Customer Journey Mapping for B2B Organizations
We hear customer journey mapping being bandied around B2C circles all the time. However, as the lines between B2B and B2C become ever more blurred, we are now seeing the concept being deployed on this side of the ecommerce fence as well.
Customer journey mapping helps businesses better understand the people who use their service. It seeks to put the company in the shoes of the customer and discover what led them to seek out the product or service they provide, how they discover their organization, what the experience of interacting directly with their brand is like, and what leads them to come back for repeat business after the initial sale.
However, just like real cartography, customer journey mapping is not a quick or straightforward process and takes time and dedication to complete fully.
Customer Journey Mapping
All good journey mapping efforts start with an understanding of the diverse types of customer who may be seeking the products/services your business provides. If you haven’t worked it out yet, this means going back to our old friend – Buyer Personas.
If you’re ahead of the curve, you’ll already have these laid out for your business. However, for the uninitiated, a buyer persona is a psychological and sociological profile of each type of customer that’s likely to come your way.
Don’t panic, though, you don’t need a degree in those subjects to develop buyer personas.
Start with your offering. Let’s say you sell a package of software for enterprise applications. What problems does your software solve? What kinds of businesses are likely to be experiencing those problems? What kind of people work for those types of business? What other challenges may they be experiencing.
You see that asking one question leads to others, and you’ll quickly discover you have a spider web of characteristics you can use to build your buyer personas.
Secondly, we need to work out how they find your brand. Do they work at a computer which means they’ll have plenty of time to browse the internet for suppliers, or are they a tradesperson who is mobile all day and therefore may respond better to adverts on social media or in a local builder’s merchant?
Once we know this information, we can sculpt our marketing to make sure we reach them where they are.
The Buying Journey
Once we have gently coaxed the customer to our ecommerce portal, we need to understand how easy and intuitive our website is to use.
Unwieldy checkout process or ineffective search engines are both top reasons customers abandon an ecommerce buying journey. Therefore, two areas to focus on is making sure products are easy to find on your website and there are as few barriers as possible between adding a product to the basket and completing the purchase process.
B2B buyers are also looking for the best deal possible, so make sure you have sales agents on hand – either by phone or instant messaging – who can negotiate terms where necessary and appropriate.
Finally, you need to look in detail at your after sales support. Consider what difficulties the customer may experience when trying to use your product. Is there a frequently asked questions [FAQ] document you can send them which addresses the most common pain points, or a helpline they can contact for more detailed support? Do your sales staff take the initiative to check in with a customer post-sale to make sure everything is satisfactory with the product and if there’s anything else they need.
These kinds of services will reduce the chances of a customer returning a product because they are unable to use it, while simultaneously hammering home an image of exceptional service they are likely to remember when looking for something else.
"Personalized, meaningful B2B customer experiences are proven to improve business outcomes," says Qualtrics. "Loyal customers not only come back for repeat business, but they advocate for your brand and increase new customers’ trust in your products and services. The value of investing in your B2B customer journey lies in the potential growth to be gained by building a solid customer base that repurchases, renews, and advocates for your brand."
Final Thoughts
We have barely broken the surface of customer journey mapping here, but hopefully we’ve given you some ideas and things to consider when creating your own maps. Always remember to consider what your customer is feeling along with what they are doing, and you’ll be able to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and see the benefit larger sales and repeat business.
Mapping the B2B customer journey is set to be a hot topic at B2B Online Connect 2024, taking place this June at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA.
Download the agenda today for more information and insights.