Mapping Out Customer Touchpoints

🔎 How To Redesign Complex Navigation: How We Restructured Intercom’s IA (https://lnkd.in/ezbHUYyU), a practical case study on how the Intercom team fixed the maze of features, settings, workflows and navigation labels. Neatly put together by Pranava Tandra. 🚫 Customers can’t use features they can’t discover. ✅ Simplifying is about bringing order to complexity. ✅ First, map out the flow of customers and their needs. ✅ Study how people navigate and where they get stuck. ✅ Spot recurring friction points that resonate across tasks. 🚫 Don’t group features based on how they are built. ✅ Group features based on how users think and work. ✅ Bring similar things together (e.g. Help, Knowledge). ✅ Establish dedicated hubs for key parts of the product. ✅ Relocate low-priority features to workflows/settings. 🤔 People don’t use products in predictable ways. 🤔 Users often struggle with cryptic icons and labels. ✅ Show labels in a collapsible nav drawer, not on hover. ✅ Use content testing to track if users understand icons. ✅ Allow users to pin/unpin items in their navigation drawer. One of the helpful ways to prioritize sections in navigation is by layering customer journeys on top of each other to identify most frequent areas of use. The busy “hubs” of user interactions typically require faster and easier access across the product. Instead of using AI or designer’s mental model to reorganize navigation, invite users and run a card sorting session with them. People are usually not very good at naming things, but very good at grouping and organizing them. And once you have a new navigation, test and refine it with tree testing. As Pranava writes, real people don’t use products in perfectly predictable ways. They come in with an infinite variety of needs, assumptions, and goals. Our job is to address friction points for their realities — by reducing confusion and maximizing clarity. Good IA work and UX research can do just that. [Useful resources in the comments ↓] #ux #IA

Your customer journey map is missing the 8 touchpoints that matter most. You've optimised your ads, polished your landing pages, and A/B tested your emails to death. But whilst you've been obsessing over the obvious touchpoints, your customers have been forming opinions about your brand in places you've completely overlooked. These hidden moments of truth determine whether customers stick around or silently disappear. The good news? Your competitors are probably ignoring them too. 1. Pre-awareness Influences • What it is: Social conversations & word-of-mouth before formal brand discovery • Why it's missed: Difficult to track & attribute • Optimisation tip: Create shareable content specifically designed for peer-to-peer sharing • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2. Post-Purchase Onboarding • What it is: The critical first 24-48 hours after purchase when buyers seek validation • Why it's missed: Teams focus on acquisition, not retention • Optimisation tip: Create "success accelerator" emails with usage instructions • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3. Product Documentation • What it is: Help guides, FAQs, & support materials • Why it's missed: Often delegated to technical teams without marketing input • Optimisation tip: Inject brand personality into help documentation • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐ 4. Customer Support Interactions • What it is: The conversations with service teams that shape perception • Why it's missed: Viewed as cost center, not marketing opportunity • Optimisation tip: Create scripts that highlight complementary products/features • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5. Digital "Dead Ends" • What it is: 404 pages, out-of-stock notifications, & other negative pathways • Why it's missed: Seen as technical errors, not opportunities • Optimisation tip: Transform dead ends into discovery points with recommendations • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐ 6. Transaction Confirmations • What it is: Receipts, shipping notifications, & order confirmations • Why it's missed: Treated as operational communications only • Optimisation tip: Include personalised next-best action recommendations • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7. Post-Usage Check-ins • What it is: The period after customer has used your product for intended purpose • Why it's missed: Customer journey maps often end at purchase or initial use • Optimisation tip: Create timely follow-ups based on typical usage patterns • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8. Community Participation • What it is: Customer-to-customer interactions in forums & social spaces • Why it's missed: Difficult to scale & often understaffed • Optimisation tip: Identify & empower customer advocates within communities • Impact potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Your marketing doesn't end where your analytics dashboard stops tracking. The brands that will win tomorrow are already investing in these invisible touchpoints today. Which one will you optimise first? ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost to share with your network.  ⚡ Want more content like this? Hit follow Maya Moufarek.

