It includes the process before, during and after a purchase.
It is difficult to define unequivocally how a customer journey takes place. Customer journeys are complex and individual, and some customer journeys are therefore longer along the way than others. For companies, it is about mapping out the customer's journey and defining the various touchpoints where the customer is influenced.
A mapping of the customer journey is based on concrete knowledge of what customers do in their contact with the brand. It can increase the company's effectiveness, because you get an overview of which processes in the company work and do not work.
The concrete knowledge is gathered in the form of direct contact with the customer, noting their questions, describing the customers' specific actions, their frustrations and the like.
No customer journeys are alike. But when you collect knowledge based on numerous customer journeys, you get an overview of the customer journeys' common features.
The mapping provides the company with tangible knowledge about how customers are influenced and what influences them. You gain insight into the considerations and patterns that potential customers go through during the entire process. This data can, for example, be acquired through Google Analytics, where you can find data about customers visiting your website.
It gives the company and the employees something concrete to work with, for example, which touchpoints are particularly relevant to focus on. There are several touchpoints, but some of the touchpoints that a company has an influence on are websites, webshops, blogs and social media. That is, the media that contain targeted and relevant content that influences the potential customers. External touchpoints can be reviews, word-of-mouth and other things that affect the customer's decision-making process.
With a mapping of the customer journey, you also gain insight into what needs and expectations the customer has during the process.
