Process Mapping Guide

Understanding The Customer Journey

This guide is designed to help you outline and understand the key processes that help ensure smooth and efficient operations for your business. So get your pen and paper, laptop, tablet, cell phone, whatever floats your boat, and let's GET STARTED!

If you're more of a pen + paper girl, click below to download and print:

INTRODUCTION

A great way to understand your key processes is by outlining both your sales pipeline and sales funnel. Think of them as two sides of the same coin. They both aim to guide customers through a series of steps towards a common goal – a successful sale. At each stage, there are key touchpoints where customers interact with your brand, whether through your website, social media, or personalized communication.

The sales pipeline is your trusty roadmap, showing you the path from prospect to customer. It's all about the internal processes and steps your team takes to close the deal. From identifying leads to sealing the deal, every stage in the pipeline is meticulously planned to drive the sales process forward.

Sales Pipeline

The sales funnel is like a magical tunnel guiding potential customers through various stages, from becoming aware of your brand to finally making a purchase decision. Each stage represents a unique opportunity to engage with customers and nurture relationships.

Sales Funnel

Touchpoints are like signposts along the customer's journey, guiding them seamlessly from one stage to the next. By optimizing these touchpoints, you can create meaningful connections with your customers and move them closer to making a purchase.

Touchpoints

Instructions:

Read and complete relevant prompts for your business. Identify your business processes, noting key steps and interactions. Document everything accurately.

Take a moment to reflect…

For established businesses, we encourage you to assess your current processes, noting areas for improvement.

For new businesses, use this time to envision the steps needed to serve your customers effectively and efficiently.

Definition: A sales pipeline is a clear outline of the internal processes for you and your team to follow to close the deal or secure the sale. 

Internal Workflows:

  • Define tasks and responsibilities for processing orders and handling inquiries.
  • Outline processes to streamline inventory management and ensure product availability.
  • Create protocols for managing customer complaints or support tickets effectively.

Prospecting + Qualifying:

  • Identify methods to discover and gather information about potential customers.
  • Develop secure forms to collect customer information, ensuring data privacy.
  • Establish criteria to assess leads based on budget, authority, need, and timeline.

Scheduling + Appointments:

  • Implement an online booking system for clients to schedule appointments or consultations.
  • Implement automated reminders for upcoming appointments via email or SMS.
  • Integrate calendar tools to synchronize team schedules and prevent double bookings.

Client Onboarding:

  • Create a process for sending welcome emails or packages with essential information.
  • Schedule onboarding meetings to introduce new clients to your team and understand their needs.
  • If applicable to your business, provide access to a client portal for accessing resources or documentation conveniently.

Post Sale + Retention:

  • Develop a system for sending thank-you emails or notes to customers post-purchase.
  • Establish ways to gather feedback and improve customer experience.
  • Establish protocols for offering ongoing support or resources to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.

Processes  |  Streamlining the sales process

Definition: A sales funnel is a visual representation of the customer journey from initial awareness of a product or service to making a purchase. It illustrates the stages a potential customer goes through before converting into a paying customer.

Processes  |  Outlining Sales funnel + Identifying touchpoints

Sales Funnel Stages

Awareness

This is the stage where potential customers become aware of your product or service, often through marketing efforts such as advertisements, content marketing, or social media.

Interest

Once aware, potential customers show interest in learning more about your offering. They may visit your website, engage with your content, or sign up for newsletters or free resources.

Consideration

At this stage, potential customers are evaluating your offering against their needs or preferences. They may compare your product or service with competitors, read reviews, or seek additional information to make an informed decision.

Decision

In this stage, potential customers are ready to make a purchase decision. They may seek pricing information, review product features, or request a demo or trial.

Action

The final stage of the funnel is when the potential customer takes action and makes a purchase. This could involve completing an online order, signing a contract, or making a payment.

Definition: A touchpoint refers to any interaction or point of contact that a customer or potential customer has with a brand. These touchpoints can be physical, such as a store visit or product packaging, or digital, such as a website or social media presence.

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE SALES FUNNEL + TOUCHPOINTS

Identifying touchpoints

Click to expand

  • Awareness - Internal Workflow Touchpoints:

    • Website: Describe how potential customers discover your brand through your website.

    • Social Media: Explain how your posts or ads on social media introduce potential customers to your brand.

    • Online Reviews: Assess how positive reviews on review websites or forums generate awareness and trust in your brand.

  • Interest - Prospecting + Qualifying Touchpoints:

    • Email Campaigns: Explain how targeted emails pique interest in your products or services.

    • Content Marketing: Explain how blog posts, articles, or videos capture interest and encourage engagement.

    • Webinars or Events: Detail how hosting webinars or events demonstrates your expertise in alignment with your offerings, drawing in potential prospects.

  • Consideration - Scheduling + Appointments Touchpoints:

    • Online Booking System: Describe how an easy-to-use online booking system on your website facilitates scheduling.

    • Email or SMS Reminders: Outline various reminders for scheduled appointments, including email or text messages, to effectively reduce no-shows.

    • Personalized Communication: Outline personalized communications necessary throughout the customer journey that build rapport and trust, such as email templates, social media responses, and text.

  • Decision - Client Onboarding Touchpoints:

    • Welcome Emails or Packages: Create personalized welcome emails and/or packages to set a positive tone for the business-customer relationship.

    • Onboarding Calls or Meetings: Explain how onboarding calls or meetings establish direct communication and address client concerns.

    • Client Portal Access: Decide if providing access to a client portal is necessary for your business to streamline and enhance the customer experience.

  • Action - Post Sale + Retention Touchpoints:

    • Thank-You Emails or Notes: Create thank-you emails or notes to express gratitude and encourage repeat business.

    • Feedback Surveys or Reviews: Create feedback surveys to gather insights and identify areas for improvement.

    • Ongoing Support: Outline ongoing support you can offer to ensures customer satisfaction and increases the likelihood of repeat business and referrals.

You've successfully made sense of the internal and external processes of your business. We suggest you continue to use this outline to:

  • Make sure you are keeping on track - Accountability Ladies!
  • Update your processes as your business expands - You Better Blossom!
  • Identify hiccups or things that can be improved through elimination or further process development - You Got This!

Congratulations!

Next Steps

Process Development

Need help with your process development for better client and customer experience that encourages future growth of your business and finances? We can help you with that. Let's get started! 

Blossom Auditing Services

Enhance consistency and strengthen the overall brand experience.

Enhance user experience, branding consistency, and online presence.

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