We love to say “walk in the customer’s shoes.” But most organisations are not walking in customer shoes at all. They are walking in their own shoes. On a slightly different floor. So here’s what actually walking in customer shoes looks like in practice: 1. Get out of the building: ▪️Sit with customers. Watch them. Shadow them. Interview them. If you’re never uncomfortable by what you hear, you’re not listening hard enough. 2. Do the journey yourself: ▪️Personally go through the full experience of being your customer. Buy the product. Call the support line. Navigate the website. Fill in the form. Feel every single point of friction your customers feel daily. 3. Use what you sell: ▪️If you wouldn’t use your own product or service, why would anyone else? And if you would but you get a “special version”, that’s a problem. Use the real thing and live with its limitations. I promise, they stop being acceptable very quickly. 4. Put customers in the room: ▪️Not as a focus group you consult once a quarter. As genuine participants in the decisions that affect them. Co-create. Test early. Invite challenge. 5. Build a customer advisory board: ▪️Give them visibility into where you’re heading and let them push back. If the feedback is always positive, you’ve got the wrong people in the room. 6. Walk the frontline: ▪️Work a shift in support. Sit with your sales team. Spend a day in service. Leaders who do this don’t just understand the customer better, they understand their own organisation better. And what they find is rarely comfortable. 7. Hire people who’ve lived the customer experience: ▪️Your leadership table should have people who’ve worked the frontline, who’ve dealt with real customers, who know what friction feels like from the inside. If every decision-maker is three layers removed from the customer, don’t be surprised when your decisions miss the mark. Somewhere right now, a competitor is sitting with your customers, listening to everything they hate about your company.. What else would you add? #cx #customerexperience #customerrelation

Two very different text threads. Two very different customer experiences. This week I flew both American Airlines and United. What stood out most was not the aircraft or the hard product, but the quality of their communications when something changed. On American (AA 2646 JFK → PHX), I received a series of nearly identical messages: “Departure time has changed to [new time] from JFK gate [X]. See refund info at aa.com/refundfaq.” The time changed over and over throughout the day, each in small increments, ultimately turning into an all‑day rolling delay. No reason provided, no realistic time horizon, no clear options beyond a generic link. On United, I received a very different style of message for a much smaller change: - Clear explanation (“We had to change the aircraft type or seating configuration…”) - What it means (“you have a new seat assignment”) - Personalization (my name, old seat, new seat) - Direct action links (check for a different seat, check in, track baggage, confirm upgrade) Same channel (SMS / RCS). Completely different philosophy. For anyone designing airline (or any service communications), a few best‑practice principles jump out: - Transparency over vagueness Explain what changed and why, even if the answer is imperfect. Customers tolerate disruptions far better when they understand the context. - Agency and clear choices Don’t just announce a change; present options: rebook, accept the change, request a refund. One‑tap links beat “go read our FAQ” every time. - Personalization and relevance Use the customer’s name, their actual seats, their route. Generic templates feel dismissive during high‑stress moments. - Effort reduction as a design goal Every extra step (I.e. finding a policy page, standing in line, calling a number) raises frustration. The best communications take the customer straight to the action they need. - Consistency across touchpoints Gate agents, app, and texts should tell the same story. Mixed messages destroy trust faster than the delay itself. The retention impact is real: when any company handles a disruption with honesty, clarity, and options, many customers will give them another chance. When they obscure, minimize, or offload the work onto the passenger, even loyal flyers start looking elsewhere. In a competitive, operationally complex industry, the differentiator is often not whether things go wrong, but how clearly and humanely you communicate when they do. Curious how others have experienced this and where have you seen truly great disruption communication, in airlines or beyond?

