Digital tools are not new by any means – but the way that people use them may be evolving. There remains a desire for convenience and efficiency in nearly all facets of like, from ordering groceries to conducting banking, digital tools have made it easy to get things done all through the click of one (or a few) buttons. But what happens when people have been cooped up in their houses for 2+ years? Is there still the same desire for disconnected communications? Yes, in some areas convenience is more important than ever but in other areas it may be about finding the right mix of human touch and digital interactions for some service experiences.
Exploring the Impact of Digital
Digital service has changed the way that customers interact with all service providers. In fact, 60% of Americans say online experiences will become more important than in-person ones, and over 65% of Americans prefer to have more of their brand experiences online.[1]
Consumers have enjoyed the benefits that digital offers, but issues also arise. Slow lag times, impersonal interactions, tech glitches, and miscommunications have all been issues to arise from a new digital-driven era.
How do marketers accurately assess how consumers engage with digital?
The answer is simple and not so simple at the same time, it comes with understanding the subset of the larger customer service journey they experience—studying the micro journeys that occur in the service process.
The Benefits of Going Micro…
Customer journey mapping is a key discipline for any CX practice. Understanding the end-to-end journey helps to uncover the full view, beginning to end. The nature of journey mapping has evolved in recent years with a greater focus on digital and hence also a greater focus on microjourneys since digital allows for more and more disparate journeys along the way.
By looking at the micro journey it is possible to understand the exact interactions, touchpoints, channels, and emotions that take place between the consumer and provider in this case. Exploring the micro journey can help to get to the real heart of an issue or problem – helping to pinpoint those critical moments when service takes a turn for better, or sometimes for worse.
Micro journeys also help in making the impossible feel manageable and possible. Sometimes when faced with a full end to end journey the sheer about of information is enough to make teams overwhelmed and want to shut down, but the micro journey introduces a “bite-size” way to digest the journey to learn, iterative and evolve.
… and Why Digital Matters
The benefits of digital seem obvious – consumers expect digital interactions so if you are not offering it today, they will surely leave you in the dust. But simply having a digital platform is not enough either – there is a need to learn and explore from the needs of consumers to build better solutions that meet their needs of today and address the concerns that they did not even know they had.
And if you look at digital customer service specifically this does not only mean one channel interaction- but this can also mean many multiple channel interactions across dozens of different channels – ranging from reading FAQs on a website to message chatting online to reviewing comments on a company’s social media page – and these do not even need to be separate events, they can occur simultaneously.
Experience Matters
Our experience in journey mapping and understanding the nuances of the digital micro journey has allowed us to advise clients on the right path forward, with a focus on the right tools, methods, and solutions to address digital challenges that they face today.
We have learned the value in building a process to learn and iterate to keep the journey fresh, relevant, and optimal in the eyes of the consumer.
Want to learn more? Give us a shout at hello@empatixconsulting.com
[1] The Digital Consumer: Expectations are higher than ever - Can your brand keep up? GlobeNewswire. Feb. 17, 2021.