customer journey mapping<\/a> process.<\/p>\n

Without a framework in place to serve as the blueprint and guide processes, many pieces are forgotten, left unstructured, or overlooked. The right framework shapes how the organization as a whole sees the customer\u2019s entire journey in a macro view. It acts as a guide to everyone in the organization, empowering teams from IT to sales and beyond to break out more profound insights about buyers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Easy to Internalize<\/h3>\n

For people, choosing the path of least resistance comes naturally. The harder something is to understand, the less likely we are to use it, opting for the more straightforward route instead. The same logic applies to a business framework. When implementing a business framework, it\u2019s easy to get tripped up by the complexity of it and just go right around it.<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, a robust framework doesn\u2019t need to be complicated. I argue that a well-built framework is simple on the surface and easily interpreted across all departments. This simplicity ensures that your framework doesn\u2019t have to be pulled out and referenced every time you make a critical decision.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Detailed<\/h3>\n

Oh, what a time to be alive! We\u2019re living in what Google calls the “age of assistance<\/a>.” People today rely on devices to steer decision making \u2014 even when those decisions are as small as buying a cup of coffee. An example of this behavior comes from Google\u2019s research<\/a>, that found:<\/p>\n

There was an 80% growth in the search term \u201cbest\u201d on mobile devices from 2015 to 2017.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n

When people want a caffeine fix from a local coffee shop, Google has found that they\u2019re more likely to search for \u201cbest coffee shop\u201d rather than simply \u201ccoffee shop.\u201d This new search behavior and others like it have led to an increase in the number of touchpoints along the buyer\u2019s path-to-purchase.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the increased number of times that buyers engage with your company. It\u2019s the detail involved in each of these touchpoints that is so important to consider when viewing your customer journey map. Consumers today demand personalization more than ever before. Epsilon research<\/a> found that:<\/p>\n

80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n

Understanding the consumer\u2019s journey and their expectations in each stage is critical for knowing how to personalize the experience and ultimately win the sale. But that personalization can\u2019t be delayed. Remember, consumers today are different. They\u2019re demanding. They have the power and they know it. Another Google study<\/a> found that because of this new-found power they also want immediacy.<\/p>\n

There is a 150% growth in mobile searches for \u201c_____ near me now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n

As modern consumer behavior becomes more intricate, so does the need for organizations to respond to those behavioral changes and understand how they impact a buyer’s transition between channels and across devices. Using a robust framework as a lens for viewing these nuances can help guide the process of filling out your customer journey map. The framework that answers these three requirements \u2014 the one we use at RocketSource \u2014 is StoryVesting.
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Understanding Modern Consumer Behavior Via the StoryVesting Framework<\/h2>\n

To understand why I’m such an advocate of leveraging the StoryVesting framework during the sales process, you must understand how it was created. You can read the full backstory behind this business transformation framework<\/a> over on our co-founder Buckley Barlow\u2019s<\/a> post, but for now here\u2019s some high-level insight into its history.<\/p>\n

StoryVesting is Based on Success<\/h3>\n

Buckley’s initial goal in creating the StoryVesting framework was to build something that would guide his personal and professional success. As he talked to people who had impressive resumes, like Jon Huntsman of Hunstman Chemical and Eric Schmidt of Google, he quickly found his research was going way beyond his personal success alone. Buckley had the research and insights to build a framework for organizational success too. These are the key insights he gathered from these conversations.<\/p>\n

\"StoryVesting<\/p>\n

A business\u2019s vision is paramount to achieving success, followed closely by the business model. When it comes to mapping your customer\u2019s journey, keeping these crucial pieces of the puzzle in mind can help you understand the big picture of what\u2019s needed to help your company succeed. But it goes deeper than that. No matter how intricate people\u2019s purchase behavior gets, sales still come down to the people involved.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s All About the People<\/h3>\n

Sales are all about relationships. These relationships are formed both internally and externally. Buckley\u2019s research proves this notion with respondents touting the importance of having employees who are vested <\/strong>(40%) and talented <\/strong>(28%).<\/p>\n

Scratching your head yet? Aren\u2019t those people just inside your business? Isn\u2019t this post about understanding the buyer\u2019s <\/em>journey? You\u2019re correct, which is one of the things I think makes StoryVesting so brilliant.<\/p>\n

As Buckley designed the framework, he incorporated two concentric circles representing the ripple effect of human decision-making \u2014 one that answered the brand\u2019s<\/strong> core drivers for success and the other that answered the customer\u2019s path-to-purchase<\/strong>. Here\u2019s what it looks like.<\/p>\n

