The only way you’ll ever be able to identify and address customer experience (CX) gaps is by mapping out critical customer journeys to see what works and what doesn’t from the customer’s point of view. To do this, you need to take a close look at very specific customer/company interactions, starting with the ones that most directly impact your business objectives and/or potentially contribute to customer experience gaps that lead to customer attrition.

We've discussed the customer life cycle quite a bit, referring to the entirety of a customer's relationship with your company, from discovering your brand to purchasing a product or service, to using the product or service, to sharing about the experience and beyond. You should always be aware of that overall life cycle, along with all the people, processes and technologies that service customers at each touchpoint along the way.

#ICYMI - Topdown sponsored a free webinar on June 9, 2015, “Managing Customer Communications across the Entire Customer Journey,” featuring Forrester analysts Craig Le Clair and Ted Schadler, along with Topdown’s Director of Marketing, John Zimmerer. Learn what marketing, IT and line-of-business leaders can do today to improve your most critical customer journeys and increase customer lifetime value.