Crafting effective customer journeys is about designing experiences that enhance retention and advocacy. It goes beyond simply acquiring new customers.
As McKinsey notes, companies that focus on improving customer experiences can double their growth, particularly in industries like airlines, telcos, and utilities. A large customer base built on brand loyalty is a significant competitive advantage for businesses. It is also more cost efficient because, on average, it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an old one.
The key criteria that can make or break retention are customer support, service, and after-sales engagement. Aligning customer service technology to your customer journey map is the first step to achieving lower churn rates and better customer satisfaction in the retention and advocacy stages.
What is customer journey mapping?
Customer journey maps represent the process a customer goes through when interacting with a company, from initial awareness to post-purchase support. They outline the various touchpoints, channels, and experiences a customer encounters along their path to purchasing and using a product or service.
Key points in a customer journey are:
Evaluating KPIs and user flows across the entire journey is key to improving it. But often, companies focus on acquisition stages and do not pay as much attention to retention and advocacy – resulting in higher churn and increased customer acquisition costs.
Retention and advocacy with CX technology
Enhancing the retention phase with a tool such as a well-designed chatbot interactions can lead to a 15%-25% increase in cross-sells. Here, the critical aspect is a shift in focus from initial acquisition to long-term engagement, especially focusing on how customers interact with your brand, and how to leverage technology to improve these interactions.
In the retention phase, key customer service touchpoints to consider are:
- How easy is it for customers to access basic troubleshooting tips online?
- When they need to ask an agent about an issue they’re facing, how long do they have to wait for a response?
- What channels does your customer base prefer to use to get the resolution they need?
- What are the issues that different customer segments face?
AICX technology can give customers the self-serve options they’re looking for, with omnichannel support across familiar channels beyond your website, like WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, and more. It can also help track data like segmentation analysis, first response time (FRT), and customer support trends for continuous improvement to retention over time.
Example: Digital banking customer support journey
Picture this scenario: a customer realises they’re late on a utility bill, and needs to send payment right away. They use a banking app that lets them transfer funds easily, but are struggling to remember the steps involved in sending payment.
Here’s a comparison of their journey with limited manual support vs. AI-enabled support:
With AI-enabled support, response times for simple queries are immediate; the customer can get a quick solution for simple issues, with minimal frustration.
When live agents arrive in the office, they’ll be able to spend their time reviewing chat logs and handling complex issues instead of being sidetracked by simple support requests. A comprehensive AICX solution ensures successful delivery of both these channels. For example, if a customer asks a question that Proto’s AICX Platform can’t automate, it’s redirected to the appropriate agent for human support.
Linking customer journeys to value
With faster support for simple queries and more time for agents to prioritise complex issues, AICX technology provides a comprehensive system that improves the support experience for both customers and agents. It also provides access to relevant CX data, empowering agents to understand them more easily, and suggest strategic improvements to CX.
This leads to customer journeys being optimised by identifying and assigning business value to various points of interaction and customer experience. As a result, growth and advocacy can be derived from multiple points in the customer journey.
Proto’s AICX Platform can help organisations design a better journey through multilingual, multi-platform chatbots, supported by comprehensive analytics and chat histories. With access to all the information they need to serve customers efficiently.
Ready to improve the retention and advocacy phases of your customer journey? Try Proto today.
