By Kerry Juhl
Do you know how your customers feel about their experience with your brand? Do they love it, or does it leave them feeling frustrated?
If your customers don’t love their experience with your products or services, your market share is likely at risk. According to a study from PWC,
Even if people love your company or product, in the U.S., 59% will walk away after several bad experiences, 17% after just one bad experience.
You cannot afford to not know how your customers are experiencing your brand.
The Importance of your Customers’ Experience (CX)
Understanding your customers’ experience can identify product or service flaws. It can be important, even if you are coming from a place of strength. It allows you to build stronger customer relationships, seize new growth opportunities, and maintain a competitive edge in the market. Companies that prioritize a strong understanding of the customer experience are better positioned to meet the needs of their customers where they are and how they want to be served. This allows companies to thrive in today’s customer-centric business environment
Typical Stages in a Customer Journey
The customer journey is typically divided into sequential stages that represent the key phases of the customer’s interaction with the brand. Stages typically align with the marketing funnel and include “Awareness,” “Consideration,” “Purchase,” “Retention” and “Advocacy.” These stages may differ, depending on the industry, category, or channels that the brand is competing in.
What is a Customer Experienced Journey Map?
A customer experience (CX) journey map is a visual illustration that outlines the steps a customer takes when interacting with a company, brand or specific products or services. It helps organizations gain a deep understanding of the customer’s experience, including their motivations, decision moments, delights, pain points, and emotions that come into play, across all the touchpoints with a brand. Companies may also map the customer journey for competing brands to better understand product strengths and opportunities in a competitive context.
Understanding the Experience
Building a customer journey map requires comprehensive qualitative research exploration and is often followed by quantitative validation. CX Insights Experts start with a combination of observation and qualitative methodologies (e.g., mobile missions, bulletin boards, shop-alongs, in-home visits) to facilitate in-depth conversations with brand or category users. This allows them to delve deeply into each key milestone and brand touchpoint within the customer journey. With the qualitative exploration completed, experts will often conduct an online quantitative survey to validate the journey and quantify the consumer experience with statistically significant sample sizes. Note that the journey may differ for various user segments (e.g., younger vs. older customers, multicultural customers, households with kids vs. no kids, etc.) so the research must be inclusive of customer groups that are important to the business.
Activation Planning with a CX Journey Map
Once the CX Journey Map is complete, it is time to bring the team together to immerse and align on the learning and develop an activation plan. SIVO recommends a 1-day workshop with key team members and stakeholders to:
A Key Asset to Customer Journey Mapping
Hiring a strategic market research agency with proven CX experience, or a fractional Customer Experience (CX) Insights professional to lead the journey mapping process will set you up for success. You will need experts who have a strong background in CX research design, journey mapping, research execution and activation planning. They will help your team:
Contact SIVO, Inc. at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to discuss how SIVO can help you map your customer experience. Also, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about how a fractional Customer Experience (CX) Insights Manager can be an asset to you and your team.
Are you facing these challenges?
More workload and pipeline projects than your team can execute
Questioning how to keep saying “Yes” to internal stakeholders
Not enough time or resources to meet multiple requests for actionable insights from leadership, product development, marketing, or strategy
SIVO Insights On-Demand Talent™ is a solution for Insights talent needs for teams just like yours. We leverage our extensive pool of Insights professionals, with years of experience and expertise, to help you achieve your business objectives.
We recommend three key steps for evaluating and making the case internally for hiring contract Insights talent.
As workforce talent continues to evolve, there is no shortage of options, including interns, short or long-term contractors, contract-to-hire, or direct hire. Below, we highlight the advantages of Contract Talent vs. Full Time Hire:
Trending
Do customers want to ‘hire’ your product?
We have started engagements in as quickly as one week. To discuss your needs and how we can match the talent with the best expertise for quick solutions in your organization, visit SIVO Insights On-Demand Talent or email Brent.Budke@SIVOInsights.com.
Here at SIVO, one of our targeted solutions to your business challenges is ethnographic research. But what exactly is ethnography research? And why do you need it? Let’s take a closer look.
