{"id":21988,"date":"2021-08-03T20:45:26","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T00:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3pillarglobal.com\/?p=21988"},"modified":"2025-05-15T16:40:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T16:40:49","slug":"customer-experience-lifecycle","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.3pillarglobal.com\/insights\/blog\/customer-experience-lifecycle\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Experience Lifecycle – Adopt a Customer Mindset at Every Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

The customer experience lifecycle model lays out the stages that customers go through as they move through the sales funnel.<\/p>\n

While similar to the customer journey map, the CX lifecycle model is a high-level tool for understanding broad customer segments\u2014not the individual journeys within those segments.<\/p>\n

Essentially, the CX lifecycle represents the big picture\u2014an outline of needs to address at each stage so that customers can move on to the next phase\u2014eventually becoming loyal advocates.<\/p>\n

Below, we\u2019ll take a look at the customer experience lifecycle and explain how to manage the experience at every stage.<\/p>\n

What is the Customer Lifecycle?<\/h2>\n

The customer experience lifecycle is a series of steps a customer completes throughout the buying process\u2014discovery, evaluation, conversion, and, if all goes well, results in a long-term relationship.<\/p>\n

The customer lifecycle is the whole iterative journey a customer follows\/experiences while interacting with a brand or its products\/services. It\u2019s important because it helps organizations identify different monetization options\u2014including recurring revenue streams\u2014by offering something that keeps them coming back for more.<\/p>\n

Mapping the CX lifecycle exposes all elements and touchpoints involved in key CX processes. This will help drive where to focus for the best return.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s important to note that the customer lifecycle is a cycle, not a linear path. Instead of ending at the point of purchase, it\u2019s a continuous loop.<\/p>\n

The aim here is to build a loyal customer base of advocates willing to spread the word about your brand to friends, family, and followers.<\/p>\n

The CX lifecycle also gives sales, marketing, and service teams a complete picture of the customer journey. This makes it easier to identify areas that need improvement and determine what actions make the most sense based on the customer\u2019s needs at any given phase in the journey.
\n[adinserter name=”CX Book Promo block”]<\/p>\n

Customer Lifecycle Stages<\/h2>\n

The number of stages in the customer experience lifecycle varies, depending on who you ask. We\u2019ve broken it into six distinct phases, though you might add or remove phases depending on your business model, sales process, or other factors. Here\u2019s an overview of the customer experience lifecycle model and how expectations evolve throughout the journey.<\/p>\n

1. Attract<\/h3>\n

At this stage, prospective customers identify a need\/want and begin to research products\/services.<\/p>\n

First, you\u2019ll need to attract customers and convince them to enter the funnel. Initially, it\u2019s about targeting the right people so that they become aware of your company and the products\/services you provide.<\/p>\n

Capture their attention through various marketing tactics\u2014social media, paid search, content marketing, referrals, etc.<\/p>\n

Here, it\u2019s important to connect them to the product\u2014and your brand\u2014on both a practical and an emotional level. Focus on the benefits\u2014whether that\u2019s helping shoppers up their style game or decision-makers save their company time\/money.<\/p>\n

2. Acquire<\/h3>\n

The next stage is acquisition. Here, potential customers have \u201centered the funnel\u201d and are currently evaluating whether or not this product or service will meet their needs and\/or wants.<\/p>\n

Brands should focus on nudging prospective customers toward the conversion\u2014whether that\u2019s getting them to complete a purchase, opt in to a newsletter, or download a resource.<\/p>\n

For retail companies, the acquisition process might only last a matter of minutes. For example, a new customer discount might be enough to convince them to pull the trigger. Or, it might take a couple of follow-up emails and a retargeting campaign.<\/p>\n

For high-value products, such as a new car, a home, or a major remodeling project, it could take weeks or months. Prospects want to shop around, read reviews, and make sure they\u2019re getting a good deal. Here, there\u2019s more at stake compared to someone shopping for, say, a new pair of shorts.<\/p>\n

And, on the B2B side, acquisition might go on for almost a year and involve up to ten decision-makers<\/a>. Invest in educating all these different people and focusing on the needs\/pain points\/problems in the context of each role.<\/p>\n

3. Convert<\/h3>\n

At this point, the goal is to turn prospects into actual customers. Customers should feel welcome and valued\u2014and if they do, the sale will happen (mostly) on its own. Organizations should focus on eliminating friction. For example, contracts need to include clear terms, pricing, and an easy-to-understand breakdown of what they\u2019re getting.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also need to provide secure payment options and make sure that you\u2019re upfront about shipping costs, fees, delivery times, etc. Otherwise, you risk scaring them away at this crucial turning point.<\/p>\n

