Serving the nonstop customer By Paul F. Nunes, Olivier Schunck and Robert E. Wollan A customer’s path to purchase used to be linear. Now the journey is dynamic, accessible and continuous. Marketing executives need a new model that can help them become and remain relevant to their customers in this uncharted environment. accenture.com/

1. This article originally appeared
in the 2012, No. 3, issue of
The journal of high-performance business
Marketing
Serving the
nonstop customer
By Paul F. Nunes, Olivier Schunck and Robert E. Wollan
A customer’s path to purchase used to be linear.
Now the journey is dynamic, accessible and continuous.
Marketing executives need a new model that can help
them become and remain relevant to their customers
in this uncharted environment.
accenture.com/outlook

2. Even casual observers of the world of areas of the company understanding
commerce know by now: The traditional the new model. Companies must then
marketing “funnel”—the model that integrate three guiding principles into
described a customer’s path to buying their existing marketing, sales and
goods and services as linear, beginning service strategies, and even their product
with awareness and ending with purchase development and production efforts.
and loyalty—has lost its relevance. It’s
too slow, too static and too generic to Excelling in today’s marketplace
be used as a foundation for companies’ means leaving the funnel far behind.
marketing, sales and service strategies, By shifting to this new model and
and as a guide to their execution. executing on the basis of the insights
it provides, executives can create
But in their efforts to create a new model relevant consumer experiences, capture
that better reflects today’s realities, new demand, seize opportunities from
scholars, analysts and consultants less agile competitors and find new
often miss a key shift in consumer avenues to profitable growth.
behavior: Buyers no longer enter a
channel. Instead, they are continuously What makes the Nonstop-Customer
in the channel. Experience Model unique? Among
other things, evaluation, not purchase,
As long as they are within arm’s is its focal point. Even after a purchase,
length of a smartphone, tablet or customers today frequently reevaluate
PC, today’s consumers are able to their decisions, and the alternatives.
participate in any and all of the What if I can find a better deal by
components of traditional channels at checking just one more place? I know
the time and place of their choosing, that the product’s in the mail, but
online. They can also move seamlessly is there still time to cancel? As new
between various channels and information comes to light, it’s easier
components, both online and in than ever for customers to change
the physical world. Distinct sales their minds.
channels are giving way to a single,
all-encompassing model. Ultimately, the Nonstop-Customer
Experience Model reflects how the
This shift affects business-to-business experience of shopping—a journey for
as well as business-to-consumer customers across the many activities
relationships, and has strategic in any given channel—has fundamentally
implications, not just for such changed in three critical, strategically
marketing activities as advertising significant ways.
and promotion but also for sales,
service and every other function of
the channel. The customer’s journey is
now dynamic
Drawing on decades of client experience
and research on consumer behavior Enabled by technology, customers
carried out by Accenture as well as can now easily control and vary
by leading scholars, and informed by their routes within (and across)
careful mapping and consideration channels to suit their needs at any
of the most recent trends in customer given moment. Although shoppers
behavior, Accenture has developed move through the same fundamental
a new model—the Nonstop-Customer stages today, they have replaced their
Experience Model—that captures what’s traditional beeline route through the
really going on. Successfully interacting funnel with a variety of pathways
with and serving customers in today’s that can be direct but more often
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Outlook 2012
often bewildering array of channel than not are nonlinear, including
Number 3 options begins with executives in all loops and switchbacks.