Ethnography is a flexible, qualitative research method that can be adapted to fit different audiences, markets, learning objectives, and environments.
Ethnographers immerse themselves in the natural environment of their research participants (home/office), and then observe their behavior. They also conduct an intimate one-on-one interview (usually lasting around 2 hours in length) with the respondent, where they learn about the life, values, beliefs, and attitudes of the consumer. When you need to develop a deep understanding of your audience by hearing their stories and truly learning about their lives, an ethnography consultancy may be the right fit for your consumer research and insights needs.
Related Trending Ethnography Research:
Do customers want to ‘hire’ your product?
Because ethnography research is conducted in the comfort of the consumer’s home or workspace, valuable insight is shared in a more truthful and open manner as compared to focus group research settings.
This up close and personal observation is critical because ethnographers can both witness and understand what consumers actually do on a daily basis, versus what they say they do.
There is also an opportunity to interact with the family and friends of the participant, to gain a more complete picture of his/her life. Engagement on such a personal level creates the foundation for intimate and empathetic consumer learning, which could prove valuable to a brand for years to come.
In addition, videographers can capture the ethnographic interviews and key moments with research participants, such as pantry tours, product interactions, and family meals. This video footage can then be translated into a powerful highlight reel to share with your marketing, design, or sales teams; to build empathy and gain a better understanding of your consumers.
Ethnography research is the perfect research tool to help you understand your audience, their mindset, their daily experiences, and their relationship with your product/service.
If you want to know how to frame your brand message in order to connect effectively with consumers, an ethnography consultancy will help provide the insights you need to craft a clear message.
You can also recognize ways to improve your product/service, while spotting potential product innovation opportunities. Additionally, ethnography can help you answer questions about your competitor and their core audience, as well as reveal opportunities for differentiating your brand.
Ethnography provides a unique, crucial perspective on how your brand fits into the actual lives of your consumers. So, if you’re ready to tackle your business challenges and discover powerful insights that will help move your business forward, ethnography might just be the missing research tool you’ve been looking for.
We specialize in providing businesses with valuable insights through ethnographic research. Our team of experienced researchers has the skills and knowledge needed to conduct in-depth studies of your customers' behavior and preferences.
We use a variety of ethnographic research methods and our researchers are skilled at interpreting the data gathered through these methods and can provide you with actionable insights that you can use to improve your business.
We work closely with our clients to ensure that our research is tailored to their specific needs. Whether you are looking to develop a new product or service, improve your marketing strategies, or gain a deeper understanding of your customers, we can help.
Contact SIVO today to learn about our ethnographic research services and discover what ethnography can do for you.
By Natasha Weith
As someone who’s passionate about the power of insights to drive business growth, I was thrilled to host our recent SIVO Insights Forum, “Bridging the Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results.” It was an inspiring conversation with some of the best minds in the insights industry, and I’m excited to share the experience with you.
At SIVO, we believe consumer and marketplace insights are the foundation for business growth. But let’s be honest, while all insights professionals understand this, turning those insights into actionable business strategies can be a real challenge. That’s exactly why we brought together this incredible panel of leaders to share their expertise and experiences.
I had the honor of facilitating this discussion with:
• Eliana Wahnon (VP of Consumer & Market Insights, General Mills)
• Khary Campbell (VP of Consumer Research & Insights, Comcast)
• Elizabeth Oates (Book Author, Former VP of Consumer Insights, Ulta Beauty)
Together, we explored how to bridge the gap between data and meaningful outcomes. Whether you watch the session on-demand (linked here) or continue reading for some highlights, I think you’ll find this forum both interesting and actionable.
Aligning Market Research with Business Priorities
In a world filled with data, the ability to convert that data into actionable insights sets successful businesses apart from the rest. Insights professionals must not only translate data into insights, but also deliver those insights in a way that inspires ideas and guides business strategies.
Insights teams need to be strategic about where they focus their time and resources. More specifically, it is vital to align research projects with business priorities. Elizabeth Oates posed these questions to consider during The SIVO Insights Forum:
Navigating through the business questions and issues that arise and honing in on those with the highest business priority offers the greatest chance of making a meaningful impact with your research findings.
