Improving customer retention with customer journey mapping, with Samantha Irwin

Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here! Customer retention is an often overlooked aspect of business success. When you focus too much on attracting new customers, you risk neglecting the ones you already have. This could mean lost revenues and damaged trust.To fix this, businesses need to turn to customer journey mapping. By mapping out key interactions, you can improve customer experiences, build loyalty, and increase engagement.But what is customer journey mapping exactly and how can it prevent customer churn? And what steps can you take to keep clients satisfied and loyal?In this episode, Samantha Irwin and I explore the power of customer journey mapping and how it can help your business thrive. We break down her six key stages of the journey and share strategies on how you can improve customer retention and satisfaction - so you don’t lose them to the competition.Samantha is a small business coach & consultant and the creator of the Power of People Academy and the Creating a Culture Deck. She inspires and educates teams to create exceptional Customer Experiences that foster loyalty and advocacy, driving both financial success and heartfelt service for brick-and-mortar businesses. She equips businesses to provide consistently Exceptional Customer Experiences, fostering thriving enterprises and fulfilled staff. Samantha's commitment extends to teaching business owners how to make their establishments preferred workplaces and favored customer destinations.We discuss: (timestamps)03:05 - Traditional vs. non-linear customer journey maps05:39 - The six key steps of customer journey mapping11:58 - Why customer interaction is crucial for business success15:37 - Is great customer service personality trainable or innate?18:52 - How to refine your hiring process to attract the right staff21:05 - Hospitality as a crucial business skill21:50 - How online-only businesses can improve customer experience23:59 - Why curating the customer experience benefits your business27:21 - Real-life examples of customer experience transformation34:24 - How culture change improves employee engagement and retention34:48 - Training hospitality skills to enhance customer satisfaction36:49 - How curiosity builds customer connections and opportunities37:31 - The superpower of maintaining energy in customer service39:34 - Why sometimes you have to 'fake it' to lead effectively41:04 - One actionable step to improve customer retentionResources:Samantha Irwin, Small Business Coach & Consultant, Kaizen Small Business Solutionshttps://kaizen.zone/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kaizen-business-coaching-consulting/Courses + Downloads: Power of People Academy, your hospitality boot camp: (5 week On demand Front Line Customer Service Training Program): https://kaizen.zone/power-of-people-course/Customer Journey Map Free Download: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62293e8a78ab99224ea6e655Blog post | Improving Customer Retention with Customer Journey MappingIs your growth causing financial headaches? Sales up, but profits lagging? Financial practices stuck in entry level mode?Don't worry, it's not you—it's your financial setup.Introducing NextGen Finance Blueprint by NewCastle Finance. This CFO-led roadmap: • Brings fuzzy finances into focus • Gives you a clear money picture • Creates a step-by-step action planReady to level up? Visit newcastle.finance/blueprint