Exploring customer journey orchestration as a competitive differentiator

Customer experience (CX) is how organizations win, yet the path to that success is far from straightforward. A variety of touchpoints, non-linear journeys, changing preferences, and behaviors make it tricky to deliver a consistent, end-to-end experience. This is where customer journey orchestration becomes vital, allowing companies to navigate these complexities and turn customer experience into measurable outcomes.

Customer journey orchestration involves analyzing customer behavior across all channels and touchpoints to strategically coordinate the overall experience. This comprehensive view of the customer journey signposts the way for companies to deliver relevant personalization that deepens connections and demonstrates a true sense of intimacy.

Investing in this approach pays off significantly: on average, organizations that excel in customer journey orchestration see revenue increases of 10-20%, cost savings of 15-25%, and improvements in customer advocacy scores of 20-40 points.

Here’s what you need to know.

Customer journey orchestration is a top priority for 2024 and beyond 

A recent report from Gartner highlights customer journey orchestration as a crucial area of CX focus. Nearly 60% of customer service and support leaders plan to invest within the next 12 to 18 months to gain a deeper understanding of customer needs throughout the entire buying journey. Right now, this is a key challenge hindering their ability to improve the customer experience without a cohesive view of behavior across touchpoints.

The closer the customer connection, the bigger the gains

Customer journey orchestration works by first developing a comprehensive profile for each customer that includes demographic information, behavioral data, transactional history, channel preferences, and more. This holistic view allows companies to look at the buying journey in its entirety instead of just pieces of it.

This foundational understanding cultivates a deeper connection with customers, enabling businesses to grasp how each person moves through their journey, why they make certain choices, and how to effectively engage them at the right moments for desired outcomes. Companies that excel in this level of orchestration see significantly faster growth, deriving 40% more of their revenue from these efforts compared to their slower-growing counterparts.

Just as importantly, you’ll be able to quickly identify shifts in customer behaviors. Research shows that 75% of customers try a new shopping behavior each year. Customer journey orchestration provides a solid framework for understanding these changes, helping companies navigate shifting behaviors and meet new needs. 

Use case: Customer journey orchestration in action

After analyzing six months’ worth of data gathered from various sources like their electronic health record (EHR) system, patient surveys and feedback forms, appointment scheduling and attendance records, and patient interactions on their health portal and mobile app, Healthcare Co. noticed a few things.

• A rising trend in appointment cancellations, specifically among patients under 30 for their annual well exam. Further analysis shows that many of these patients cite scheduling conflicts or lack of reminders. 
• Patients who receive proactive communication and preventive screenings (like flu shots, for example) are more likely to schedule those appointments. For patients under 30, the preferred channel is SMS/text message.
• An uptick in the use of telehealth services for non-urgent issues, especially on evenings and weekends. 

Armed with this knowledge, the organization implements automated reminders via text and email, specifically targeting younger patients who are canceling appointments. They also develop a personalized proactive outreach campaign to remind patients about preventive care services, doubling down on SMS to increase engagement. They also decide to expand availability of telehealth appointments during weekends and evenings to help make service more accessible for patients. 

Using customer journey orchestration, the provider can drill down into this customer segment, connecting them with the information they need on the channel that works best for them – improving efficiency, reducing cancellations, and helping minimize costly no-shows. 

3 key benefits for customers 

Personalization, speed, and consistency are the reigning trio of customer experience:

1. Seventy-one percent of customers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when it doesn’t happen.
2. Two-thirds of customers say speed is as important as price and more than half will hire the first business to respond to their requests, even if it’s more expensive.
3. Most customers say they can feel when a company’s different departments like sales, service, and marketing are disconnected. 

Customer journey orchestration is designed to tick every box, ensuring you provide real-time personalization, rapid response times, and seamless interactions across all touchpoints and channels. 

Customer journey orchestration made easy

Customer experience is about getting a complete picture of each customer at every step of their buying journey to demonstrate a sense of intimacy that research shows leads to higher satisfaction and generates faster rates of revenue growth.

Customer journey orchestration sounds complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Avaya makes it easy for enterprises to prioritize customer journey orchestration using simple contact center plug-ins. Show us what you have, and we’ll show you how to unlock its full potential. 

Visit our website to see how Avaya and its solutions empower enterprises to embrace customer journey orchestration.