…and this is how you intentionally design customer loyalty.
Creating personas that reflect segments of your customers is an effective component to creating impactful products, services and experiences for the people you are aiming to serve. But building them through the “Jobs to be Done” (JTBD) framework requires a deep understanding of their needs, motivations, and desired outcomes.
Here’s an effective way to use the JTBD framework to build customer loyalty:
- Identify customer needs: Conduct qualitative research to understand the underlying needs and motivations of your customers. Use techniques such as interviews, surveys, and observations to gain insights into the jobs your customers are trying to accomplish when using your product or service.
- Define the customer’s desired outcomes: Determine the specific outcomes and goals that customers are seeking to achieve when using your product or service. This involves understanding not just the functional needs but also the emotional and social dimensions associated with those outcomes.
- Map customer journeys: Create a customer journey map that outlines the steps customers go through to accomplish their desired outcomes. This map should highlight pain points, moments of truth, and areas where your product or service can provide value.
- Align your offering with customer outcomes: Evaluate how well your current offering aligns with the desired outcomes of your customers. Identify any gaps or areas where you can improve to better address customer needs and provide a superior solution.
- Continuously iterate and improve: Use customer feedback and insights to iterate on your product or service. This involves incorporating customer suggestions, testing new features, and making improvements based on the JTBD framework.
- Provide exceptional customer experiences: Focus on delivering exceptional experiences at every touchpoint with your customers. This includes seamless onboarding, personalized interactions, excellent customer support, and continuously exceeding customer expectations.
- Foster a customer-centric culture: Cultivate a culture within your organization that prioritizes understanding and meeting customer needs. Encourage employees to actively listen to customers, empathize with their challenges, and contribute ideas for improving the overall customer experience.
- Build an emotional connection: Find ways to build an emotional connection between your brand and your customers. This can be achieved through storytelling, personalized messaging, loyalty programs, or special offers that cater to their specific needs and preferences.
- Encourage customer advocacy: Engage with satisfied customers and encourage them to share their positive experiences with others. Word-of-mouth recommendations and customer testimonials can significantly contribute to building customer loyalty and attracting new customers.
- Monitor and measure customer loyalty: Implement metrics and tracking systems to monitor customer satisfaction, retention rates, and loyalty over time. Regularly review these metrics and use the insights to make data-driven decisions and further refine your approach.
“People don’t want a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.” – Theodore Levitt
By consistently applying the JTBD framework and focusing on addressing customer needs and desired outcomes, you can cultivate customer loyalty, differentiate your offering, and build strong, long-term relationships with your customers.
Don’t just get an understanding of who your customers are, get an understanding of what they’re trying to get done.