What is the customer journey? The terms customer journey and buyer journey are frequently used interchangeably. However, there is a clear difference between the customer journey and buyer journey.
The buyer journey refers to ‘market’ and ‘sell’, while the customer journey refers to ‘support’ and ‘serve’. Within the customer journey many players and aspects play a great role in contributing to the ultimate customer experience.
What is customer journey mapping?
The customer journey is an important component in the on-going marketing strategy in a B2B business. As soon as people have chosen your product or service you will have to consider how you can serve your client best. In addition, you will have to consider how marketing can contribute to this. A good customer journey map is one of the most successful additions in making your business a more client-focused organisation. The ultimate goal is that your client becomes your biggest fan.
Customer journey mapping reveals how a client interacts with a company during a buy- and customer-process. A customer journey map provides insights of where possibilities for improvement are in the customer experience. We call it ‘mapping’, because we visualise the journey, the touch points, and the emotions, at every point of the customer journey and through all possible channels.
Why is the customer journey becoming more important?
The focus on the customer journey will increase in the coming years. This is needed in order to reach your marketing and business targets as marketer. By understanding the customer journey, marketers will have a better overview how to prioritise in regards to their investments. This in order to become more customer focused.
Also, through the Internet of Things (IoT), businesses have much more data available about their customers than ever before. It is therefore easier to check the needs and desires of clients and how you can take advantage of this. Think, for example, of personalised content.
Why is the customer journey so important in B2B organisations nowadays?
It is becoming much clearer within B2B organisations that the customer experience is important. In order to influence the customer experience, you have to look at the entire life cycle of the client (from the moment of their first contact with product/service until customer retention). As marketer, you want to know what your strengths and weaknesses are in the eyes of your clients. On top of that, you want to take control on the customer experience. That means that you need to understand the entire buyer and customer journey. This is important because there is a lot of competition to get the attention of a buyer.
Many companies make great content, and have great products and services, and standing out becomes more and more difficult. To excel, you need to ensure that your customer experience is exceptional.
