Customer journey review and development proposal
INDUSTRY
Independent Education
CHALLENGE
This leading independent school was struggling with a fragmented and inefficient communication strategy, making it difficult to effectively engage prospective families. Brand usage and service standards varied between departments, creating an inconsistent customer experience. The client sought a full Customer Journey Review to fully understand the challenge and the routes to creation of a seamless customer journey to drive stronger engagement and conversion.
RESULTS
The review identified issues and challenges stemming from a lack of central CMS system, and highlighted where areas of the business were acting in silo. The finished review resulted in a powerful business case for investment in new systems, to provide the relationship management and communications tools needed to build a joined-up and engaging customer journey.
KEY PRODUCTS
Customer Journey Review, Communications Strategy development, Customer Engagement, Brand Review
“Their attention to detail and commitment to delivery truly stood out. We’ve already recommended them to others.”
— Former CustomerThe Challenge
The client’s business is focussed on the sale of a high value service, an emotional purchase with a long consideration period typically 18-24 months from enquiry to purchase.
The client was aware of the need to better engage with their customers, but were not clear on how to do this. They also wanted to better understand the current state - the business had no clear picture of what communications and information were sent out by which team at which point, covering what element of the sales process. There was a risk that customers were receiving disjointed, confusing communication, or insufficient information to help them navigate the process and make an informed purchase decision.
The client sought a full Customer Journey Review to fully understand the current state and the routes to creation of a seamless customer journey to drive stronger client engagement and conversion to new business.
The Solution
A comprehensive review of the customer journey was carried out, mapping every stage from initial enquiry through to post-purchase engagement. This analysis covered all routes to purchase and examined interactions across marketing, sales and service teams, illustrating areas of risk and opportunity in the sales pipeline.
The review found fragmented and inefficient client communications. Multiple sites and divisions were found to be operating in isolation with no centralised ownership of customer relationships. There was no real accountability for the sales process, and no central reporting. Brand usage and service standards varied considerable between departments, creating an inconsistent customer experience.
In many cases, a customer enquiry was received with no further communication, following an initial acknowledgement. In other cases a customer would receive contradictory information from various departments, creating confusion. It was apparent that leads were not being nurtured effectively resulting in lost business. Engagement with prospective customers was minimal.
The review highlighted the need for a more integrated and coordinated approach to managing prospective client relationships from initial contact. To support this, the introduction of a central CRM system was proposed.
The Results
The review identified issues and challenges stemming from a lack of central CMS system, and highlighted where areas of the business were acting in silo. The finished review resulted in a powerful business case for investment in new systems, to provide the relationship management and communications tools needed to build a joined-up and engaging customer journey.
A centralised CRM platform, HubSpot, was recommended. HubSpot would provide a single accessible source of information across the organisation, enabling improved visibility, consistent reporting and more informed decision making.
Beyond centralising data, the platform offered a suite of tools designed to strengthen the organisation’s ability to attract visitors, nurture leads and improve conversion rates. HubSpot also enabled enhanced email marketing, sales automation, call tracking and recording, content management and social media management, helping to create a more connected and efficient customer engagement strategy.
The review and recommendation was presented to and approved by the management team, allowing the organisation to move towards its goals of a seamless and engaging customer journey that would strengthen relationships with prospective families, and improve conversion rates.