Guide for creating a customer journey map

Customer journey is a path that describes how customers communicate with your brand. It starts from the moment they find out about your business, and it just flows from there. In a way, a customer’s journey is endless. In this article, we want to talk about creating a customer journey map for your moving business. This process will help you to understand how to approach your clients and improve your service.

Let’s break down your business

When a person starts looking for moving services, they can:

• Opt for online searches;
• Explore a variety of offline ads;
• Ask friends for recommendations;

Out of the three options, the most common channel is the digital one. Once the customer finds a moving company, the first thing they do is check the variety of services and the pricing. They want to know if this company will deliver whatever they need. The majority of people repeat this process a couple of times and then compare different companies to find the one that meets their requirements.

When the customer picks a company, they start arranging everything from packing, shipping, using storage, and scheduling the moving day. When the moving day comes and goes, all that is left is to move into the new home and reflect on the experience. This completes a cycle in the eyes of the customer.

However, when it comes to observing that same cycle from a business perspective, that looks a bit different.

Different stages of the customer journey

There are five stages of the customer journey (five C’s) we need to focus on:

• Connection Stage;
• Cultivation Stage;
• Consideration Stage;
• Conversion Stage;
• Continuation Stage;

Let’s see how each of these stages plays a crucial role in the customer journey.

The connection stage

While the customer is searching for the company, the company needs to do anything to help the customer find them. That first point of contact and the first communication that happens is critical. If the customer is not satisfied, they will continue to search further.

Consider different channels that a potential client might use to reach out to you. This could be an e-mail, website form, a message on the phone, a call, or even a direct visit. You need to have a clear strategy about how to greet the customer, whatever way of communication they choose. From the very start, you want to consider using customer management software for movers. You need to make a note of every communication that happens with potential clients, and use it for the other four stages.

The cultivation stage

During the cultivation stage, a relationship forms between the customer and the brand. Every piece of information counts and it is up to your company to show its potential. You need to help potential customers understand why your company is the right choice for them.

We already mentioned how software for movers can help during these stages. CRM for movers allows you to create full customer profiles and keep track of different categories of customers. If you are just starting, this might be challenging. However, if you already have a base of customers, you can use it to group all of the future potential clients. This helps with understanding what type of customer you have. The cultivation stage leads the customer to the consideration stage.

The consideration stage

During this third stage, the potential client is considering whether to hire you or not. They have all the information and they need to make a decision. It often happens that a client goes through the first two stages with multiple companies. In the consideration stage, they will finally decide which company to choose.

To make a win during this stage, you need to focus on a couple of important points:

• Did my company leave a positive impression?
• Were there any customer pain points to address?
• Am I solving the customer’s problem with the services I offer?

These three questions are very important as they are your leverage when compared to the competitor companies in the business.

The conversion stage

When the customer finally makes a decision, they are going through the conversion stage. This is where the purchase happens. However, when it comes to the moving industry, this is a bit tricky. This is not a sale in regular terms when a client buys a pair of shoes and pays immediately. If the client decided to choose you, now your company has to deliver what is promised. Setbacks might push the customer to change their mind and pick someone else.

As a moving company, you probably have a bunch of moving leads to track at the same time. Even though conversions happen one at a time, you constantly need to monitor all of the leads to make sure they actually convert. Here is where you could really use moving leads software.

The continuation stage

When we look at a generic customer journey map, the continuation stage refers to the continuation of the communication in hopes of any additional purchases. You want your clients to become returning customers. In the moving industry, that works a bit differently. You don’t usually expect one family to move more than once in 10 to 15 years. Sure, you have specific moving requirements like military relocation, moving for work, or college. Either way, there will be a certain amount of time before that same customer wants to move again.

What you should focus on in the continuation stage is to ask about their experience. Make sure that you leave an overall good impression in hopes of getting a recommendation.

Define your goals when creating a customer journey map

From everything that we covered so far, it is crucial to outline company goals. Focus on communication and problem-solving. Address your clients’ problems and solve their pain points, and you will increase the number of conversions. Creating a customer journey map is a necessary step, so take your time and make sure to do it right.