All Episodes

November 8, 2024 45 mins

Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here!

Customer retention is an often overlooked aspect of business success. When you focus too much on attracting new customers, you risk neglecting the ones you already have. This could mean lost revenues and damaged trust.

To fix this, businesses need to turn to customer journey mapping. By mapping out key interactions, you can improve customer experiences, build loyalty, and increase engagement.

But what is customer journey mapping exactly and how can it prevent customer churn? And what steps can you take to keep clients satisfied and loyal?

In this episode, Samantha Irwin and I explore the power of customer journey mapping and how it can help your business thrive. We break down her six key stages of the journey and share strategies on how you can improve customer retention and satisfaction - so you don’t lose them to the competition.

Samantha is a small business coach & consultant and the creator of the Power of People Academy and the Creating a Culture Deck. She inspires and educates teams to create exceptional Customer Experiences that foster loyalty and advocacy, driving both financial success and heartfelt service for brick-and-mortar businesses. She equips businesses to provide consistently Exceptional Customer Experiences, fostering thriving enterprises and fulfilled staff. Samantha's commitment extends to teaching business owners how to make their establishments preferred workplaces and favored customer destinations.

We discuss: (timestamps)
03:05 - Traditional vs. non-linear customer journey maps
05:39 - The six key steps of customer journey mapping
11:58 - Why customer interaction is crucial for business success
15:37 - Is great customer service personality trainable or innate?
18:52 - How to refine your hiring process to attract the right staff
21:05 - Hospitality as a crucial business skill
21:50 - How online-only businesses can improve customer experience
23:59 - Why curating the customer experience benefits your business
27:21 - Real-life examples of customer experience transformation
34:24 - How culture change improves employee engagement and retention
34:48 - Training hospitality skills to enhance customer satisfaction
36:49 - How curiosity builds customer connections and opportunities
37:31 - The superpower of maintaining energy in customer service
39:34 - Why sometimes you have to 'fake it' to lead effectively
41:04 - One actionable step to improve customer retention

Resources:
Samantha Irwin, Small Business Coach & Consultant, Kaizen Small Business Solutions
https://kaizen.zone/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kaizen-business-coaching-consulting/


Courses + Downloads: 


Blog post | Improving Customer Retention with Customer

Is your growth causing financial headaches? Sales up, but profits lagging? Financial practices stuck in entry level mode?

Don't worry, it's not you—it's your financial setup.

Introducing NextGen Finance Blueprint by NewCastle Finance. This CFO-led roadmap: • Brings fuzzy finances into focus • Gives you a clear money picture • Creates a step-by-step action plan

Ready to level up? Visit newcastl


Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.