WANT CUSTOMER DELIGHT? GO THE EXTRA INCH, NOT THE EXTRA MILE In a world where companies strive to “go the extra mile” for their customers, I propose a counterintuitive thought: You don’t need to go a mile. You just need to go an inch. The smallest, low-cost gestures can have a massive impact on customers, turning ordinary transactions into memorable experiences. The secret - search for the asymmetry between cost and impact. Going the extra inch requires minimal effort and often costs next to nothing. It could be a handwritten note, a smile, a gesture of personal recognition, a small act of kindness. But the effect on customers is profound. It creates emotional connections, fosters loyalty, and makes customers into advocates. The irony - while everyone is busy trying to “go the extra mile,” it is the extra inch that nets you miles of customer loyalty. THE I.N.C.H. FRAMEWORK To master the art of the extra inch, use this simple yet powerful framework: I – Identify Moments of Truth: Look for touchpoints where expectations are neutral or low. These are prime opportunities to surprise and delight. For instance, when I got my car serviced at the Lexus dealership, they washed and vacuumed the car and left a red carnation flower on the dash. I have told more than 10,000 people about the 50-cent carnation. How’s that for ROI? N – Notice the Little Things: Train employees to observe and remember small details about customers—preferences, moods, or special occasions. At the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, I asked for a memory foam pillow. Every time I stay there, they put a memory foam pillow on my bed. C – Customize the Experience: Personalize the interaction or gesture. Even the smallest customization can create a huge emotional impact. At Chewy, when a customer returned dog food after their pet passed away, they received a condolence card and flowers. It wasn’t about making a sale; it was about showing empathy. H – Humanize the Interaction: Move beyond scripted conversations. Authenticity and empathy resonate more than robotic efficiency. At Café Lucci, our favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago, the valet, the server, and the owner Bobby - all know us, know our kids, and always ask about the family. We are customers for life! In the race to “go the extra mile,” it’s easy to overlook the power of the extra inch. The secret to exceptional customer service isn’t grand gestures or expensive perks—it’s the tiny, thoughtful actions that leave a lasting impression. Going the extra inch is about mastering the art of the unexpected. It’s about creating emotional connections through small acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. So, the next time you think about how to delight a customer, remember: You don’t have to go the extra mile. Just go the extra inch. You will get miles of loyalty. #Marketing #CustomerExperience #Loyalty #Advocacy

💡Service blueprint: step-by-step guide Service blueprint is a detailed diagram that maps out a service process, capturing the steps and interactions between customers, frontstage (customer-facing) employees, backstage (internal) processes, and supporting systems. Service blueprint is good for: ✅ Getting an overall understanding of the system, ✅ Identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement, ✅ Showing others how your system works. 1️⃣ Identify the service to be mapped. Choose a service or a specific process that needs analysis. Clearly articulate what you aim to achieve with the service blueprint. 2️⃣ Define customer personas: Understand who your customer is (https://lnkd.in/djPyfw2M) and outline their journey through the service (https://lnkd.in/dNzt3NxX) 3️⃣ List the customer actions: Map out every step the customer takes from start to finish (what the customer is doing at each interaction point, such as browsing a website, submitting new order, contacting customer support, etc). Focus on critical touchpoints and key moments of interaction in the service journey rather than trying to map every minor detail. This keeps the blueprint manageable and relevant. 4️⃣ Document frontstage and backstage actions: Capture both visible interactions (direct contact with customer service representatives or digital interfaces) and behind-the-scenes actions (actions that the customer doesn’t see, like staff working on processing the order customer submitted). 5️⃣ Identify support processes: Include systems or teams that support the service delivery. These may include customer support service and technical infrastructure that powers the service. 6️⃣ Highlight physical evidence: Document touchpoints where customers interact with physical or digital elements. When documenting backstage actions, highlight areas with repetitive tasks, which can be optimized with technology (e.g., automated notifications, CRM system). 💫 How to make the most of service blueprinting: ✔ Collaborate with cross-functional teams. Involve representatives from all relevant departments (marketing, customer support, operations, etc) to ensure you capture both the frontstage and backstage processes accurately. ✔ Add checkpoints within the blueprint for data collection, like triggering customer feedback surveys, to inform ongoing improvements. ✔ Add an emotional line to your blueprint to show where customer emotions rise and fall during the service process. This helps pinpoint areas where you can improve customer satisfaction. ✔ Use color-coding to highlight problem areas. For example, red for bottlenecks and yellow for potential improvements. It will lead to better visualization and prioritization. 🖼 Service blueprint anatomy by IxDF - Interaction Design Foundation #ux #servicedesign #productdesign #uxdesign

