The 'customer experience' is a hot topic in the business world. TNO has developed an innovative approach for improving the customer experience: Customer Journey. The method is based on measuring customers' emotions and experiencing those emotions yourself, thereby generating an increased sense of urgency.

Customer Journey is designed for businesses with extensive customer contact, such as energy companies, telecom operators, banks and insurers. Customers have contact with these organisations through various channels, including the Internet, contact centres and letters.

Many organisational departments are involved in the customer process, and delivering a positive and consistent customer experience is therefore a complex and time-consuming matter. Customer Journey enables all stakeholders in this complex setting to work together and, in a short period of time, make a real difference to the customer experience.

What is Customer Journey?

Customer Journey has three components: measuring, experiencing and improving.

• Measuring customer experiences:
  through measurements based on the TNO Customer Experience model, you obtain insight into the key physical and emotional aspects of the customer experience. The results are then used to draw up your business case.
• Experiencing the customer experience:
  Customer Journey will generate the 'aha!' feeling by surprising you and your colleagues with teasers that simulate what your customers are currently experiencing. Making that same journey yourself is an effective way to create a sense of urgency.
• Improving the customer experience:
  once the basic picture is clear, the customer experience is improved in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders. This involves prioritising, identifying quick wins and long-term solutions, and linking up with existing initiatives.

Customer Journey in practice

TNO has successfully mapped its first customer journey. This was done for the energy company Eneco, with the focus on the process relating to customers who are switching to another energy product. Stakeholders from the marketing department and the front and back offices experienced the current 'customer journey' and then redesigned it. This resulted in improved customer experience with the aim of realising higher conversion, fewer calls and a higher Net Promoter Score.

TNO and various organisations with extensive customer contact have formed the Customer Experience Innovation network. The network’s members keep each other up to date on developments from Customer Experience sessions that are held a couple of times a year. Interested in joining? You can do so via LinkedIn groups (look for: Customer Experience Innovatie netwerk).