Customer Journey mapping for small business owners

Do your customers have an consistent experience? Is the journey that your customers take different every time?

It is important to understand what works well and what doesn’t work so well in your business to ensure you are providing the very best experience to your customers.

Why the customer journey is important?

Mapping your customer journey helps you to plot the step-by-step touch points with your customers. No doubt you do this automatically. However, this can lead to variations of experience.  By ‘bringing to life’ your customer journey as a visual, you will see the good, the bad and the ugly.

By mapping a customer’s steps, it is expected that you can better identify potential hazards; meet customer expectations; improve customer experience and shape internal processes (Villiani, 2019).

Surprisingly, only 33% of businesses use journey mapping, however, the benefits are huge. These include, increased customer satisfaction, reduced customer churn and fewer complaints (MYcustomer, 2018).

You may not have had experience of customer journey process mapping, so here are some tips.

How to map a customer journey

Here are some tips to map your customer journey

  1. Understand your ideal customer

This is not as easy as you think. It may help to first think of the customers that you dislike working with. By bringing these to mind, you are indirectly forming a picture of your ideal client. Working with your ideal client gives you joy and satisfaction.  With the ideal client in mind, now visualise them walking through the customer journey.

  1. Big paper, pens, sticky notes

To get things flowing, get out the paper and pens. You will be surprised how much comes out using this method. It is also more interactive. Invite team members to join in, stand back and get idea storming.

  1. Outcomes

Think of the outcomes you would want to achieve from mapping the customer journey- think of these both from the point of view of the customer and the business perspective.

  1. Map all the steps of your customer journey

Time to get stuck in. Now you’ve got your ideal customer in the forefront of your mind, mark down all the steps they go through during the whole customer life cycle, including mapping what happens before they buy from you (the marketing process) and the steps beyond buying your product or service.

  1. Roadblocks in the customer journey

When you have mapped the key stages, it is crucial that you revisit each stage and mark down any roadblocks. Where does it feel clunky to your customers? Where is it longwinded? Where are the points at which your customers ask you lots of questions? Of course, without feedback from customers, this can only be seen from your perspective (as the business owner).

  1. Troubleshoot

Once you have your map in front of you with the roadblocks labelled, it’s time to think about how you can improve the customer experience. Look at the questions your customers have, and the problems they encounter (known as their pain points). What measures could you input to remove or reduce these roadblocks?

  1. Invite your customers

If you’re unsure if the roadblocks are more your barrier than the customers, then involve your customers. Create customer feedback surveys to better understand their experiences of your customer journey, rather than simply asking their experience of using product or service. You want to know what is like to buy from you- from beginning to end.

How to improve your customer journey

Customer journey mapping helps you consider the customer experience from a whole life cycle perspective. It allows you to identify potential pain points, generate ideas of how you can improve customer experience, as well as highlighting what you’re doing well.

Often, as business owners, we are too close to spot all of the snags, this is why I offer customer journey workshops to be your second pair of eyes and ears. For more information, visit my website here Customer Journey Workshops – VK Business Assist and book a free consultation to talk more.

“Over the past month Veronica and I have been working together to implement our very first CRM. Veronica has made the whole process seamless. From our inital conversation, through the customer journey and setting up our bespoke system, Veronica has completely understood our business and how we work. The guidance Veronica has given us to ensure we understand how to use the CRM and style it to our needs has meant that we have instantly been able to use the system and start seeing the advantages of it right from the start. I would not hesitate to recommend Veronica to anyone who is thinking about getting a CRM.”

“I had been wanting a CRM for some time to better keep track of referrals given and received within my networking groups, and also for tracking my own leads and prospects and measuring conversion. The support Veronica has provided to me however has been so much more than a bespoke, already indispensable, CRM. Veronica has helped me map my customer journey, implement other software and processes (which will enhance the client experience) articulate my values and those of the clients I most love working. She has given me easy but invaluable time and diary management tips and possibly the greatest takeaway, the insistence that I include in my diary an afternoon off for myself. I would highly recommend Veronica”

“I recently had the pleasure of working with Veronica to bring me up to speed on exactly what I should be doing with my CRM. I had sourced a system and been diligent with the initial setup but wasn’t using it to its maximum potential. After completing a power hour with Veronica, I now have a renewed focus and can confidently move forward. Wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to my network.”

