What is the B2B Customer Journey?  

The B2B customer journey represents the steps that businesses go through when they are interacting with other businesses in the areas of marketing, sales, customer service and support in the process of making a sale.  

It has a number of touchpoints, and it usually takes longer than the typical B2C transaction.  

Understanding the B2B customer journey can influence marketing strategies and the customer experience, potentially affecting business outcomes. 

The B2B customer journey includes the following stages: 

1. Bewustzijn 
2. Overweging 
3. Decision 
4. klantenbinding 
5. Advocacy.  

These stages represent the customer’s life cycle from the stage of being aware of the existence of the brand to becoming its advocate.  

Some models incorporate Onboarding and Adoption, potentially affecting customer success.

Triggers are any actions or circumstances that motivate B2B buyers to take further steps in the purchasing process.  

These triggers can be the recognition of a problem as being worthy of addressing, the start of the research for a solution to that problem, or any number of other situations in which the seller presents a free trial. 

Hier is een stap-voor-stap proces:  

1. B2B customers begin by considering various solutions, comparing features and assessing alignment with their specific needs.  
2. Next, they move into an evaluation phase involving detailed demos, pilot programs, and formal assessments involving multiple stakeholders.   
3. Finally, decision-makers prioritize solutions offering seamless integration with existing infrastructure, alongside strong performance and reliability.  

Customers who seek products and services available in B2B markets undergo a number of steps before making a decision to purchase. This includes the use of:  

• search engines 
• industry publications 
• recommendations by peers 
• conversations with sales representatives. 

This process is put into effect to identify a specific business need, create a plan for the solution, and then compare available solutions with the plan. 

Customer experience has taken center stage as a key factor in driving growth, profitability, klantenbinding, and loyalty in B2B transactions.  

It appears that consumers are starting to apply the ‘consumerization’ concept to B2B.  Consumers tend to prefer simplified business interactions, courteous service, and smooth purchasing processes.  If we compare organizations that have and have not implemented strategies to improve klantbeleving, the latter group stands out for its cost savings, higher revenue, and enhanced Klanttevredenheid. 

Typical concerns include the volume of information received from various vendors, the effort needed to identify dependable resources, the absence of a well-defined business case, and a multitude of stakeholders.  

These factors are associated with complexities that can affect customer experience quality.  Journey mapping may be employed to identify and address these pain points.  

If a customer’s journey contains a substantial number of negative events, it might relate to a higher customer departure rate.  

Here are the steps in improving B2B customer journeys:  

1. Map the existing B2B customer journey to identify all the touchpoints and the opportunity for improvement.  
2. Gebruik data analytics to gain valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences at each stage of the process.  
3. Digital tools and strategies may impact the experience and the presence of obstacles.  
4. Seeking customer feedback and developing connections may influence customer loyalty and subsequent development.