✨ Transforming Information into Experience ✨ What looks like just an “order details” page can make or break a customer’s journey. On the left (Before UX) ➡️ Plain text, hard to scan, no hierarchy, no visuals. Users have to read line by line just to understand their order. On the right (After UX) ➡️ Clear structure, visual hierarchy, and context-rich details. A user instantly knows: ✅ Where the food is coming from (restaurant info with logo & address) ✅ What’s ordered (with order ID & image) ✅ Delivery status & time expectation ✅ Pickup & drop-off details with map-style markers ✅ Delivery partner info with quick action buttons This isn’t just about making things “look pretty” — it’s about reducing cognitive load, enhancing trust, and giving control back to the user. A small design shift can transform a bland experience into a seamless, delightful journey. Good UX = Less confusion, more clarity, and happier users. 🚀 #UIDesign #UXDesign #BeforeAndAfterUX #UserExperience #DesignThinking #UXCaseStudy #UIUX #ProductDesign #UserCenteredDesign #DigitalExperience #InteractionDesign #DesignMatters #UXJourney #GoodDesign

Client touchpoints shouldn’t feel pushy. They should feel like what they really are: Building real relationships. But many client-facing professionals hesitate to follow  up, worried they’ll seem self-serving. But here’s the shift: When your touchpoints come from generosity, following  up feels: ✅ Natural ✅ Helpful ✅ Human Need to follow up with a client soon? Here are 7 of my favorite trust-building touchpoints that  don’t feel like “selling”: 1. Ask for their perspective → “What shifts are you seeing in your market?” → Let their insights guide your next step → People love being asked what they think 2. Make an introduction → Connect them to someone who can help → Be specific about the value on both sides → Follow up later to see how it went 3. Invite them to something meaningful → A small dinner with peers they’ll enjoy → A virtual panel on a topic they care about → No pitch. Just people they’d want to meet 4. Offer a Give-to-Get → “Want to spend 30 minutes tackling that challenge?” → Share helpful ideas, no strings attached → Let value lead to the next conversation 5. Congratulate and recognize them → Repost their big news with a kind comment → Mail a handwritten note (or flowers!) → Celebrate the personal wins too 6. Send a helpful article → Share something outside your company blog → Add a quick note: “Thought of you when I read this.” → Make it clear you’re thinking of them 7. Send a thoughtful “just because” note → “What you said in that meeting stuck with me.” → Mention their new puppy or kid’s graduation → Yes, snail mail is still magic In the end, it’s not about being remembered. It’s about being helpful. When you show up generously, without pressure, you’re  not just keeping in touch. You’re building something real. Pick one. Try it this week. Let me know how it goes. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full infographic? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf 

