As marketers, we get so close to the digital experiences we have created for our customers and so entrenched in delivering the latest phase or feature that we seldom step back and take a walk through our holistic customer experience we’ve created.

Even if you’ve created outstanding digital products and services – launched a new brand, a new commerce capability or a fully-fledged B2B self-service portal, chances are there will be blindspots and gaps which your customers can frustratingly fall into – damaging brand perception and holding you back from achieving your business objectives.

By stepping into your customers' shoes and navigating your digital journey as they would, you can uncover valuable insights into both the strengths and weaknesses of your current setup. This exercise is crucial for identifying actionable areas for improvement and setting the stage for a truly transformative customer experience.

Understanding the Customer Journey

The first step is a thorough walkthrough of your entire digital process, from initial contact through post-purchase interactions. This means engaging with your own digital platforms exactly as a customer would.

In the the first insight on goal setting in this series, Set Your Sights High, you should have used the KPI Tree to map out the priority digital outcomes. Now, pick the top 1, 3 or 5 digital journeys linked to those outcomes. It could be as simple as finding your London Office, getting in contact with your legal practice lead or the new line you’ve launched in your Ecommerce experience. Regardless of the task, step back and think how your customer might start that process and what they might expect from it.

• Search and Discovery: How easily are your products or services found both via search engines and on-site search? Analyse your SEO and on-site search functions for effectiveness.
• Website Navigation and Accessibility: Is the navigation intuitive? How is the mobile experience? Check browsers and devices. Ensure that your site is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
• Content and UX Design: Evaluate whether the content and user interface meet the needs of your customers. Are there UX or content updates that could enhance the experience?
• Conversion Points: Focus on the intuitiveness of forms and the overall checkout process. Are these elements optimised for the best possible user experience?
• Personalisation: Consider how personalised the experience feels. Are product recommendations, content, and offers tailored to individual user needs?

Download our UNRVLD Customer Journey Mapping Template and begin to document your experience excellence, issues and opportunities.

Map your Customer Journey

Once you've experienced your digital journey firsthand, begin to document every interaction, noting pain points as well as successful elements. This process of Customer Journey Mapping allows you to:

• Identify Immediate Areas for Improvement: Quick wins could be as simple as enhancing content clarity, increasing site speed, or refining SEO strategies.
• Plan Long-term Enhancements: Look at integrating CRM or using Customer Data and advanced analytics for better personalisation. Or overhauling your UX design to align more closely with customer expectations.

The key thing is you’ll now have created clarity on how your customers experience your brand and some critical next steps to improve that.

Engaging with Real Users

If you can afford the time and effort, why not verify your findings with actual customers or prospects. This can be done through:

• User Testing Sessions: Gather feedback on usability and satisfaction in a controlled environment.
• Surveys and Feedback Tools: Implement tools that collect real-time feedback from users navigating your site.

After initial adjustments, retest the experience safely in test environments or if appropriate / feasible – test on your live production environments.

Benchmarking Against Best Practices

Constant comparison with the best in the industry can elevate your digital experience to meet modern standards. Consider:

• Comparative Analysis: Regularly compare your digital touch points with your favourite apps and websites — those known for exceptional customer experiences.
• Adoption of Industry Best Practices: Implement learnings from these top performers into your own strategy.

Understanding your digital customer journey through direct experience and customer feedback provides invaluable insights that can dramatically enhance customer satisfaction and conversion rates. By continually auditing, adjusting, and aligning your digital presence with industry best practices, you ensure that your customer experience remains not only competitive but exemplary.

Don't forget to download our UNRVLD Customer Journey Mapping Template and begin to document your experience excellence, issues and opportunities.
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