Navigating Leadership Reluctance
One common challenge that Insights teams face is leadership reluctance to act on the research findings. This hesitation may stem from personal biases or not understanding the potential benefits. Forming alliances with key stakeholders and truly understanding the business from their perspectives will help insights teams address real business needs and inspire colleagues to act. This can take the form of getting early buy-in on research objectives and designs or previewing the findings and recommendations with colleagues to ensure alignment with broader organizational goals.
To this point, Khary Campbell advised insights teams to “be consumer first, but not consumer only,” during our panel discussion. “Consider the research implications to all the functions. After all, every function is working in an orchestra to drive business growth.”
Making a Bigger Impact
Insights teams can expand their influence by highlighting the strategic value of their work. Sharing success stories, aligning insights with organizational goals, and fostering a culture of consumer-driven decision making are crucial steps toward amplifying the impact of insights.
Great storytelling with a clear narrative, executive summary, intuitive visual aids and consumer quotes can simplify complex data and enhance understanding. These tactics ensure that research results will grab attention, persuade, and motivate key stakeholders and drive action.
Eliana Wahnon shared a 3C’s framework for driving impact when reporting research results:
The Evolving Role of Insights
The SIVO Insights Forum also gathered perspectives on the rapidly evolving role of insights professionals, inspired by the advancements in AI and the increasing complexity of consumer behavior. Despite suggestions that automation may replace traditional roles, the leaders in the panel believe insights professionals will remain indispensable for managing AI, distinguishing truth, and uncovering the “why” behind consumer actions. As Eliana Wahnon emphasized, “While AI offers tools to streamline tasks like drafting questionnaires and analyzing unstructured data, it cannot replicate the nuanced understanding of human behavior, or the creative spark needed to inspire ideas.”
Elizabeth Oates underscored the importance of balancing historical insights (the rearview mirror) with a forward-looking perspective (the windshield) to navigate future challenges. The discussion highlighted “scenario thinking” as a vital skill for anticipating multiple possibilities in an uncertain world.
Ultimately, AI is a tool to enhance efficiency and free up time for strategic thinking, but the human role in connecting dots, navigating contradictions, and driving innovation remains irreplaceable. As Khary Campbell noted, “Insights professionals must stay curious and adaptable, leveraging technology while preserving the core skills that drive business impact.”
This balance ensures the field of insights not only survives but thrives, enabling businesses to navigate an ever-changing future with clarity and purpose.
Conclusion & The SIVO Insights Forum
As I reflect on the conversations we had during the SIVO Insights Forum, one thing is clear: insights professionals play such a critical role in shaping decisions that drive growth, via consumer insights, but our real challenge lies in ensuring those insights are acted upon.
The panelists shared so many practical strategies and thought-provoking ideas that I believe can truly help us build trust, credibility, and impact within our organizations. From navigating leadership reluctance to making a bigger organizational impact, these insights resonated with me—and I hope they will with you too.
If you want to dive deeper into these topics, I highly recommend watching The SIVO Insights Forum “Bridging The Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results”. You’ll hear directly from our incredible panelists about:
Let’s keep pushing forward, bridging the gap, and making an even bigger impact together.
About SIVO Insights
SIVO, Inc. is a market research and strategy firm specializing in helping businesses understand people. We partner with world-class brands to answer key questions and identify opportunities that unlock business growth. Our team of insights market research professionals are masters at designing custom research plans, executing with excellence, identifying strategic insights and then helping client teams translate those insights into action. Our On Demand Talent solution places fractional insights experts into client companies to temporarily fill open roles, complete projects or expand team capabilities.
Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a Research or On Demand Talent discovery call so we can help you make an impact!
