How often do you find it difficult to get satisfactory service?

Outsourced call centres, automated phone systems, customer service teams working off scripts or a total lack of contact details for on-line providers do not make for a great customer experience.

One of the biggest challenges facing larger companies, or those with complex operations (like forwarders) that want to become customer focused are the silos that their operations are based around.

Not necessarily perceived internally, they are only too noticeable to customers as they are passed from function to function looking for service updates or quotes.

If the primary differentiators, particularly for forwarders of all sizes, are price and service, the challenge is to move away from price.

That means becoming more customer focused, by providing customers with a seamless service across the business.

Every time a customer contacts your business, there is an opportunity for “positive reinforcement”.

These “reinforcement” moments are opportunities to make a good or bad impression on the customer.

The critical moments in the customer journey – the touchpoints – need to be identified and audited to identify cheap generic klonopin opportunities to improve.

Obtaining customer feedback on their ‘touchpoint’ experiences will highlight:

• The current experience
• How it should change

The gaps between the customers desired experience and the one delivered will indicate where actions need to be focused, reducing the ‘silo’ effect.

Why undertake customer journey mapping

• To understand the experience delivered by all customer facing functions
• Identify skills, processes, resources that need enhancing
• Highlights areas of importance to focus activity
• Identify areas not valued by customers (so costs can be optimised)

The outcomes

• Seamless experience across the businesses
• Optimised experience differentiates the business
• Simplifies sales conversions
• Encourages more enquiries
• Increases customer loyalty

On first reading this may seem like a really elaborate activity, that’s going to be too complex or costly to undertake.

In reality it could cost very little and require nothing more than a little planning to ensure nothing is overlooked.

Even if you decide on no further action after the customer journey mapping, you’ll have a better understanding of the service experience you deliver and your customers will appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback.