Using Customer Journey to nurture relationships. Featuring Simone Smith.

Simone Smith

This is an extract from The Customer Experience Playbook by Jonathan Daniels. The full book can be purchased here. The creation of a visual story of customer interactions with your brand has proven to be an ever-present problem for many organizations. It has not only been the creation of the customer journey maps that has proven to be difficult for many organizations, but also the nurturing of relationships with the very customers they have created the journey maps for. However, customer journey maps remain a very important tool in any organization's closet as they allow for organizations to get a sense of their customers' motivations- their needs and pain points.

Scenario: Nurturing the relationship

When we think about the customer journey, there is often a temptation to finish mapping it at the sale. However, it is essential to remember our customers are layered human beings, who have most likely purchased based on emotion, so like any relationship, we must continue to work at it. It costs 6x more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep one, so nurturing your existing customers benefits both you and them.

The Approach:

It is extremely important to continue a mapped cycle of delivering a great customer experience beyond the initial sale. Think about ways you can remain in contact, whether it’s a scheduled call to check-in or a thank you card/gift on the anniversary of them being a customer. As specialists in corporate greeting cards, we often see the impact a small gesture has. For example, a recruitment agency that is a client of ours sends cards to their candidates congratulating them on getting their job. But it doesn’t stop there. They also send cards 6 months after, not only to thank them but also to check in on how they are doing. This shows that they are still on their mind and that delivering great service doesn’t stop just at the job placement. They have gone beyond the norm, instantly becoming more memorable to the candidates. This card impacted one of our client’s candidates so much, that they reached out to express their gratitude and stated they will always recommend the recruitment agency to friends and family. Now, this candidate has added greeting cards in the customer journey of their place of work. To be memorable, it is essential to keep delivering and think beyond the initial purchase (or job placement in this example).

Intended Results:

Organizations that have followed this approach have seen their teams become better and better at delivering things their customers appreciate. These organizations have also received validation of the effectiveness of their CX through contact and interaction with customers. They have also received validation through their revenue and profits. The companies have also seen an increase in referrals and positive word-of-mouth advertising.