Reverse for Success: Create a Customer Journey that Begins at the Finish Line

Creating a customer journey is traditionally done starting with the initial contact and moving towards the final sale. But what if we reverse-engineered this process? Here’s how you can build your customer journey backwards, increasing the customer experience and improving efficiency and effectiveness along the way.

Begin by defining the ultimate deliverable of the customer journey. What is the final product or service your customer receives? By starting here, you ensure that every step of the journey is purposeful and aligned with delivering value.

Once the deliverable is clear, work backward to identify every touchpoint leading up to it. What actions must the customer take to reach this endpoint? What interactions with your business are necessary? This reverse approach can reveal the critical moments where customer decisions are made and where your business needs to influence those decisions.

As you map the journey in reverse, pay special attention to repetitive tasks or processes. These are prime candidates for automation. Implementing AI or software tools that can handle routine tasks not only saves time but also ensures consistency in the customer experience. Automation tools can manage follow-ups, schedule appointments, or even personalize marketing messages at scale.

By building your customer journey from the deliverable backwards to the lead generation and marketing efforts, you gain a fresh perspective on what's essential. This approach helps to streamline processes, enhance the customer experience, and ultimately, refine your marketing and sales strategies to focus on what truly drives conversions.

Remember, every step in the journey should add value and bring the customer closer to the desired outcome.