User experience at different touchpoints of the customer journey

The Customer Journey is, of course, to be considered strictly customer-oriented. The same applies to the Customer Journey Map.

In order to find out what customers need and/or expect, one should therefore by no means rely on assumptions, but proceed data-based. This is the only way to make the customer journey map meaningful and relevant.

The most important data for the customer journey map results from specific web analytics, which reflect the behavior of the users of a website. With the help of appropriate analysis tools, it is possible to understand very precisely how visitors interact with the individual pages and features and where there is potential for optimization.

Furthermore, customer service and direct customer surveys can provide valuable information.

It is worthwhile both to target customer surveys specifically at individual touchpoints in the customer journey and to ask support to ask relevant questions along the way. After all, not all deficits can be determined via web analytics and customers do not always give direct feedback of their own accord when they dislike or like something.

Concrete questions about expectations, needs and purchase decisions can provide a lot of useful insights for optimizing the customer journey.

The buyer persona is the prototype of a customer. It is largely based on the previously described analysis data and helps to better understand the own users. Among other things, the buyer persona summarizes the needs, goals and problems of the customer with regard to the company's services.

And how do you define a Buyer Persona?

Together with the analytics data, the buyer persona forms the foundation of customer journey optimization. Without determining who is going through the buying process, it cannot be improved efficiently.

It is very important to capture exactly what the personas want or need to achieve. Accordingly, challenges or desires in question are at the heart of the target group analysis. The Buyer Persona approach combines these factors with socio-demographic as well as psychological characteristics and other data in profiles of fictitious customer types.

In contrast to the classic target group analysis, customers are depicted much more tangibly and realistically as buyer personas, which means that the customer journey and the entire marketing can be aligned much more efficiently.

The creation of buyer personas can be done under different approaches. It is essential to consider the following aspects.

Background knowledge questions:

• How old is the persona,
• where does she live,
• what does she do for a living,
• what does she earn.
• and does she have a family?

Customer intention - motivation:

• Why does the persona need or want to buy
• and what are the exact motivations for seeking a solution (problems or needs)?

Benefits:

• What benefits does the persona expect to receive through a purchase - personally and/or for their company?
• what benefits are most important to her and what might she like about competitors' offerings?

Objections:

• What might prevent the persona from buying and what might competitors do better?

Once the most important data has been collected and buyer personas defined, the next step is to highlight the various steps that a typical customer goes through in chronological order on the way to making a purchase. Here, a distinction is made between steps and touchpoints.

Touchpoints are the points of contact with the brand created by a company. Steps, on the other hand, refer to various actions or steps that a customer takes on their own initiative during their customer journey. Ideally, touchpoints and steps are perfectly aligned at every point in the customer journey. In order to achieve this, they must first be appropriately compared in a timeline.

Touchpoints and steps are always distributed across different channels. These must also be clearly defined and linked to the buyer personas.

In the best case, it is determined that all touchpoints and steps are optimally harmonized or served across all important channels. In most cases, this reveals deficits, which can, however, be remedied very precisely after this check.

Now it is a matter of identifying when and where the buyer personas feel emotions during their steps and the relevant touchpoints.

The assessment of the emotional situation provides important insights for making the customer journey more personal. This in turn helps to increase the willingness to interact and even brand loyalty.

Not all steps and touchpoints are necessarily equally important for a buyer persona. It depends strongly on the respective challenges, needs and goals of the latter.

Of course, important steps and touchpoints should be particularly promoted. It is therefore important to precisely compare the steps, touchpoints, customer needs and general buying behavior and to identify the most relevant connections.

Users who have a problem or need that one can help solve with one's own company services are made aware of them.

A company recognizes that a new partner is needed for the supply of production resources and starts searching online for suitable options.

The interest of a user is stoked so that he has the desire to use the services of the company.

Because sustainable and fair practices are important to the searching company, they inform themselves specifically in this direction. All companies that offer touchpoints to these requirements are shortlisted.

The user acts - the product found to be suitable is purchased.

Finally, the perfect partner is found and the deal is closed.

The customer also receives good support after the purchase, which increases the chance of effective customer loyalty and repeat business.

The new partner looks after the original company so well that it uses its services in the long term.

Customers eventually even become brand ambassadors through ongoing good support.

The once seeking company actively recommends the services of the partner.