For those of you living in an American suburb, you’ll know how expansive and lifeless these places are. There are cookie-cutter homes that span miles and miles. Greenery is confined into small quadrants within the jungle of concrete. It should be the opposite; concrete in small quadrants, with a jungle of greenery surrounding. Every which direction shares the same dull aesthetic. Nothing is within walking distance and public transportation is inaccessible, which makes cars a necessity. Because of this layout, casually meeting others and having a sense of community falls by the wayside. Residents stay in their homes. Children play on digital screens. There is a deafening isolation even when people are adjacent to one another that leaves much to be desired.
Fortunately, cities aren’t planned in this format universally. If they were, the artistic flair of a beautiful world would be drowning in uniformity. Instead, the concept of “walkable cities” introduces a better, more well-rounded, and community-based city that embraces the warmth of its people. Walkable cities are places that make navigating without a vehicle easy and convenient. This typically involves creating a safe, accessible, and connected network of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes, as well as designing public spaces that are inviting and conducive to walking. In a walkable city, residents and visitors can walk or bike to their destination, reducing the need for cars and promoting a healthier and more sustainable form of transportation. Walkable cities also tend to have lower levels of pollution, improved social interactions, and a higher quality of life for their residents.
In the same way that the planning and development of walkable cities translates to a better and more sustainable living ecosystem, businesses too can strategically map out detailed plans that improve their employee’s work experience, a customer’s buying journey, and the overall efficiency of the operation. Strategically mapping out your business can give you a better understanding of how different parts of your organization work together, as well as the steps needed to achieve your desired outcomes.
Strategically Mapping Your Employee’s Work Experience
This leads us to the work experience of our employees. As business owners that are launching new ventures, we want to promote their mental physical wellbeing while they are with the company. Create a needs assessment to identify where employees are missing these experiences, struggling with virtually connecting with the team, ultimately, finding room for improvement. You can do this with feedback from surveys, focus groups, and observing the behavior of the team. After identifying areas for improvement, you can start to create a plan on how you can create better work environments. For physical changes, it could be changing the lighting, having nap-centers, a better cubicle or open office setting. With digital changes, possibly improving the tools or streamlining online workflows.
You know, speaking of physical changes, how about the library that implemented crib-like play areas next to the office desks for single parents to take their children on-site. An idea like this takes innovation and implementation. You have to understand areas that would help your employees foster a sense of belongingness and wellbeing.
Using strategic mapping, like walkable cities, can be a powerful tool for creating a customer experience journey that is enjoyable, memorable, and unique. Just as a walkable city is designed to be easy and enjoyable to navigate, a customer experience journey should be designed to be easy and enjoyable to follow.
To start, you should identify the key touchpoints in your customer experience journey, from the initial point of contact to post-purchase follow-up. This can involve mapping out the different stages of the customer journey, as well as identifying potential pain points or areas for improvement.
Strategically Mapping Your Customer Journey
Next, you can use strategic mapping techniques to create a customer journey that is engaging, memorable, and unique. This can involve designing a physical or digital environment that is visually appealing and easy to navigate, as well as creating memorable experiences or moments that stand out in the customer’s mind.
You can also use strategic mapping to create a sense of flow or progression in the customer journey, guiding customers from one touchpoint to the next in a seamless and intuitive way. This can involve designing clear signposts or wayfinding tools, as well as using data and analytics to understand how customers are interacting with different touchpoints in the journey.
Ultimately, creating a customer experience journey that is enjoyable, memorable, and unique requires a deep understanding of your customers’ needs, preferences, and desires. By using strategic mapping techniques, you can create a customer journey that is tailored to these needs, providing a seamless and engaging experience that builds brand loyalty and drives business success.
Closing
Strategic mapping is a powerful tool for businesses looking to create an enjoyable and efficient work environment, as well as a memorable and engaging customer experience journey. By drawing inspiration from the key elements of walkable cities, businesses can create an environment that prioritizes the needs of employees and customers alike, fostering wellbeing, productivity, and brand loyalty.
To achieve these goals, businesses should focus on identifying pain points and areas for improvement, developing a plan for physical and digital changes, and implementing policies and practices that prioritize employee health and happiness. By regularly assessing and evaluating the impact of these initiatives, businesses can refine their approach over time, creating a work environment and customer experience journey that stands out from the crowd.
In a world where customer and employee experience are increasingly important for business success, strategic mapping offers a powerful framework for achieving these goals, and differentiating your business from the competition. By taking the time to strategically map out your business, you can create an environment that is both enjoyable and efficient, and a customer experience journey that is both memorable and unique.