Companies are turning to digital transformation to improve traditional business processes. Combined with people, strategy and technology the art of dissecting the customer journey is becoming easier to translate.
Changing process with digital transformation
In the inspection management sector, the customer experience has been impeded by a lack of technology. Companies are still using out of date processes to find and secure resources to conduct, assess and certify products and services. Using primarily email as the go to tool for advancing customer interactions. Agents are an integral part of the process, typically hired to find inspectors and unite them with clients.
At VERITAS we used our technical prowess to design a streamlined cloud-based inspection management system targeting both clients and resources. Effectively removing the middle man and joining two sides of the sales funnel together forming one digitised platform. With thought out integrated project workflows, candidate assessments, assignments, locality, skills and payment options our app is capable of providing a full digital experience.
In just a short time, we’ve overhauled a business sector which has taken 50 years to catch up. This is a remarkable example of how using digital transformation can be used to not only change business process but govern a whole sector.
In this blog we are going to examine how it is possible to take the customer journey, a common collaboration of steps used to turn prospects into clients, on a digital experience.
Customer Journey
A sale funnel is a collective of components used to define the actions taken by customers leading up to purchase. Combined with the post-sales operations process and you have a customer journey. This may begin as a flat line, depicting a beginning and an end but once you have secured a sale, the process runs on a continuous loop.
Going digital is not a fad, it has become a reality. Consumers are the leaders, shaping their own experiences wanting to buy without having to step over red tape and bureaucracy. Plus, with an exhaustible list of competitors customers have become flighty, demanding constant support and value for money whilst withdrawing the need to be loyal.
5 stages to define the digital customer journey
There are five common stages used to define the customer experience:- awareness, consideration, purchase, retention and referral. To transform this process, it requires digitisation.
Stage 1: Digital Awareness
In today’s digital world your customer typical uses one device more than any other, the phone in their hand. Inside is a wealth of information relating to their buying habits. Use this to answer two important questions. 1. How well do you know your customer and 2. How well does your customer know you? You essentially need to work out your target audience and how you can reach them.
Digital marketing uses online technology serving personalised rather than blanket advertising, creating interactive experiences and collecting valuable information. Apply this to a data driven strategy using digital CRM methods capturing social habits, geographic location and demographics. The sales team can use automated data analytics to extend the profile to create individual personas and examine social, economic and consumer behaviours. Digitised customer centric awareness will translate into how a brand can connect with its target market.
Stage 2: Digital Consideration
The buyer has two consideration points, each requiring a different digital approach. 1. They researched their problem and found your business or 2. They were unaware of a problem until your business presented the solution. Customers who have conducted extensive research may come with credit card in hand. Whereas a new customer with little knowledge will expect to see explainer videos and be open to communicating about your services.
Timing is crucial as is implementing ways to connect with prospective buyers. Digital consumers require immediate responses in real time. Connect via social media, AI chatbots, mobile messaging, automation tools and emails. Free up workers by removing initial query touch points with technology. Apply data driven algorithms to provide analytical research, collaborating and sharing intelligence across all core functions to strengthen the customer experience.
Stage 3: Digital Purchasing
Imagine your customer is willing to buy only to find they have to make a phone call to complete the transaction. This is not very appealing nor is it giving the customer a good digital experience. Ecommerce websites are excellent examples of digitising the purchasing stage of the journey. Customers find the product and make a purchase within a click or two. They aren’t stopped in their tracks, waiting for a call back.
To ensure the full experience is digitised show your customer you are digitally prepared. Create landing pages specifically linking purchasing capabilities via marketing campaigns. Offer electronic payment systems suitable for any device. Use IoT to supply your customers with product and service recommendations. Apply knowledge gathered from business algorithmic data trends captured in stages 1 and 2 to integrate your customer quickly and efficiently.
Stage 4: Digital Retention
Winning customers is only half the battle, now you need to keep them. Companies tend to digitise stages 1 to 3, applying focus on discovery, set up and customer service. But miss out on opportunities to improve core operational functionality I.e., the part the customer will use the most to improve their own performance. A business needs to evolve in order to survive competition. The best way to understand what additions to introduce is to ask the customer.
Feedback is crucial so be proactive creating regular automated surveys. Utilise applications to do the heavy lifting, tracking social media comments. Get to know your own system, ensuring it gives customers immediate access to their own personalised portal with easy to find areas such as history, accounts, billing, password resets, subscriptions and even cancellations. Use this platform to upsell and offer instant access to support teams.
Stage 5: Digital Referrals
Typically, businesses rely heavily on their customers to spread the word to acquire referrals and whilst this is still effective, today this happens digitally on social media. So, it’s your job to give your customers something to shout about. Enable your customer by using digital platforms to refer, share messages and content with friends and colleagues.
Offer digitised loyalty schemes and reach out, providing instantaneous discounts for referrals and money off for new customers signing up. An email address is still considered a vital piece of electronic information. Find a referral tool that identifies intuitive data to understand engagement, where they are coming from and how much money they are generating.
Conclusion
Business owners are slowly coming to realise that digital transformation can be applied to any area of their business. The sooner they begin to exert this capability across core functions the quicker their company will prosper. In our example of digitising the customer journey shows how utilising technology can not only improve this well documented process but can enhance it to the next level.
Consumers are more technologically aware than ever before and they demand to have this applied to the purchasing of goods and services. They require quality, first class support and transparency. From the discovery of new apps and tools to setup and integration they expect to receive a seamless approach offering value for money. Their loyalty is not to be underestimated, failure to perform will see them jumping ship, often without explanation.
Creating the perfect customer journey is hard work and can be expensive, but by applying digital technologies you can reap rewards in terms of greater profit. The aim is to get the customer through all five stages and once achieved to retain them. There are plenty of options on the market. So, whether you use one customisable system, an off the shelf solution or multiple integrated tools ensure you take advantage of cloud-based technologies. There is never a better time to start.
To understand how radical thinking and digital transformation can be achieved in 8 simple steps click here.