Mapping customer experience

Customer journey mapping may be approached in a number of different ways, but communicators usually focus on the following key areas:

Response

This identifies how your customers feel and how they respond to your current service/process or communications offer. This can be mapped against how you want your customers to feel and respond and is the main aim of the customer journey map. Bringing in the emotional dimension to the mapping process is vital where the objective of your campaign is to change behaviour, as it is often emotional requirements which drive behaviour - as is the case with the customer who seeks reassurance by telephoning to make sure their form has arrived.

Touch point

A touch point is any point at which the customer interacts with your organisation.

A touch point could cover:

• any communication - such as an advert, website or literature
• any human contact - from your reception staff to your frontline team or call centre operator
• any physical interaction - for example with your building or your car park.

Each touch point creates a series of voting points.

Voting point

A voting point is a key point at which your customer is likely to pause to evaluate if they are delighted, satisfied or dissatisfied with their experience. It is at this point that the customer could 'vote' whether to stay or leave - it is a key 'moment of truth'.

For instance,having a long wait to be seen by someone may cause the customer to become frustrated and impatient and decide to leave.

The main reason to identify voting points is to avoid them or find ways of removing them from the process. They are the stumbling blocks that could prevent you achieving your objective.

The only time you really want your customers to vote is at the end of their experience - and hopefully it will be a positive vote. Customer journey mapping - airline example

Mapping service solutions to customer experience or 'moments of truth'.