Creating Unique Customer Journeys That Boost Brand Perception

Great journey maps start from the intersection of user touchpoints. A customer journey map shows a customer's experiences with your organization, from when they identify a need to whether that need is met. Journey maps are often shown as straight lines with touchpoints explaining a user's challenges. start •—------------>• finish At the heart of this approach is the user, assuming that your product or service is the one they choose to use in their journey. While journey maps help explain the conceptual journey, they often give the wrong impression of how users are trying to solve their problems. In reality, users start from different places, have unique ways of understanding their problems, and often have expectations that your service can't fully meet. Our testing and user research over the years has shown how varied these problem-solving approaches can be. Building a great journey map involves identifying a constellation of touchpoints rather than a single, linear path. Users start from different points and follow various paths, making their journeys complex and varied. These paths intersect to form signals, indicating valuable touchpoints. Users interact with your product or service in many different ways. User journeys are not straightforward and involve multiple touchpoints and interactions…many of which have nothing to do with your company. Here’s how you can create valuable journeys: → Using open-ended questions and a product like Helio, identify key touchpoints, pain points, and decision-making moments within each journey. → Determine the most valuable touchpoints based on the intersection frequency and user feedback. → Create structured lists with closed answer sets and retest with multiple-choice questions to get stronger signals. → Represent these intersections as key touchpoints that indicate where users commonly interact with your product or service. → Focus on these touchpoints for further testing and optimization. Generalizing the linear flow can be practical once you have gone through this process. It helps tell the story of where users need the most support or attention, making it a helpful tool for stakeholders. Using these techniques, we’ve seen engagement nearly double on websites we support. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

Every delightful customer interaction begins with the marketer, and it can only be as powerful as the #CRM and #metadata underpinning it. With agents supporting them at every step of the customer journey creation process, marketers and #customerengagement teams can now create superior experiences shaped by intelligent and emotionally resonant conversations. At a cognitive level, the human brain no longer perceives AI as a “chatbot.” It perceives a relationship. This emotional shift fundamentally changes how consumers relate to brands, fostering deeper loyalty and trust. When customers interact with agents in a way that feels natural, their engagement deepens. The implications go far beyond engagement. Every AI-driven interaction generates a wealth of contextual data, far richer than what brands could ever collect from a single web form or survey. In one conversation, an agent can gather insights about a customer’s preferences, behaviors, and intent, building a more complete, dynamic customer profile. This continuous intelligence loop allows brands to maximize the value of every interaction. Let’s bring this to life with an example... Imagine Melanie, one of your many potential customers. She’s been thinking about joining Posh Fitness, a popular gym chain in her city. Instead of filling out a form, she decides to engage with the agent on their website. As they chat, it quickly feels more like a friendly exchange than a transaction. Melanie shares her fitness goals, whether she wants to lose weight, gain muscle, or improve flexibility, and the agent listens closely, asking the right questions to understand her needs and intent. The agent gathers valuable insights through this conversation that a simple web form could never capture. Melanie mentions her dietary restrictions, her preference for a supportive personal trainer style, and that she loves outdoor workouts but needs a flexible schedule due to her busy life. In just a few minutes, the agent collects a wealth of data about Melanie: her goals, preferences, and availability—all essential to crafting a personalized experience. And because the conversation feels human-like and emotionally resonant, it creates an immediate connection to Posh Fitness. By collecting this richer data early in the relationship, Posh Fitness can offer tailored recommendations and build Melanie’s loyalty well before she signs up. This isn’t just about closing a sale. It’s about building trust and delivering personalized experiences that evoke emotions and feel deeply human. Brands that will thrive in the era of #Agentic #AI are those that recognize the shift from transactional interactions to relationship-driven engagement. This isn’t just about personalization; it’s about creating experiences and dialogues that feel alive—where AI and marketers co-create journeys that adapt in real time, amplifying the impact of every customer moment.

Key learnings from 8+ Years of Customer-First Design 💡 1. Understand the customer’s pain points deeply: The most successful products don’t just solve problems, they solve the right problems. To truly understand what your customers need, immerse yourself in their world. Conduct deep, qualitative research, listen to their stories, and build empathy. Every feature, decision, and design should stem from this fundamental understanding. [Lesson]: Invest time in user research and listen to real customer feedback early and often. ___________________________________ 2. Agility is key, but don't compromise on quality: Startups require you to iterate fast, but a “move fast and break things” mindset shouldn’t come at the expense of delivering a seamless experience. Customers today expect a polished product, even in beta. Striking a balance between agility and quality requires thoughtful prioritisation of features and a focus on minimum viable experiences rather than just minimum viable products. [Lesson]: Create customer delight by balancing speed and quality, focusing on small but meaningful wins. ___________________________________ 3. Personalisation enhances customer loyalty: Personalised experiences make customers feel valued. By leveraging user data to tailor content, product recommendations, or communication, you create a more engaging experience. The more relevant your product feels, the more likely users are to stick around and become loyal advocates. [Lesson] Personalise wherever possible, be it through onboarding flows, UX, or content that speaks directly to individual user journeys. ___________________________________ 4. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication: A customer-first experience should feel intuitive and effortless. Users shouldn't have to think too hard about how to interact with your product. Prioritise simplicity over feature-richness, eliminate unnecessary complexity that confuses users. Always test how users experience your product to ensure it’s frictionless and easy to navigate. [Lesson] Streamline user journeys by simplifying interactions and focusing on clarity over cleverness. ___________________________________ 5. Feedback loops are critical Listening to customers doesn’t stop at launch. You need constant feedback loops, whether through surveys, user testing, analytics, or support channels—to keep improving the product. What worked in the early stages of the startup might need refinement as you scale. Continually refining your product based on direct customer feedback is crucial to long-term success. [Lesson] Build strong feedback loops that keep you connected to customer needs, and iterate based on that insight. Customer-first experiences don’t just happen; they are the result of intentional design, deep empathy, and a commitment to continually evolve based on customer needs. #CustomerFirst #UXDesign #StartupLife #UserExperience #ProductDesign

☕ Lessons in Customer Experience from a Coffee Shop in Singapore Wait, why are we talking about a coffee shop in Singapore instead of Seattle or San Francisco? Because this experience isn’t *yet* available in the US—and it’s one the world should take note of. At Bacha Coffee, luxury, culture, and customer care come together to create an unforgettable experience. It’s not just about coffee—it’s about a masterclass in customer experience (CX). Here are my reflections on their extraordinary approach and the lessons any business can learn from them: 1. Storytelling and building connection From the first greeting to a personalized introduction to their 200+ single-origin coffees, the team at Bacha Coffee makes every guest feel special. They don’t just serve coffee—they tell its story.  Lesson: Build an emotional connection with your customers through storytelling and authenticity. 2. Personalization at Scale Staff members anticipate needs, provide tailored recommendations, and treat every guest like a VIP. It’s personalization done right.  Lesson: Know your customers deeply to deliver meaningful, tailored experiences. 📸 3. Shareable Moments From golden coffee pots to stunning packaging, everything at Bacha Coffee is Instagram-worthy. They’ve turned their experience into something customers love to showcase.  Lesson: Build shareable moments into your customer journey—it’s free marketing with high impact. Great CX isn’t about big gestures—it’s about creating intentional, thoughtful moments at every touchpoint. Whether you’re in tech, retail, or consulting, the principles of immersion, personalization, and storytelling apply universally. ✨ Your Turn: What’s one unforgettable customer experience that’s inspired you? #CustomerExperience #CX #Luxury #Storytelling #BusinessLessons #BachaCoffee #CustomerJourney