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Understanding the Three Scales of Time in Customer Journey Management

  • Oct 16, 2024
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 3




Since I began practicing customer journey mapping in 2016, one of the most critical elements I've learned to focus on is the scale of time. Time management within customer journeys is not a one-size-fits-all process. It spans from multi-year customer relationships to mere seconds of user interaction. Let’s explore these time scales and why mastering them is essential for any successful journey management strategy.


Lifetime customer cycles

These cycles span years and cover the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), where the focus is less on individual transactions and more on relationship management. This involves nurturing customers through loyalty programs, personalized communication, and long-term value propositions. For example, a B2B company might assign a relationship manager to handle a client account over many years, guiding them through product upgrades, contracts, and renewals. In this scale, the goal is to build trust and loyalty over time, not just manage one-off interactions.The focus: Macro-management. High-level strategies like upsell campaigns or long-term customer health monitoring can effectively manage lifecycle scales.


Conversion funnel (transaction-based)

This is where leads are nurtured into sales. The focus here is on more tangible, transactional moments—from the first point of contact to closing a deal. In this scale, journey mapping becomes critical in ensuring that the customer is guided smoothly through each stage of the funnel, removing friction along the way. Sales teams might engage in CRM-driven tasks, follow-ups, and personalized content delivery to push conversions.The focus: Mid-level journey management. Teams look at optimizing specific steps within the funnel, such as improving response times, removing bottlenecks in the sales process, or segmenting customer bases for targeted communication.


UX flow (seconds to minutes)

These are micro-moments that typically last seconds. It’s where immediate, often unconscious decisions take place—like clicking a button or scrolling through a product page. Here, the focus is on optimizing tiny details such as color schemes, CTA (Call To Action) phrasing, and reducing load times. An example would be an e-commerce company refining its checkout process to reduce cart abandonment.The focus: Micro-management. UX teams focus on rapid decision-making moments, A/B testing for user interfaces, and iterative design improvements.


How to Apply Time Scale Understanding

  • Strategic Zoom: At larger scales, like lifecycle management, the level of detail can be less granular. Here, broad strategies for customer satisfaction, retention, and long-term engagement should dominate the conversation. Instead of obsessing over every interaction, focus on touchpoints that are relationship-building, such as customer service improvements or loyalty programs.

  • Tactical Zoom: At smaller scales, such as a UX flow, hyper-focus on individual touchpoints is required. Micro-decisions made by customers in seconds can drastically affect conversion rates. In these instances, the team should perform UX audits, run usability tests, and continually optimize.


Why it matters
Teams that understand and prioritize the correct time scale can allocate resources more effectively and avoid unnecessary complexity in journey management.

Practical Steps to Make Good Use of Time Scales:

  1. Lifetime customer cycles: Assign relationship managers or specialized teams to nurture long-term customer relationships. Use customer data to predict and act on key milestones.

  2. Conversion funnels: Regularly audit your funnel stages for inefficiencies. Implement CRM tools that track and optimize lead nurturing processes.

  3. UX flows: Invest in A/B testing, heat maps, and usability tests to continuously optimize the smallest details of your user interfaces.


Key takeaways

  • Long time scales require macro-management, like nurturing relationships over years.

  • Mid-scale, such as funnels, benefits from detailed optimization but with a focus on completing a transaction.

  • Short time scales, such as UX flows, demand micro-management, focusing on second-to-second decisions and interactions.


Further reading

  1. Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing.

  2. Richardson, A. (2010). Using customer journey maps to improve customer experience. Harvard Business Review.

  3. Kalbach, J. (2016). Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value Through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams. O'Reilly Media.

  4. Edelman, D. C., & Singer, M. (2015). Competing on customer journeys. McKinsey Quarterly.





SUMMARY PROTOCOL
TOPIC: Time Scales in Customer Journey Mapping 
PROBLEM: Mismatched time scales can hinder customer journey efforts.
QUICK TAKEAWAY: Different time scales require unique journey management approaches.
CORE CONTENT: Three scales: lifetime cycles, conversion funnels, and UX flows. Each requires distinct focus and management techniques. 
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE: Expect corporate resistance to resource reallocation.
QUICK ACTION: Assign journey management based on time scale—macro for lifetime, micro for UX flows.
RISK OF DOING NOTHING: Losing customers due to lack of focus on key touchpoints.
FUTURE PROTOCOL: Design journey management strategies that align with time scales. 

Be bold, agent. Refine and conquer the timeline.

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