Building a Seamless Customer Touchpoint Experience

Friday honesty: Customer-centricity is a lot harder to maintain than it seems. Even for those of us in Customer Success. The tendency is always to drift toward making our processes and focus company-centric rather than customer-centric. Don't believe me? Just look at one example of this: Customer Journeys. Many teams say that they have a defined Customer Journey. But rather than actually being oriented around the customer, for many the journey map is a list of activities from the company's perspective that are built around milestones the company cares about (contract signature, go-live, renewal, etc). I know about this, because I've been guilty of it in the past myself. I confuse my activity list with a customer journey and wonder why customers aren't as successful as they'd like. While important, that isn't a customer journey. It's an activity list. It's a rut none of us mean to fall into, but it's the natural drift because we live and breathe our own organization. So what do you do about it? How can you adopt a more customer-centric mindset in this area? TRY THIS APPROACH INSTEAD: 1. List out the stages your customers' business goes through at each phase of their experience with your product. Use these to categorize journey stage, rather than your contract lifecycle. 2. For each stage, list out what their experiences, expectations, and activities should be to get the results they want. Don't focus on listing what YOU do, but rather focus on listing what a customer does at each phase of their business with your product. List out the challenges they'd face, the business benefits they'd experience, the change management they'd have to go through, the usage they'd expect. Think bigger than your product here. 3. Then map what support a customer would need to actually accomplish these desired outcomes at each stage of the journey. Think education, change management enablement, training, etc. 4. Based on all of the above, you're finally ready to start identifying what your teams do to support the customer. ____________________________________________ Following a process like this helps build customer-centricity in 3 ways: 1. It causes customers to be the center of how you decide which activities are most important to focus on. 2. It empowers your team to become prescriptive about what customers should be doing for THEIR success. 3. It exposes what you don't know about your customers' business. And if you don't know something, just ask them. Don't make assumptions when you can instead talk to your customers directly. Avoid the company-centric drift, fight to maintain true customer-centricity however you can. This isn't just a nice to have in 2024. It's a business imperative that's important for any business to survive in this climate. But I want to hear from you! How do you guard your org from drifting to company-centricity? #SaaS #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #CustomerCentric

86% of Marketers Say a Connected Customer Journey is Crucial – Is Your Company Falling Short? We all know that understanding the customer journey is crucial for business success. However, there are some often-overlooked elements that can make or break the customer experience. Here are a few key areas that need your attention: 1. Sales Process Clear Communication: Ensure your sales team provides clear and transparent information. Ambiguity can lead to confusion and lost trust. Seamless Handover: Smooth transitions between sales and other departments (e.g., customer success) ensure the customer feels supported throughout the journey. 2. Invoices, Contracts, and Payments Simplified Invoicing: Complicated invoices can frustrate customers. Make sure your invoicing process is straightforward and easy to understand. Transparent Contracts: Ensure that contracts are clear, concise, and free of jargon. Customers should know exactly what they are signing. Efficient Payment Process: Offer multiple payment options and ensure the payment process is quick and hassle-free. 3. Renewal Signing Process Proactive Communication: Don’t wait until the last minute to discuss renewals. Start the conversation early and address any concerns the customer may have. Value Demonstration: Continuously demonstrate the value your product or service provides to make the renewal decision easier for the customer. Streamlined Renewal: Make the renewal process as simple as possible. Avoid unnecessary steps and paperwork. Tips for Intentionally Planning the Customer Journey Map Every Touchpoint: Identify and map out every interaction a customer has with your brand, from initial contact through to renewal or re-engagement. Gather Feedback Continuously: Regularly collect feedback at various stages of the customer journey. Use surveys, interviews, and direct conversations to understand their experience. Integrate Departments: Ensure all departments (sales, marketing, customer success, finance) collaborate and share insights. This integration helps in providing a seamless experience. Address Pain Points: Identify common pain points and proactively address them. This could include improving your onboarding process or simplifying contract terms. Use Technology: Leverage CRM systems and other technology to track the customer journey and gather data that can be used to enhance the experience. By intentionally planning and addressing these often-missed elements, you can create a smoother, more satisfying experience for your customers. Remember, every interaction counts! Is your company falling short in providing a connected customer journey? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

❌ One mistake that will kill your business? Spending time or money on growth before mapping & measuring your customer journey. Most founders & marketers jump straight into paid ads, social media, and partnerships. But if you don’t understand how your customers move through your product, you’re burning money. 🛑 Growth WITHOUT a mapped journey = wasted effort. ✅ Growth WITH a mapped journey = compounding success. The most successful companies have done 3 things: 1️⃣ Defined their customer journey – from discovery to advocacy. 2️⃣ Optimized every touchpoint – reducing friction & increasing conversions. 3️⃣ Measured & iterated – identifying bottlenecks & doubling down on what works. Before you invest in traffic, ask yourself: 👉 Do I fully understand how my customers move through my product? 👉 Am I tracking & measuring every key step? 👉 Where are the bottlenecks—and how do I fix them? 💡 Your job as a founder or marketer is simple: 📌 Constantly improve the way customers interact with your product. 📌 Map every touchpoint before spending a dime on growth. 📌 Measure, optimize, repeat. This is Step 1 in every business I scale. And it works. 🚀 What’s YOUR biggest challenge in mapping the customer journey? Let’s discuss. 👇