Mapping the user journey to design more memorable moments
The year was 2012 and like many young working professionals, I caught the startup itch. Rather than just talking about ideas, I decided to actually execute on one of them. Together with a couple of friends, I launched a men’s sock brand called Barnaby.
At the peak of the business, we were stocked in over 30 retail stores including Australia’s leading online retailer, The Iconic. We had customers from all around the world buying our socks and I personally interacted with customers on a daily basis. As someone that has spent the last 10 years advising organisations on how to improve the journeys for their customers, the most exciting aspect about having my own business was that I could deliver the ultimate customer experience.
Here is an example of a simple email exchange with a customer:
Customer: “It has been two weeks and I have not received my order!!!”
Me: “So sorry that this has happened! We will express post your order again with one free pair of socks!”
I felt like a customer experience superhero — replying to messages quickly and turning angry customers into brand advocates.
The superman of customer experience.
Why was it so important for us to quickly manage these not-so-happy customers? Thanks to the internet, customers are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing providers of goods and services. Customers have access to numerous online and offline channels, and they are not afraid to let the world know if experiences do not live up to expectations.
When trying to produce a memorable customer experience, organisations traditionally focus on elements such as speed, ease and convenience.
We live in an era of instant gratification. Ten years ago, an individual would be happy to:
Fast forward to 2020.
Nowadays, 66% of consumers expect a response to their query on the same day, and over 40% expect a reply within the hour. As these expectations continue to change, it has become harder than ever to ‘wow’ customers. What may have been a ‘wow’ moment a few years ago is actually just meeting expectations today.
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The WorkFlow podcast is hosted by Steve Glaveski with a mission to help you unlock your potential to do more great work in far less time, whether you're working as part of a team or flying solo, and to set you up for a richer life.
To help you avoid stepping into these all too common pitfalls, we’ve reflected on our five years as an organization working on corporate innovation programs across the globe, and have prepared 100 DOs and DON’Ts.
