In my previous blog on thinking the unthinkable, I indicated the need to anticipate and support the whole customer experience. In my view, many customer journeys only reflect a partial view of the customer experience. I suggested that the reason for this may be related to the fact that it is the easiest way to create a customer journey because it is predictable, finite, and under the influence of the company and are built based on a moments of truth model only reflecting what customers do with a company.
So how do you start to create a customer journey that reflects the full customer experience? In our approach this is possible when you focus on the state of mind of the customer too, rather than just the moments of truth. In comparison to the moments of truth, the state of mind model is more strongly related to why customers do what they do rather than just what they do. This implies that you are more focused on the feelings that drive the actions rather than the actions themselves.
Lets look at a generic example based on a project we have been working on for the automotive sector. In preparing an engaging customer experience to proactively engage in dialogue with customers, we wanted to map our approach using a customer journey map. Looking at the diagram below, we see the moments of truth (what) for the customer on the left and the state of mind (why) to the right. In the middle is the combination of both the what and the why.
By focusing on the state of mind you are evaluating the customer experience from the point of view of the customer needs which allows you to respond in a more relevant way. Due to the fact that you are now focused on feelings rather than just actions, you are influencing the relationship more directly.
By starting with the state of mind you can also more accurately map the expectations that customers have in the moments of truth. The combination helps to identify gaps between what your processes are providing and what the customer needs. It also more completely reflects the full customer experience.
The benefits speak for themselves:
– more trust because you are engaging customers more emotionally
– increased performance in direct marketing activities because you are predicting more accurately and being more relevant
– more direct ROI.
In summary, extending the customer journey beyond the moments of truth to the state of mind of your customers will allow a strong emotional connection and provide you new insights that were not visible before.
What do you think?
