Phases of the Customer Journey: What they are and how to approach them

When you buy something, you unknowingly go down a path. This path begins with the discovery of the product or service you are obtaining and ends when you end your relationship with the brand in question. This process is known as the Customer Journey and consists of several phases, which we analyze in this article.

What is the customer journey?

The customer journey is the set of experiences that a customer has with a brand. This set goes from the moment you identify a need until you conclude your interaction with the service or product in question.

For example, when you want to buy a computer, the first thing that happens is that you discover and consider different types. Then you buy the one that best fits what you want. Finally, you use the computer, access the company's support and decide whether to buy something from that same brand again or not. All of these are the phases of the Customer Journey.

How to take advantage of the Customer Journey?

Taking advantage of the Customer Journey involves identifying critical points where you can improve your customer experience.

To do this, you must identify each phase and then design strategies that allow you to exceed their expectations in each of them. The goal is to turn them into promoters of your brand and for this you will have to give them a memorable experience at each stage of their journey.

The 7 Phases of the Customer Journey

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At Izo, based on our extensive experience in the field of Customer Experience, we believe that there are 7 phases of the Customer Journey that need to be detected and improved. Let's see what they are.

Discovery

The journey begins when the customer or buyer persona, as the ideal customer is known, discovers a need. This phase is crucial because it is the first contact, albeit indirect, with the brand.

At this stage, companies must ensure that they are present, with a strong and positive brand image, to capture the customer's attention from the start.

Social networks, advertising campaigns and organic content are key during this phase, as they will allow you to be visible.

On the other hand, during this phase you should focus on making a good first impression.

Comparison

In the comparison phase, customers evaluate different options. Here, the reputation and visibility of your brand are decisive in influencing the purchase decision.

Providing valuable and accessible content can make a difference during this phase of the Customer Journey.

Also, during this stage, it's important to explain in detail what benefits your buyer persona will get from your services or products.

Contract

The timing of hiring is critical in the customer experience. Therefore, it is essential to simplify this process as much as possible.

To do this, we recommend reducing red tape and generally making the shopping experience smooth and satisfying.

The last thing you want is for someone who has already decided to buy your service or product to end up not doing so because of tedious purchasing processes.

Use

During the use of the product or service, interactions must be consistent and enriching. This is to ensure that the customer feels the value of their purchase.

A large part of loyalty is at stake here, so you must provide adequate support and answer the questions of your customers, even if they have already purchased from you.

Resolution

This stage addresses any incidents or problems that may arise. A quick and effective resolution can turn a problem into an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with the customer.

And beware, effective management of these situations requires not only speed but also personalization in the response. This will ensure that the solutions offered align with the customer's needs and expectations.

Loyalty

In this phase, you can offer exclusive benefits, discounts or experiences that reflect the value your company provides.

However, the real key to successful loyalty lies in the personalization of these actions.

Understanding your customers' preferences, purchase history, and behavior will allow you to design offers that uniquely resonate with each customer. This will ultimately foster a deeper and more emotional connection with your brand.

Completion

Finally, the termination stage occurs when the customer decides to end their relationship with the service.

Even at this stage, proper management can leave a positive impression that benefits future rehiring or recommendations.

What are the moments of truth in the Customer Journey?

In addition to the phases of the Customer Journey, you must identify moments of truth.

These moments of truth are those touchpoints where the customer experience can change dramatically, for better or worse.

Telephone complaints, returns, service renewal, or even the last contact are some of the most common moments of truth.

If you think about it, in each of these processes, there is an opportunity to dramatically improve or worsen the customer experience.

In short, knowing the phases of the Customer Journey and identifying the moments of truth will give you the complete map of your user experience. And with this map, you can optimize your processes to ensure a positive and consistent experience.

How to design a Customer Journey?

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Let's now talk about how to design a Customer Journey. Doing so requires a methodical, customer-focused approach, with several crucial steps. Let's see what they are:

1. Understanding your buyer persona

The first step in designing a Customer Journey effective is understanding your buyer persona. This involves more than knowing basic demographics; it's necessary to understand their motivations, needs, behaviors and pain points.

Creating buyer personas can be a valuable technique here, as it will allow you to create semi-fictitious representations of your ideal customers based on research and real data. This will help you empathize with your customers and see your company from their perspective.

2. Map the phases of the Customer Journey

Once you understand your audience, the next step is to map each phase of their journey, from recognition and consideration to decision, purchase and post-purchase.

This mapping should include not only the main stages but also the actions, emotions and questions that customers have at each point.

This process will help you visualize the full customer experience and identify areas of opportunity to improve it.

3. Identifying moments of truth

Moments of truth are critical moments where customers interact with your brand, product or service. Identifying these points, both online and offline, is crucial to understanding how customers experience your brand throughout their journey.

This includes everything from browsing your website and social media interactions to customer service and the buying process itself.

4. Evaluate the experience at each touchpoint

With the contact points identified, the next step is to evaluate the experience at each of them. This involves collecting customer feedback, conducting user tests and using analytical data to understand how customers perceive their interaction with your brand.

This evaluation will help you identify friction points and areas where the experience can be improved.

5. Identify how you can improve the needs of your customers

Based on your evaluation, the last step is to identify specific opportunities to improve the customer experience.

This may include simplifying the buying process, improving customer support, or personalizing marketing communications.

The goal is to exceed customer expectations at every touchpoint, to create memorable experiences that encourage loyalty and recommendation.

Finally, you should know that tools such as the Customer Journey Map and the empathy map can be very useful throughout this process.

If you want to know more about how to identify and improve the phases of your Customer Journey, don't hesitate and contact us. At Izo, we have been helping companies from various sectors to identify and improve their customer journey for more than a decade