\"storyvesting<\/p>\n

The brand experience framework was built out based on his research and findings for organizational success. The customer experience framework was built based on his passion for behavioral economics and consumer psychology.<\/p>\n

To build this framework Buckley studied a lot of people, including Albert Bandura<\/a>, who created the social learning theory out of his study using the famous Bobo Dolls. He also dug into recent research on the impact of cognitive associations and cognitive dissonance. Buckley even looked at neuroscience and the role the brain plays in making key buying decisions. The nuances of human behavior are baked into StoryVesting, and yet the framework as a whole is simple to internalize.<\/p>\n

Aligning These Circles<\/h3>\n

With both the brand and customer experiences accounted for, Buckley went into design mode to bring these two core groups of people closer together. To demonstrate this concept of alignment, Buckley outlined what it would look like as these two circles approached each other. Here\u2019s what he came up with:<\/p>\n

\"brand<\/p>\n

You can see that as these concentric circles drift apart the brand heads into No Man\u2019s Land, losing brand equity, disconnecting from modern consumer\u2019s needs and putting the company ahead of the customer. The closer these two circles align, the more euphoric the customer\u2019s experience becomes. Upon reaching Brand Euphoria, a brand is able to deliver immersive experiences, form deep emotive to cognitive associations (as well as pivotal triggers at each concentric stage) about the brand and become more customer-centric with each interaction. It\u2019s the latter that companies strive to achieve, and mapping the customer\u2019s journey is one practice that enables them to get closer to that goal.
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Aligning Experiences Via a Customer Journey Map<\/h2>\n

Traditionally, customer journey map exercises look a little like this one from BrightVessel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"traditional<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with this map. It\u2019s good. It captures essential aspects of the buyer\u2019s journey, including the stages they go through when deciding to buy and the steps they take in each of those stages and touchpoints. It even outlines which internal departments touch those customers along their journey.<\/p>\n

However, the customer journey map itself<\/strong> isn\u2019t what will bring alignment. You have to move both<\/strong> of the circles towards each other. Keeping the concept of this alignment in mind is critical as you start to map your customer journey and how your company engages with your buyers at every step.<\/p>\n

Another RocketSource co-founder, Steven Kiger, along with his associate Kevin Beckstead, covered how these types of journey maps have evolved to match the modern consumers’ funnel and consumer demands in their post about customer journey visualization<\/a>. And, as you might recall, earlier in this post, I outlined the importance of bringing in data to better understand what\u2019s happening with your customer. Yet, the traditional customer journey map (like this one from BrightVessel) just doesn\u2019t offer that level of insight. So I innovated on this exercise, using the StoryVesting framework to guide our efforts. Here\u2019s a sample of how that looks.<\/p>\n

\"customer<\/p>\n

I can’t give you the full version here, but you can see it in all its glory (with a ton of supporting detail) over on our post about customer journey mapping<\/a> or through our LevelNext workshops. As a team, we have put a lot of proprietary information and our secrets into it. What I can do for you here is touch on some of the ways we\u2019ve modernized the customer journey map so you can innovate your internal processes. Let\u2019s start by looking at this map horizontally.
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Looking Horizontally<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ll notice some questions, emotions and statements at the top of this map. These directly align with the empathy mapping exercise we’ve done specifically for this customer cohort. This is significant because by bringing empathy onto the map, we\u2019re better able to understand what the customer is thinking, feeling and doing at each stage of their journey.<\/p>\n

One of the best ways I’ve uncovered to draw out these insights and better understand exactly what the buyer is thinking, saying, feeling, and doing, is to use a free word cloud generator<\/a> (yes, free). In it, I’m able to drop large amounts of text and then quickly get a gorgeous word cloud that visualizes what people are saying at every stage of the journey.<\/p>\n

Move further down the map, and you\u2019ll notice two lines.<\/p>\n

\"customer<\/p>\n

These lines corresponds with the two circles in the StoryVesting framework. One represents the employee\u2019s experience and the other the customer\u2019s experience. By breaking these out separately, we can quickly visualize areas of opportunity to improve the experiences on both the customer side and the employee side throughout the sales and onboarding process.<\/p>\n

Looking at Micro-Moments<\/h3>\n

Another thing you\u2019ll notice is the number of touchpoints on this map. These correspond with modern consumers\u2019 research-obsessed behavior we talked about earlier. In this one stage alone, there are 11 touchpoints. Each of those touchpoints is a micro-moment in the buyer\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

According to Google, micro-moments occur when a customer reflexively turns to a device to learn, do, discover, watch or buy something, according to Google<\/a>. These small moments have a direct impact on the consumer\u2019s experience. McKinsey\u2019s research found that improving customer journey satisfaction at each touchpoint<\/a> can lead to:<\/p>\n