A Customer Journey Map, Moments of Truth
My experience an online shopping. In 2020, 28 March, 2 days after our first Covid-19 lockdown in South Africa, I placed an order for some groceries to avid queuing up and risking my life at the nearest grocery store. At the end of the order there was an option to select the delivery slot I wanted, and the earliest was a week and a half later. As annoying as that was, I accepted and concluded the order, ticked on plastic bags as well, enough food to last me more than a month.
My logic was, I still had few items in the house to last me the week and possible the extra half, otherwise I’ll just have enough motivation to resurrect my diet plans. At least until delivery date.
The delivery date arrived, and I was very excited when I went to meet the delivery van and personnel for my stuff, mask on and sanitiser in my hand. To my surprise the delivery personnel handed me a plastic bag with 2 items, I asked where the rest of it was, and he looked at me with blank eyes and told me that’s all. The rest of the items must be sold out. I will be given my refund.
To say that I was angry was an understatement. I was furious! I paid R75 for delivery for two items that cost less than R20. If they bothered to call me to notify me that all but 2 of my ordered items are sold out, I would have gladly cancelled the order and save myself R75 and heartache.
I called the customer care line to confirm that they didn’t perhaps make a mistake and to complain about the whole ordeal, only to hold on for several minutes, losing my airtime and decided to just hang up and let it sink. After a few glasses of water, I just sat down and wondered about the whole situation. How is it that someone in charge of such an important asset such as myself, the customer, would think that it’s okay to treat me like that? I asked myself.
This was not from a small business. This was one of the big supermarkets and hypermarkets in the country. I started rationalising. Was it because they were overwhelmed by the crisis? The many orders they were facing? And could not keep up with that they forgot their business etiquette and their mission statements? Was it because they simply don’t care? Knowing their losing me as a customer would not leave a dent in their monthly or annual sales? Like a drop in the ocean? I don’t know the answer to their actions that spoiled my day, no week and almost the whole year, no my lifetime experience. I don’t think I will ever forget this, even though I’m not upset anymore now. But I came across this clip in class from our digital marketing lecturer, Mr Phila Sokhela.
I went to their competitor the very next morning to buy my differed groceries. It took me an hour of waiting in line to get into the store in various batches and then I was in and picked what I my heart desired, no what I needed as we were only allowed to buy essentials, no luxuries.
An ecosystem, digital, uses several tools and each should have a customer in mind. The customer goes through several stages from when they have thoughts to when they realise the need for an item, to considering purchasing, actually purchasing and post purchasing moments. These are called moments of truths, found along this customer journey map. As a business it is important to realise this, apply it to identify the gaps, the customer pains and find a solution for them with a value offering in the form of a compelling product or service. As well as their moments of joy, to identify and optimise on them by a compelling product or service value offering. This should be a daily bread for the business, not only when they feel like or when they are forced to deal with a particular problem. This should be a business’s goal and mission, to retain their customers while earning new ones.