Through the SIVO, Inc. “Modern Ways of Working” Mini Chat series, we spoke with a strategic consumer insights leader, Helen Kurtz, Chief Marketing Officer. In this conversation with Marilyn Weiss, Helen discusses her experience with SIVO’s On Demand Talent solution. She has hired SIVO’s fractional Insights talent in two different companies that she has led, with the intention of introducing consumer insights to the organization, working with the marketing team to prove out the value of insights. Watch this insightful video or read through the transcript below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDTSN-vB8jA
Video Transcript:
DOING MORE WITH FEWER PEOPLE:
I mean, for sure, budgets are getting squeezed and I think it's more and more the case that headcount is getting squeezed and there's a desire to do more with fewer people and to be really smart about what choices we're making on staffing.
BRING IT IN AND PROVE IT OUT:
I left General Mills and went to a sort of billion dollar company, Foster Farms and it was clear to me as I came in as CMO that we needed to absolutely elevate our sort of consumer touch points and I needed to get that consumer insight function established at the company but I didn't have the headcount to do that and so that's where I reached out to you Marilyn and we dreamed up this idea of this fractional support.
I left the company, I'm now CMO at another company, and very quickly brought Sevo in with me again for the same reason. It wasn't a function that was established in the company, again about a billion dollars in revenue. And so it was a real opportunity to bring in and prove out the capabilities of consumer insights at the same time knowing I was going to get a fantastic, no questions asked, I was going to get the best talent at the right time.
CONCENTRATED EFFORT & TEAM INTEGRATION:
I think what you're getting with this fractional talent, because SIVO is the best at weeding it out. You guys are the experts themselves. It's like you’re going to a great college. You've already been filtered through. You're picking out the best talent.
I think there's also a little bit of a mindset of a fractional talent that's really important that who we've brought in doesn't need to be pitching in front of the C -suite.
They can, but they don't need that recognition. They they're not gunning for promotions within. They're really just there to do a job. They integrate really well with my team. But again, there I can have them sort of play in the background or bring them to the forefront. It's just a much lower lift for me and my team. I would say they're really there to do the job. And in many cases to educate my team on what consumer insights excellence looks like because that was not a function that was in either of the two companies.
So I guess, again, to be more succinct, this combination of excellence and expertise in their field, as well as this ability to work very seamlessly with the team and again, not being in it to win it for promotions. They're really there to do the job. So it's just sort of very concentrated effort.
CONSUMER-CENTRIC THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:
I think it's just thought leadership first and foremost. I think most companies are, if not there already, are wising up to consumer-first and consumer-led and that's sort of like in their DNA. So if you have a declaration like that happening in your company, it's like well, what do I do with that? and who helps me execute that? So I think you know both of the individuals I've worked with have really brought that to the fore helping educate on what that looks like. How to get close to the consumer, driving education, training, and facilitating.
Again, it's not just like executing the research, but interrogating:
THE ECONOMICS ARE FANTASTIC:
Like just the economics have been really fantastic. I didn't hire a full -time person. I use a fractional person at 30 hours a week. So like, that's worked out really well. I have no turnover because this person is here and they're very committed to us. I don't have to worry about them leaving. I've got a great backup from SIVO in that, you know, the resources are there. The thought leadership is there behind my individual. I know that she consults with SIVO on questions that are beyond her scope.
Then, just this sort of seamlessness of having someone who works well with a team. You filter out for people who are really exceptional at what they do and are used to an experience with working on a team. When you're out there interviewing, you don't really know what you're gonna get. So it's just like, it's almost like a stamp of approval, I think, coming from SIVO. I have found that through and through.
TALENT CURATION & INSIGHTS EXPERTISE:
I think the biggest compliment to SIVO is that my team doesn't really know about SIVO. Like they just know Jill. They know the person with whom they work. I am the behind the scenes working with SIVO and I've found that to be extraordinarily easy. I think that the team at SIVO like really listens to what I need. When I start a project or when I moved companies, they were quick to sort of like curate who would be a good match. They get to know me as a client and what my demands are.
My team would say it's a godsend. I think my team loves in both places, loves working with this talent, and would sacrifice a lot of other things before they would give up this talent, which happily we didn't have to do.
SIVO Insights brings together research, talent, and intelligent technology to help organizations navigate complexity with confidence. Have a business challenge? Let's talk!
We bring together research, talent, and intelligent technology to help organizations navigate complexity with confidence