“As a Driver Risk Management Consultant, I have a responsibility to my clients who entrust their driver safety requirements to me. Onboarding clients consists of several tasks and milestones. I realised that to manage sales pipelines and track my clients through the onboarding process, I needed a CRM system. I had almost given up until I met Veronica Kitton from VK Business Assist. Veronica took me through a customer journey workshop where she got to know me, my vision, processes and through this, not only did I discover a new way of working, Veronica was able to set up a CRM system that exactly met my requirements. I’ve just gone through my CRM system handover where Veronica took time to show me the system and explain how it will work to streamline what I do and in a far more efficient way than is current. Having experienced Veronica’s attention to detail and the fact that she is a thoroughly lovely person, I have no hesitation in recommending her.”

‘I can’t recommend Veronica highly enough. I booked a CRM power hour with her to help me to make the most of my Capsule CRM features. Veronica took me through all the features and explained how they would support my business. She didn’t over complicate things and went at my (slow)! pace to ensure I understood what I was doing. Thank you so much.”

“I have recently been working with Veronica to select the right CRM system for my business. Her approach has been absolutely outstanding. She made sure she had a detailed understanding of the customer journey within my business, to establish which CRM system would best suit my needs. Having come up with that recommendation (which I agreed with), she then completely managed the set up and implementation process so it was ‘boxed up’ and ready to use. She also provided two detailed training sessions on how to use the system. A truly excellent service from start to finish and I would wholeheartedly recommend Veronica to help you select and set up the right CRM system.”

“Veronica has recently helped me set up a new CRM system using Capsule. Vernonica’s approach to the project is excellent, implementing a well managed plan and offering support, advice and insight throughout the process. I’d recommend that anyone wishing to implement a new CRM system, or wants to get the most out of their current system, should reach out to Veronica.”

“I had been searching for a CRM for sometime and I found it really tricky to know which one was right for me? I tried a few but just felt at a loss to know which to go for and which one would be right for me? Thankfully I found Veronica on Linkedin who offers a unique service where she takes me through the maze of searching for the right CRM and then sets it up for me; she offered me the complete package! All in all she helped me pin point the right CRM for my business, she helped me to map my customer journey which was then reflected in the functions and customisation of my CRM, she offered recommendations for time saving and (most importantly) saved me the time and misery of embarking on trying to do all this myself. I would recommend Veronica to any small business owner that is looking to take the pain out of having a CRM in their business.”

“I have absolutely loved this course. The way you got me to break down the customer journey and then overlay the various component parts from the info I needed to gather at each stage, the documents, tools, and methods of communication I’m using at each stage and where the stumbling blocks might be was just great! All culminating in understanding the tech requirements from Capsule CRM has really been a game changer – thank you Veronica!”

“J-Lau Associates would both like to thank and highly recommend Veronica Kitton for our new CRM System. Veronica went out of her way to explain and teach us about Capsule. She also populated the system for us and discussed in length our customer journey. Going forward we now have a system we can rely on and will keep us more organised and will help us with our process efficiently and effectively. We will definitely be using her again for her services in the future.”

“I knew when we met it would be more than implementing Capsule CRM system for my business, but I didn’t know quite just how it would change my business like it has. The focus on the customer journey made a significant impact on my thinking about my business as a whole. I feel clearer in the direction I want to go and the niche I want to go for.”

“Veronica recently helped the business step by step to create a sales process/customer journey from enquiry/prospecting and covering all the steps to conversion then money, onboarding and upselling. Great tips shared to cover the flow, questions to ask, tech to use and much more. Such a useful service and to get an outsider looking in perspective to help grow and nurture my business and leads. The next step would be to implement a CRM. Recommended for businesses using a CRM for the first time or to document their sales processes, Thanks Veronica”

“Over the past month Veronica and I have been working together to implement our very first CRM. Veronica has made the whole process seamless. From our inital conversation, through the customer journey and setting up our bespoke system, Veronica has completely understood our business and how we work. The guidance Veronica has given us to ensure we understand how to use the CRM and style it to our needs has meant that we have instantly been able to use the system and start seeing the advantages of it right from the start. I would not hesitate to recommend Veronica to anyone who is thinking about getting a CRM.”

