Customer Journey Mapping for London 2012

In July 2012 the Olympic games will be opening, followed shortly after by the Paralympics and they are sure to be a memorable event for participants and organisers, but what about the customers and the customer experience? The millions that are expected to attend the Olympics and Paralympics will be looking for a once in a lifetime experience, and although this will be focused around the performance of the athletes and will be influenced by the impressive facilities being provided, the overriding factor that will deliver this experience is the customer service.

Who will be responsible for the customer service and the customer experience? LOCOG, the major sponsors, the media, transportation companies, the IT providers, the 70,000 volunteers...? The list is endless, and the answer is of course all of these, and many others, have a role to play in delivering a first class customer experience. But with little time to go the focus so far has been on delivering the infrastructure, surely the time is right to move that focus towards the customers' journey whilst attending the Olympics. Every time a customer interacts with the Olympics' infrastructure, there is an opportunity for a customer "moment of truth". These "moments of truth" are an opportunity for all involved to make a good or bad impression on the customer and are key moments in the customer journey – the moments that will create a lasting memory of the Olympics.

The Competefor.com website, which is the portal to all of the contracts being awarded with regards to the games, and other major contract opportunities, is an excellent illustration of the lack of profile for the customer. When registering to be notified of opportunities you are asked to indicate which business categories your company covers. In total there are 1,877 categories ranging from Abattoirs to Zip fasteners and Zoos, but no category called Customer, not Customer Research, not Customer Relationship Management, not Customer Service, nothing that mentions the Customer!

Customer Journey Mapping (CJM)

Any organisation that has a role to play in a customer touch-point and the customer experience must now be considering mapping out the customer journey and creating a customer journey map (CJM). Whether that starts with applying for tickets for the events, or is more related to the tickets needed for the physical journey to attend the event. Perhaps for many of us our customer journey has already started by following in the media the development of the stadia, or volunteering to help in the games, or applying for tickets.

Below is an illustration of a possible customer journey map (CJM) tracked from the ticketing experience, getting to the venues, the venues themselves and then the post event activities. Under each one is an illustration of what customers may be considering during each stage of their journey. What organisations then need to identify is what the experience is that customers want at that point and how are they going to provide it. Surely a challenge of Olympic proportions.

Having mapped out the customer journey e.g. what are the experiences that customers are going to want and how can each company influence this, the organisations involved then need to identify what actions need to take place between now and July 2012 to ensure the customer experience is a great experience. There is no opportunity to do a dress rehearsal or to postpone the event. Millions of pounds will be spent on sponsorship and advertising promoting global brands and their associated values, yet it will be the customers' experience on the ground and their moments of truth that will provide the lasting memory for many.

UK legacy

There are expected to be 205 different countries competing in 26 Olympic sports and 20 Paralympic sports. Therefore, with many customers visiting the events from abroad to support their national team, this is a great opportunity to showcase the excellent service standards that the UK can deliver, the benefits of which will be felt long after the Olympics have left these shores.

Training should be taking place now

"On your marks...Get set... Go" may well be the words that athletes are preparing themselves for, and to be in a position to be able to compete athletes are in training now. Which of the many companies involved are already in training to provide a memorable customer experience and positive customer moments of truth? In 1998 I stayed at the Marriott Hotel in New Orleans where I received excellent customer service. Whilst talking to one of their employees they were very proud to tell me that their skills had been identified and they were shortly to be relocated to Sydney ready to train staff at the Marriott there ready for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Will suppliers for London 2012 be flying in customer service professionals from around the world, or will they be following the London 2012 philosophy of leaving behind a legacy for the benefit of all and training UK employees on delivering world class customer service?

Take the next step

If you would like to discuss mapping your customers' journeys and the delivery of a memorable customer experience, please get in touch.

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