Customer journey

What it means

The customer journey is the whole story of a customer’s relationship with a company, from first contact when they know nothing about it, through choosing, buying and using the service, to buying again, recommending it or leaving. It helps a company see itself through the customer’s eyes rather than from the viewpoint of its internal departments.

The journey consists of stages and touchpoints: an online search, a website visit, a phone call, a meeting, the contract, an invoice, a complaint or a deadline reminder. At each point the customer decides whether to continue and forms an impression of the company.

The customer journey is related to the sales funnel, which mainly tracks sales figures. The journey also covers what happens after the purchase, and for services such as accounting that stage matters most for a long-term relationship.

How it works in practice

In our own firm we have mapped the customer journey from the first search, through local SEO and the landing page, the initial conversation and taking over the books, to monthly cooperation and the annual accounts. For each step we know who is responsible.

We keep information on clients and their history in the CRM so that everyone on the team knows what has happened with a client. We measure satisfaction at key points with an NPS survey and tackle first the weak spots where clients leave or complain.

We help clients map their own customers’ journey, especially the parts involving money: invoicing, payment options, reminders and complaints. A clear invoice and easy payment improve both the impression and cash flow.

What to watch out for

A journey map drawn up only in the office, without talking to real customers, often captures what the company thinks rather than what the customer experiences. The most valuable insights come from talking to those who left.

Improving one touchpoint will not help if the journey fails elsewhere. A fast quote does not make up for chaotic invoicing. Customers judge the overall experience, so client churn should be seen as the result of the whole journey.