Discover and define key customer experience challenges
In this phase we conduct qualitative and quantitative research and gather customer insights. We also need clearly defined personas. We can then identify key challenges in the customer experience and translate our insights into as-is customer journeys.Conduct customer research
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Before starting the research, make a plan that includes:
- research objectives
- research methods - based on objectives and constraints
- logistics of running the research
- profiles of the people to be recruited
- approach for recruiting them (e.g. via external agency, shoppers in store)
- an interview guide/questionnaire
- IKEA participants.
Once the plan is complete, make sure all the necessary sign-offs are in place (for example, Legal, Compliance, workers’ councils).
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Next, define the right question and frame the problem. This involves understanding the business challenges and how they relate to customer perception / behaviour / attitudes, etc.
Here are some examples.Business challenge Research question We need to increase the Customer satisfaction score. How can we create positive emotional engagement with our customers?
We need to increase sales of kitchen solutions. How can we become customers’ first choice or go-to brand for kitchens? We need to digitise the handling of customer questions in CMPs by our co-workers.
How can we make co-workers’ tasks easier, faster and simpler?
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There are different ways to get an understanding of customers' needs. The most common is through qualitative and quantitative research. When conducting research, recruit people from as diverse backgrounds as possible (gender, ethnicity, age, etc.) to ensure diversity and a representative sample of consumers and/or customers.
Qualitative researchQualitative research is best used to understand the why – it will tell a lot about a few cases. Methods can be interviews, focus groups, generative sessions, etc. By nature, it’s more exploratory and seeks to understand underlying motivations and attitudes.
Quantitative researchQuantitative research is best used to validate the findings from the qualitative interviews on a scale – it will tell a little about a lot of cases. Common methods are surveys and data analytics. By nature, it is more confirmatory, used to prove or disprove hypothesis or identify trends.
Other sources of insights:
- Pulse CX (the IKEA method for capturing, storing and processing customer feedback across CMPs)
- customer service and support feedback
- Customer Relation Management (CRM) (surveys and forms)
- digital CMP insights (e.g. IKEA website performance)
- mystery shopping, etc.
- IKEA intelligence (global reports such as How people shop, Insights for range)
- connect with the global or local insights team.
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Before analysing the data, we need to remind ourselves of our research objective and the desired outcomes. Then we can sort and theme the data, and draw meaningful conclusions. It’s about combining data in new ways, spotting recurring themes and patterns, and identifying anomalies.
Look for context to the insights and connect the findings to existing knowledge or industry trends. Then identify the key insights that respond to the research objectives. Prioritise them based on their impact and relevance. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to validate and refine insights, as well as getting additional perspectives to enhance the robustness of the synthesis.
This will transform raw data into meaningful conclusions and input for the as-is customer journey and opportunity mapping.There are different ways to analyse data and find insights, for example:
- 2x2 matrix helps organise and clarify
- think-feel-say-do helps to categorise needs and find gaps, for example between say and do.
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Define and describe personas
A persona is a character developed to represent a shared interest group or segment. Ensure their attributes come from the research and represent perceptions, likes, dislikes, wants, needs, etc. Personas are essential for creating a more personalised experience for groups of people with similar needs, expectations and behaviours - rather than a generic experience for everybody.
Here we look for patterns, common themes, and recurring behaviours in the data. This involves identifying similarities and differences among participants or customers. Define personas based on behaviours and needs, rather than demographics. This avoids bias.
Ideally, we map the as-is journey for each persona to truly capture their different needs and preferences. This helps us tailor the content and interactions of customer journeys and make them more relevant.
Create the as-is journey map and identify key challenges
Customers’ journeys are made up of a sequence of interactions with the IKEA Brand, which can take place across any number of CMPs and over any length of time. As explained in managing experiences, these journeys divide roughly into eight stages. Within each stage, there can be several moments of interaction.
Mapping existing (as-is) journeys:
- tells us the story through the customer’s eyes, enabling us to understand their needs and journeys
- shows us how well the actual experience is meeting customers’ expectations
- helps us to focus on the customer instead of internal processes and departments
- enables us to have one framework for ideation and cross-functional collaboration
- connects user goals and tasks with internal capabilities (people, process, technology, etc.).
We define the as-is customer journey for each persona, using their differences in motivations and needs.
We can use the as-is customer journey map below. Depending on the type of journey we’re mapping (e.g. related to a product, service, specific touchpoint), different stages and moments of interaction (as well as their sequence and selection) can apply.
Once we define the most relevant customer journey stages, we can start populating the rows below (e.g. actions/backstory, channels/touchpoints, needs and wants). For each one, describe in-depth how the customer moves through their journey and what they experience along the way.
