Customer Experience Journey Map
Shedding Light on the Customer's Perspective through Sales and Implementation
Overview
Slow sales and low customer satisfaction during implementation were a cause of great concern at Monsoon and an urgent priority for an incoming CEO and leadership team. In order to assess the situation, I was tasked with researching and presenting the sales and implementation process from the customer experience perspective. My approach was to create a journey map and the findings identified specific and actionable items to improve the process for the customer and increase revenue for Monsoon.
Research
Information gathering began by conducting internal interviews of the sales and implementation teams. I asked each participant about their goals, pain points, what made their job easier, and where they thought the problems were.
After analyzing the results I determined that the sales and implementation teams had similar concerns. The clear pain points were:
With my understanding of the internal issues, I moved my focus to the customer experience. I contacted customers who had successfully been implemented as well as those who fell through and were refunded. I asked them to tell me the story of their relationship with Monsoon, from awareness through implementation. I combined their experiences into a master story and created the following journey map.
Slow sales and low customer satisfaction during implementation were a cause of great concern at Monsoon and an urgent priority for an incoming CEO and leadership team. In order to assess the situation, I was tasked with researching and presenting the sales and implementation process from the customer experience perspective. My approach was to create a journey map and the findings identified specific and actionable items to improve the process for the customer and increase revenue for Monsoon.
Research
Information gathering began by conducting internal interviews of the sales and implementation teams. I asked each participant about their goals, pain points, what made their job easier, and where they thought the problems were.
After analyzing the results I determined that the sales and implementation teams had similar concerns. The clear pain points were:
- Our software is complicated and requires in-depth knowledge to sell
- There was no sales manager
- There was a wall between sales and implementation by design, which was a frustrating experience for our team
With my understanding of the internal issues, I moved my focus to the customer experience. I contacted customers who had successfully been implemented as well as those who fell through and were refunded. I asked them to tell me the story of their relationship with Monsoon, from awareness through implementation. I combined their experiences into a master story and created the following journey map.
This map exposed that the experience turned sour when the customer signed the check for sales and were handed to implementation.
Results
I presented the full results, including the customer story to the sales and implementation teams. This was sensitive information, and I took care to keep a direct, objective approach. My suggestions were:
This journey map is a well-socialized artifact, hanging in many people’s offices as a reminder of the past and motivation to keep improving the process. One colleague used the map to rework the process, adding his own anticipated journey line.
My actions resulted in a restructuring of the sales and implementation teams. The teams now work closely together, providing the customer with a more cohesive experience.
Results
I presented the full results, including the customer story to the sales and implementation teams. This was sensitive information, and I took care to keep a direct, objective approach. My suggestions were:
- Remove the wall between sales and implementation. These teams should be working as one to ensure we are signing customers who will be successful using our software.
- Hire a Sales Manager to be a full-time advocate for the sales team.
This journey map is a well-socialized artifact, hanging in many people’s offices as a reminder of the past and motivation to keep improving the process. One colleague used the map to rework the process, adding his own anticipated journey line.
My actions resulted in a restructuring of the sales and implementation teams. The teams now work closely together, providing the customer with a more cohesive experience.