4. Retain<\/h3>\n

Retention starts immediately after the customer pulls the trigger. Post-conversion, you\u2019ll still need to work hard to earn customers\u2019 business. That means continuing to follow-up, staying in contact, delivering value at key moments, and identifying opportunities to upsell\/\/cross-sell.<\/p>\n

B2Bs<\/strong>: Ensure the customer is onboarded efficiently and use the data obtained at earlier stages to personalize the process. Your product and service need to be usable quickly and without friction.<\/p>\n

Customers should be able to easily locate clear information for where\/how to get help if they run into trouble and get in touch with someone who can help.<\/p>\n

B2Cs:<\/strong> Here, your goal is to bring customers back for repeat purchases. Focus on engaging audiences on multiple channels, presenting relevant recommendations\/offers, and continuing to improve the shopping experience.<\/p>\n

5. Build Loyalty<\/h3>\n

At this point, customers are \u201cactive users.\u201d However, depending on the product or service, the duration of this can be either extremely short (think a single transaction) or long-lasting (think years or even decades-long contracts).<\/p>\n

The goal here is to maintain the relationship by making an effort to understand customer needs and product usage, so improvements can be made. To do this, organizations need to have a clear picture of what \u201chabitual use\u201d means in the context of your industry and your customer\u2019s mindset.<\/p>\n

For example, if I\u2019m a restaurant app, habitual use might be once, twice a week. If I\u2019m an events invitation platform, it might be more like once a month. Or, if I\u2019m a social media app, habitual use might look more like three or more log-ins per day. The point is, one size doesn\u2019t fit all.<\/p>\n

Organizations should focus efforts on accuracy, quality, and continuing to delight and ensure that customers continue to have an emotional connection with the brand. That means continuously looking for opportunities to upsell or promote an alternative solution and design and build upgrades that align with changing needs.<\/p>\n

6. Maintain Post-Use<\/h3>\n

If customers stop using the product, but not because they were unsatisfied, organizations should focus on re-engaging the customer either with new products, services, or features.<\/p>\n

When customers have stopped using the product because they were dissatisfied, organizations should focus on re-engaging the customer with new products, services, features, or branding\u2014but make sure they\u2019re using feedback\/data to find a different solution that may be a better fit.<\/p>\n

If the customer needs to discontinue, ensure that the process is easy, efficient, and leaves the door open for customers to come back. In other words, don\u2019t burn any bridges.<\/p>\n

Customer Lifecycle Management<\/h2>\n

The CX lifecycle management strategy must be consistent across all products, services, and interactions. It\u2019s important that it\u2019s focused around the customer, provides the right information at the right time, and solves problems the way customers expect them to be solved.<\/p>\n

Customer lifecycle management follows typical continuous improvement\/Agile processes. It\u2019s all about identifying existing journeys, conversion funnels, and market trends. From there, using those insights to improve, measuring the results, and repeating the process on loop. The more information you have, the easier it\u2019ll be to refine and personalize the overall experience so that it aligns with customer needs.<\/p>\n

This information will inform your product vision, roadmap, release plan, as well as your sales, service, and marketing strategies. It\u2019s safe to say that you\u2019ll want to spend a good amount of time here.<\/p>\n

Align Around the Customer Mindset<\/h3>\n

3Pillar’s Manager of Product Management, Kathryn Rosaaen, says, \u201cthere’s a nuance to the project management craft where we want to look at the stage of the product, stage of our customers, and our KPIs in mind when determining what to build and when.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re a startup with an early-stage product, without established trust nor existing base, you might double down on features that maximize how many people discover the product. Here, it makes more sense to prioritize features that promote engagement and encourage repeat use, and avoiding features that demand a higher level of trust or commitment.<\/p>\n

Align with the customer mindset to ensure that every interaction they have convinces them to stick with the journey.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This reduces waste, maximizes the number of people who become loyal fans, and acknowledges that in a land of choice, every single person who visits our product is important to your business.<\/p>\n

Measure, Analyze, and Reassess<\/h3>\n

Customer lifecycle management is about measuring several customer-related metrics over a specific period, which, when analyzed, indicate how well a business is performing. The idea is, you\u2019re not just looking at how many sales you made or leads that entered the pipeline.<\/p>\n

Look at the metrics that help inform what attracts customers, convinces them to convert, and ultimately, convinces them to commit long-term AND tell people how happy they are.<\/p>\n

When using the startup example, we might look at our data and decide to prioritize the following:<\/p>\n