[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/11\/20\/how-to-map-the-customer-lifecycle\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/11\/20\/how-to-map-the-customer-lifecycle\/","headline":"You have arrived: Mapping the customer lifecycle","name":"You have arrived: Mapping the customer lifecycle","description":"Traditionally, businesses would analyze the path up to purchase, but ending the customer lifecycle at conversion is like never leaving the driveway.","datePublished":"2018-11-20","dateModified":"2020-12-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/evan-klein\/#Person","name":"Evan Klein","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/evan-klein\/","identifier":221,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c584fcd4cada332944aace48e66b4c2e9a3ed57f2743c1e52751d9c66acaa7fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c584fcd4cada332944aace48e66b4c2e9a3ed57f2743c1e52751d9c66acaa7fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/thumbnail-e1ce313f02d73a7474babb254c6f7fb7.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/thumbnail-e1ce313f02d73a7474babb254c6f7fb7.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/11\/20\/how-to-map-the-customer-lifecycle\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]}],"wordCount":763,"keywords":["Customer Centricity","Customer Loyalty"],"articleBody":"You get in the car, close the door, and buckle up. \u201cSiri,\u201d you say, \u201cgive me directions to 148 Wilson Line.\u201dSiri replies, \u201cYou have arrived.\u201dWhat? But you haven\u2019t even left the driveway. You still have a ways to go.Let\u2019s be realistic – this would never happen. Siri, Google Maps, Waze – they don\u2019t skip a beat when it comes to giving the exact, step-by-step map to get from Point A to Point B.Their ability to help us navigate – even with detours and in peak traffic – has earned our trust. Our trust has increased our usage, making these apps essential resources in our daily lives.Why does this matter? And what does it have to do with the customer lifecycle?This analogy reminds me of mapping the customer lifecycle. Traditionally, the customer lifecycle was understood as a buyer journey. Businesses would analyze prospects\u2019 path to purchase, and end there.But ending the lifecycle at the point of buyer conversion is like never leaving the driveway.When a prospect converts into a customer, that customer hopefully has lifetime value to offer your business. But building lifetime value is dependent on retention and loyalty, and achieving this requires understanding exactly what your customers need, when they need it.Today, customer-centric companies have not only redefined the customer lifecycle, but they also understand and deliver what the customer needs throughout every stage.In one mile, turn left onto mapping the customer lifecycleTo become a more customer-centric business, you\u2019ll want to start with mapping the customer lifecycle. Taking a queue from Siri, Google Maps or Waze, you\u2019ll want to take every single variable into consideration.Okay, suddenly, this project became a huge undertaking. So, let\u2019s simplify.When you map your business\u2019s customer lifecycle, the key to success depends on:Prospect & Customer InterviewsThe business\u2019s perception of the customer journey, versus the the customer\u2019s reality of the customer journey are often misaligned. Conduct interviews with your prospects and customers to truly understand pain-points and milestones.Cross-Departmental InvolvementCustomer lifecycle mapping is not simply a marketing, or sales, or customer service, or IT activity. Who at your business interacts with customers? Each of these interactions must be documented.Best Practice ResearchWhat is your business striving for? What are the existing customer expectations and how are they being met among your competitors and at the industry level? How can your business exceed expectations?Using these tools to guide your customer journey mapping, here are the elements you will want to incorporate into your lifecycle:TIMELINE:\u00a0\u25cf Consider all stages of brand exposure\u25cf Engage representatives from different departments who impact or influence the customer journeyPERSONAS:\u25cf Create personas for the different prospects and customers your product \/ service attracts\u25cf Conduct actual prospect and customer interviews for adequate representation and insightsGOALS:\u25cf Establish the goals and milestones your business hopes prospects and customers achieve at different stages of the lifecycle\u25cf It is okay if this is aspirationalSCENARIOS:\u25cf A customer lifecycle is not singular\u25cf What are the different stages and experiences prospects and customers may be exposed to based on their needs and buying decisions?INTERACTION CHANNELS:\u25cf What are all of the online and offline mediums and channels you use to speak with customers?\u25cf How can you unify the messaging to achieve successful omnichannel communication?The customer lifecycle is complete with measurable actions and behaviors that your business can use to gauge success. This gives companies a more holistic view of the customer and generates business relevancy, as companies cater to ongoing customer needs at all times.Imperial system? Metric system? And what are we measuring?Depending on your offering, and the nature of your customer lifecycle, certain metrics will be more pertinent to your business than others. I recommend that you segment stages of the customer lifecycle (example: prospect, customer, post-customer), and assign 3-5 metrics that are indicative of the customer experience. Like this:Prospect: Impressions, engagements, Website: Sessions, pages \/ session, bounce rateCustomer:\u00a0Time to First Value, NPS score, retention ratePost-customer: NPS score, repeat customer rate, referralsGet directions or auto-start?If you prefer to take your own path, there are many online tools to guide you in mapping your customer lifecycle. Alternatively, and depending on the complexity of your business, you may wish to auto-start, and enlist support from a digital advisory. A digital advisory can unbiasedly assess your existing and aspirational customer lifecycles through internal and external interviews, research and industry at-large best practices.During uncertain times, what makes a great CX? Join experts as they discuss."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"11","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/11\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"20","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/11\/\/20\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"You have arrived: Mapping the customer lifecycle","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/11\/20\/how-to-map-the-customer-lifecycle\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]