“I had been wanting a CRM for some time to better keep track of referrals given and received within my networking groups, and also for tracking my own leads and prospects and measuring conversion. The support Veronica has provided to me however has been so much more than a bespoke, already indispensable, CRM. Veronica has helped me map my customer journey, implement other software and processes (which will enhance the client experience) articulate my values and those of the clients I most love working. She has given me easy but invaluable time and diary management tips and possibly the greatest takeaway, the insistence that I include in my diary an afternoon off for myself. I would highly recommend Veronica”

“I recently had the pleasure of working with Veronica to bring me up to speed on exactly what I should be doing with my CRM. I had sourced a system and been diligent with the initial setup but wasn’t using it to its maximum potential. After completing a power hour with Veronica, I now have a renewed focus and can confidently move forward. Wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to my network.”

“As a Driver Risk Management Consultant, I have a responsibility to my clients who entrust their driver safety requirements to me. Onboarding clients consists of several tasks and milestones. I realised that to manage sales pipelines and track my clients through the onboarding process, I needed a CRM system. I had almost given up until I met Veronica Kitton from VK Business Assist. Veronica took me through a customer journey workshop where she got to know me, my vision, processes and through this, not only did I discover a new way of working, Veronica was able to set up a CRM system that exactly met my requirements. I’ve just gone through my CRM system handover where Veronica took time to show me the system and explain how it will work to streamline what I do and in a far more efficient way than is current. Having experienced Veronica’s attention to detail and the fact that she is a thoroughly lovely person, I have no hesitation in recommending her.”

‘I can’t recommend Veronica highly enough. I booked a CRM power hour with her to help me to make the most of my Capsule CRM features. Veronica took me through all the features and explained how they would support my business. She didn’t over complicate things and went at my (slow)! pace to ensure I understood what I was doing. Thank you so much.”

“I have recently been working with Veronica to select the right CRM system for my business. Her approach has been absolutely outstanding. She made sure she had a detailed understanding of the customer journey within my business, to establish which CRM system would best suit my needs. Having come up with that recommendation (which I agreed with), she then completely managed the set up and implementation process so it was ‘boxed up’ and ready to use. She also provided two detailed training sessions on how to use the system. A truly excellent service from start to finish and I would wholeheartedly recommend Veronica to help you select and set up the right CRM system.”

“Veronica has recently helped me set up a new CRM system using Capsule. Vernonica’s approach to the project is excellent, implementing a well managed plan and offering support, advice and insight throughout the process. I’d recommend that anyone wishing to implement a new CRM system, or wants to get the most out of their current system, should reach out to Veronica.”

“I had been searching for a CRM for sometime and I found it really tricky to know which one was right for me? I tried a few but just felt at a loss to know which to go for and which one would be right for me? Thankfully I found Veronica on Linkedin who offers a unique service where she takes me through the maze of searching for the right CRM and then sets it up for me; she offered me the complete package! All in all she helped me pin point the right CRM for my business, she helped me to map my customer journey which was then reflected in the functions and customisation of my CRM, she offered recommendations for time saving and (most importantly) saved me the time and misery of embarking on trying to do all this myself. I would recommend Veronica to any small business owner that is looking to take the pain out of having a CRM in their business.”

“I’ve recommended Veronica’s services to a number of my clients and they’ve all reported back positively on her knowledge, ability to understand their requirements and willingness to help, not only with identifying the right CRM for them but also in clarifying their customer journey. And she’s also a great person to work with; very personable and very professional. Highly recommended. ”

“J-Lau Associates would both like to thank and highly recommend Veronica Kitton for our new CRM System. Veronica went out of her way to explain and teach us about Capsule. She also populated the system for us and discussed in length our customer journey. Going forward we now have a system we can rely on and will keep us more organised and will help us with our process efficiently and effectively. We will definitely be using her again for her services in the future.”

“We commissioned Veronica from VK Business Assist to analyse a considerable amount of prospective client data that we had purchased, with a view to providing a more usable database of information, which we could then use for marketing and sales processes. She completed this task in a timely and effective way, allowing us to build the data into our plans for the future. We would recommend her for any similar administrative and analysis task and find her to be a very professional, approachable and likable individual!”

“From our very first meeting, through the proposal stage and working together Veronica has been incredibly professional, thought ‘outside the box’ and brought a passion and energy to the role of helping my charity. She is thorough, considerate and makes my life 100% easier. In just two weeks I’ve seen a fantastic ROI and my charity wouldn’t be having the exposure and success it is without Veronica’s services. 5 stars ⭐️ from me!”

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