Why Customer Journey Mapping Matters for Product Success Have you ever watched a product you knew was great fail to connect with users? 😢       I worked on a product once that had everything going for it: 🌟 Great features 📈 Solid metrics 👍 Enthusiastic internal buy-in But after launch, the results didn’t add up. Adoption was slow, and users weren’t sticking around. The issue wasn’t the product itself .. it was the experience. Through customer journey mapping, we discovered a poorly timed touchpoint was causing users to drop off before realizing the product’s value. Fixing it made all the difference. 👉 Your product is only as good as the EXPERIENCE it DELIVERS to USERS. That’s why Customer Journey Mapping is invaluable - it reveals the blind spots holding your product back. Journey maps are more than just visuals, they are strategic tools that help you understand and improve the entire experience users have with your product. Here’s my 7-step framework for creating actionable customer journey maps: 1️⃣ Define Your Objective – Start with a clear goal (e.g., "Reduce drop-offs during onboarding") 2️⃣ Identify Personas – Research your audience deeply using interviews, analytics, and surveys. 3️⃣ Map the Stages – Break down the journey: awareness, onboarding, engagement, retention, and advocacy. 4️⃣ List Touchpoints – Identify every interaction users have with your product (e.g., website, support) 5️⃣ Capture Emotions – Track emotional highs and lows to uncover frustration or delight points. 6️⃣ Spot Pain Points – Identify where friction or dissatisfaction occurs. 7️⃣ Identify Opportunities – Highlight actionable improvements to enhance the user experience. 📌 Example: Spotify’s Playlist Sharing Journey 🔸 Problem: Spotify wanted to understand why users weren’t fully utilizing the playlist-sharing feature. 🔸 Solution: Using customer journey mapping, they pinpointed that users were reluctant to share playlists due to fear of judgment or were unaware that the feature existed. 🔸 Result: Spotify improved the sharing experience, making it more intuitive, which led to higher user engagement and more frequent playlist sharing. 🔑 TAKEAWAY: Customer Journey Maps are not just about fixing pain points; they’re about building empathy, aligning your teams, and designing a seamless, cohesive experience that delights users at every stage of their journey. 💬 Your Turn: Have you used customer journey mapping in your role? What’s one surprising customer behavior you uncovered through journey mapping? Drop your thoughts below. #ProductManagement #CustomerJourney #CustomerExperience #EmpathyInDesign #UXInsights

𝗩𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 Retail in Real Time ● April 6 The experience starts before you ever step inside. Crisp white paneling. Copper lighting. A presence that feels more streetside than mall based. It orients the customer immediately. You understand the brand before the door opens, before a product is ever touched. Inside, the execution is disciplined and remarkably consistent. Every table, every shelf, every rack feels considered. There is no drop-off. No moment where the standards loosen. Top shirts on folded stacks are turned to reveal collar detail. A subtle move that elevates perceived quality and invites interaction. Hanging product is cuffed and styled. It feels worn in. Fixtures and environmental details reinforce the narrative in a way that feels natural. Seagulls, surfboards, boat oars, and driftwood all show up, but nothing competes for attention. It reads as one cohesive point of view. This is visual merchandising doing its job. Not decoration. Translation. Then the human layer shows up. I walked in with a return. A swimsuit that didn’t work. The store manager was warm, engaged, and genuinely appreciative. He acknowledged the purchase that did work, asked about the use case, and leaned into the moment when I shared, we were heading to Key West. A real conversation. Not a scripted one. He even shared context on the nearby location closing and how that team would transition here. Transparent. Human. No pressure to convert. No indifference because it was a return. Just a strong interaction. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 Consistency is the strategy. Not just across stores. Across touchpoints. Visual merchandising, store environment, and human interaction all reinforce each other. When those elements align, the experience compounds and the customer feels it. Small details carry disproportionate weight. Collar presentation. Cuffed sleeves. Material choices. Environmental cues. Individually subtle. Collectively powerful. And that same consistency shows up in service. Even in a non-revenue moment, the experience holds. That’s where most retailers break. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 Details are not extra. They are the experience. Visual merchandising should reduce cognitive load. Every presentation choice should help the customer better understand the product. Fit. Quality. Use. Lifestyle. Environmental storytelling should feel cohesive. And service should never fluctuate based on transaction type. Returns are moments of truth, not operational tasks. Consistency across these elements is what separates good stores from memorable ones. 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 Most retailers focus on what’s visible. The best operators focus on what the customer feels. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 If you’re looking to elevate in-store experience through merchandising clarity, environmental storytelling, and service consistency, send me a note. vineyard vines