Customer Journey Optimizer Key Terms

Customer Journey Optimizer Key Terms

Here you can find common terms and concepts for using the Customer Journey Optimizer.

• Action: Actions are an update to a system connected through the Customer Journey Optimizer (e.g., send an email, create a support ticket, change a CMS rule, etc.) or an update to a Customer Journey Optimizer variable. Actions are executed when the conditions of a rule are met.
• Activation Systems (Outbound Connectors): Activation systems are used to deliver experiences to customers through actions. Common activation systems include websites, mobile apps, surveys, marketing and advertising campaigns, emails, SMS or text messages, call centers, and CRMs. Read the Integrating with Inbound & Outbound Connectors support page for more information.
• Channel: A channel is defined as the medium where customer interactions take place. Journey milestones are updated based on the interactions within these channels.
• Condition: A condition is one or more IF statements that determine when an action should happen (e.g. if the field NewCustomer is equal to true).
• Connection: A pre-built integration between a 3rd party system (e.g. Salesforce, SAP, Google Analytics, etc.) and the Customer Journey Optimizer for the purpose of fetching data and executing actions.
• Customer: The customer is who experiences the journey and is changed as the journey progresses. It is often a customer or user but can also be non-human when complex journeys are implemented (e.g. mortgage application, SIM card, airline flight)
• Customer Journey Map: A customer journey map is a visual guide documenting the process a customer goes through in order to accomplish a goal. A journey map is not an operational tool for the business. The core purpose of a journey map is to build stakeholder empathy with the customer through a deeper understanding of what the customer is trying to accomplish and how the business influences the quality of that experience.
• Customer Lifecycle: Customer lifecycle is a term that is used to describe the progression of stages a customer or user goes through when interacting with a company or brand. Common customer lifecycles that are targeted through the Customer Journey Optimizer include: purchase/transactions, onboarding, usage, retention, loyalty, advocacy, service, or support.
• Customer Segment: Customer segments are groups of similar users or customers that share attributes, behaviors, and interests.
• Data Map: Data maps connect the data from your different data sources to create a cohesive customer profile. Data maps show how data relates to each other.
• Data Sources (Inbound Connectors): Data sources store information about customers and their recordable behaviors and transactions. These systems are updated when customers engage with companies through various channels or when customer or behavior data is collected. Common data sources include CRMs, CDPs, surveys, clickstream analytics, transactional databases, call center interactions, marketing and advertising history. Read the Integrating with Inbound & Outbound Connectors support page for more information.
• Entity: Entities are objects fetched from a 3rd party (e.g. Salesforce Contact, SAP order). Data sources can become an entity once a connection has been established and the data has been fetched. You can view the available Entities by visiting the “Data overview” tab.
• Entry Criteria: Entry criteria are rules that determine if a customer can enter a journey or milestone.
• Event: Events are a customer behavior or transaction that is recorded as a change in a connected third-party system that the Customer Journey Optimizer receives via the integration’s inbound connector (e.g., a webhook call, an IoT stream, or a record change in your CRM).
• Global Rule: Global rules are rules that are applied to all customers who pass the journey’s entry criteria. They can be used to apply an action to any customer who enters your journey.
• Integration: An integration is a connection between the Customer Journey Optimizer and a third-party system for sending data and actions between the two connected systems.
• Journey: A customer journey is a series of touchpoints a user has with an organization in one or more channels as they attempt to reach an outcome. Some organizations may use a variety of similar terms, such as sub-journeys or micro-journeys. Qualtrics uses the term journey exclusively; as long as there is a beginning, at least one milestone, and an end, it is a journey.
• Journey Analytics: Journey Analytics is the process to define, collect, measure, analyze and understand the performance of a customer journey.
• Journey Optimization: Journey Optimization is the iterative process of monitoring, analyzing, and subsequently fine-tuning the delivery of experiences along the journey to measurably improve identified business KPIs over time.
• Journey Session: A session is a customer’s single voyage along a journey. Customers can follow the same journey multiple times, and each time the journey is represented by a new session.
• Journey System Architecture: A journey system architecture is a service blueprint that visualizes the relationships between different service components — people, processes, and data systems — that are directly tied to touchpoints in a specific customer journey.
• Key Performance Indicators: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the critical indicators of progress toward an intended result. KPIs form the basis for decision making and assessing the impact and value of a program. Therefore, KPIs must form a connection between how the journey is measured and the intended business outcome. For example, containment or deflection rates on your website are leading indicators of reduced costs that can be measured as part of a digital service journey.
• Milestone: A journey milestone represents a moment in time along the customer journey. A milestone is typically associated with one or more events, actions, or behaviors. Journeys typically have between 3-5 milestones defined, which can include both positive and negative experiences.
• Optimal Path: The happy path is the preferred path of milestones, as defined by the business, to deliver the optimal customer experience. Deviation from this path can indicate moments of friction, prolonged journeys, or sub-optimal design. Data should be collected to help identify and analyze the conversion, stalled milestones, fallout, and attrition from the Happy Path.
• Rule: Rules are business logic statements that contain a data-based condition, oftentimes coupled with an associated action (e.g., if the field IssueResolved is equal to false, then send a follow-up email to the customer).
• Traveler: A traveler is a business entity (usually a customer or employee) who moves through the milestones in your journey. A traveler is made up of a profile and subject
• Variables: A variable is a field that may be used to store data about a customer’s voyage through a journey (e.g., if your customer contacted your company via a mobile device, you can save a variable that marks them as a mobile user). When a customer ends one journey session and begins another, the variables are emptied so they can be used again.