Recently, I needed a new windshield wiper blade. The day was a sloppy mix of rain and snow, and the driving would be a hassle if I didn’t take care of the problem. I stopped into a local O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store, and picked out the basic wiper blade. As I went to check out, the clerk, a pleasant, elderly gentleman suggested I look at the next blade up in quality (and price). He vouched for them, saying he had great luck with them. He walked me back to the display, helped me pick out the new blade, which happened to be on a two for one sale. Going a few steps beyond, he offered to install the new blades for me! Having mangled more than my share of new blades, this was a great but unexpected (and free) service. In five minutes, I was on my way, and thanks to my new friend John at O’Reilly Auto Parts, equipped with a clean windshield and ready to drive safely.
What had happened? O’Reilly anticipated not just my purchase experience of a commodity product, but gone deeper into the journey of my experience – beyond purchase to installation and use. It was unexpected, totally satisfying and worth a story for me to tell.
Sometime back, we were encouraged to look at our companies’ business processes, to get a better handle on what was efficient and inefficient in the way we did work. Many a quality or re-engineering method had us looking at inputs, outputs, and the steps people and machines or computers took to produce goods or information. And while many of these helped companies better understand cost and quality, it left us short on how to provide great service.
But many of these process maps take the view of how our company sees it… what about our customers’ view? I’d suggest many an internal process improvement was never visible to a customer. Why? Our view in many cases was “inside – out” – how we saw it. On top of that, we tend to think of processes as “linear” – first this step happens, then that one. All of us in customer service know it NEVER happens that way – there are always interruptions to our neatly honed processes when CUSTOMERS are involved!
OUTSIDE – IN
So, how can we take a customer’s view of our company? I’d like to suggest a tool many in the Customer Experience Management community use – The Journey Map.
What is it? The Journey Map is a way of looking at the experience a customer has with a firm, its products or services. It goes beyond the step by step process map to envision how customers live, work and play – and to deepen our understanding of how our products and services can make a positive and winning impact as customers use them.
A few years ago, one of my favorite business leaders, Richard Branson, was introducing business class travel from the United States to London on Virgin Air, and competing with vaunted British Airways and the American airlines. His competitors focused on in-plane features and amenities and relatively competitive fares for a lucrative route. Virgin Air chose to go several steps beyond: while competitors focused on the business lounge and the in-flight experience, Branson took a view of the FULL journey by a business person: he had his team look at the experience of a valued business traveler and what they needed to accomplish to have a successful trip.
- His view of the journey included the journey TO the airport – so Virgin Air business travelers were picked up by limousine and transported to the airport. Bags were checked in as part of the pickup service.
- Once at the airport, the business class lounge provided a full meal buffet, not just snacks
- Upon arrival at Heathrow, complimentary use of showers, a massage, suit, shirt or dress pressing.
- Limousine service to your business meeting.
In this way, Virgin demonstrated it understood that business traveler’s journey neither started at the airport nor finished at the airport. That the things that taxed a traveler could be addressed by Virgin as a travel companion AND as a business partner. Impressive.
Let’s try on an example:
Let’s say you make a great add-on accessory case for a phone or portable music device. You have some choices about the product design: what material is the case made of, how it is packaged, how you promote the product and how you stand behind your product as customers use it.
A Journey Map would envision and document several aspects of the customer’s use of mobile devices and accessories:
- How do customers use their phone? Is it carried in a pocket? A Purse or backpack? On a hip?
- Product material – is it slippery or grippy? Can it survive the “drop” test?
- Packaging – is it easy to open? Or do you need a large pair of scissors or an acetylene torch to open it?
- How is your product merchandised in store? Can the client try it out on their phone? Does the online information contribute in a positive way to differentiating the product? Is there a chat capability to help with product or usage questions?
- Customers exchange or buy a new phone every couple of years… can you extend the relationship by getting them to buy a new case of yours with a loyalty promotion or coupon or referral to a friend?
Around each of these areas of questions you need to answer about how your product would work and how the customer experiences your firm. It would examine the emotional attributes of the buying and ownership experience, and build standard but differentiating service procedures into each step of the Journey. Build your website, call centers and other sales and service channels to anticipate the full customer experience – from research, to selection, to product usage, to problem resolution, to proactive service and deepening the customer relationship and building follow on business.
Lessons about the using the Journey Map to create a great experience
- Extend your view beyond the sale
- Pre-sale
- Sale
- Ownership
- Renewal
- Understand why and how a customer uses your product or service
- What situations does your client use your product in
- What can happen emotionally?
- What would cause them to use your channels – both assisted and self service?
- Anticipate these uses and build them into your processes
- Don’t miss an opportunity to demonstrate your excellence in service
- Don’t miss an opportunity to build a deeper (and more profitable) relationship
- Don’t miss an opportunity to differentiate
Invest in the effort to really understand your customers and how they experience your firm, your competitors and the market from their view – the Outside-In. Like John and O’Reilly, you can create a clear view to a better customer experience.