3. The Accenture Nonstop-Customer Experience Model
In the traditional marketing funnel, customers follow a linear path to purchase and loyalty, and companies exert a relatively
high level of control over the process. The new model shows how technology has changed the way customers interact with
a company and its channels. The customer journey is now dynamic, accessible and continuous, with evaluation at the center
and channels that are always on and always at hand.
The traditional funnel The Accenture Nonstop-Customer Experience Model
Discover
Discover
Purchase
Consider
Evaluate Evaluate
Purchase
Consider Use
Use
Open content/channels
Brand-controlled content/channels
Source: Accenture analysis
The customer’s journey store was open late, to purchase it.
is now accessible Today, technology—digital, mobile,
social—means that such gaps have
More content than ever is being put in evaporated. Being exposed to a flux
front of customers, much of it beyond of touchpoints that are “always on”
any given company’s control. And that means that customers are almost always
third-party influence is increasingly moving around the channel.
insistent and influential. This content
also appears from all sides. It’s anytime There’s a downside to this perpetual
and anywhere, and it can come from shopping, however: It’s easy for
or through anyone. customers to become trapped in a
state of endless evaluation, and
At the same time, in this more open unable to make the final decision
environment, customers are demanding to buy. Faced with that frustration,
greater transparency about how their they may make a knee-jerk purchase
own data is being used. Companies will driven by emotion, buy some-thing
need to comply with these requests, based on the last piece of information
even as they capture customer data and they processed or simply walk away.
use it to enhance their own operations.
While the journey will change for
all customers, different customer
The customer’s journey is segments will react with different
now continuous behaviors to the dynamic, accessible
and continuous environment (see
In the not-so-distant past, customers chart, page 6).
might have considered a product on a
3
Outlook 2012 Saturday and then had to wait until How should marketing, sales and
Number 3 the following Thursday, when the service leaders respond? A good

4. place to begin is by considering Model for insights into what matters
where their companies’ current funnel- most, strategically. What high-level
based, go-to-market strategies may show characteristics of that new behavior
signs of weakness. should become part of a critical
foundation in any discussion about
Many marketing, For example, most traditional marketing developing or refreshing strategy?
approaches lack the agility and ability
sales and service to respond quickly to a customer who Begin with evaluation. Evaluation
functions are broken is on a highly dynamic journey. Sales is all about learning, and so it becomes
and service strategies, focusing on increasingly important to understand
even before the such indicators as aggregated customer how customers’ learning experiences
customer journey churn metrics rather than on individual
customer defection risk, may overlook
(including what they’re learning,
from whom and how actively) affect
begins, married as signs that customers are eager to switch their subsequent impressions and
brands. They may also be using a one- actions. (Harvard Business School
they are to a company’s size-fits-most approach, failing to use professor emeritus Chris Argyris
internal structure the insights they have about individual co-developed the seminal concepts
customers to make interactions with those of single- and double-loop learning,
and organization customers more relevant and tailored. which are relevant here.)
rather than to the Similarly, companies struggle to deal Second, as the model’s design suggests,
customer’s uninter- with customers who are accessible companies ought to recognize,
on their journey. Many have tweaked explicitly, the two distinct loops in
rupted experience. their activities in light of third-party the customer’s experience. These
and word-of-mouth influence. But loops meet at the center—evaluation—
few are prepared to shine in this and they are ultimately interdependent.
environment. They may be missing But companies need to recognize each
big opportunities for would-be loyal as a separate branch of the same tree,
customers to get engaged or stay and manage each one purposefully.
engaged—for example, by enabling them From the customer’s point of view,
to participate in shaping idea-generation these two loops connect expectation
sites or by “elevating” selected customers and reality. For a company, they
to expert-among-peers status as should link promise and delivery.
they share their knowledge on forums
and blogs. Ultimately, the Nonstop-Customer
Experience Model suggests that
The continuous journey presents other companies must transform their
obstacles. Traditional approaches business activities to serve customers
don’t give companies any leverage in newly critical and valuable ways.
when it comes to influencing customers Along either loop (expectations or
who are predisposed to reevaluate delivery) and on any path, consumers
their options again and again, and will increasingly value a company
learn from experience. that can improve the quality of the
journey in the following three ways.
In fact, many marketing, sales and
service functions are broken even
before the customer journey begins, Follow and guide
married as they are to a company’s
internal structure and organization When companies are able to follow
rather than to the customer’s uninter- customers as they shop, purchase
rupted experience. and consume, they’re better able to
understand the underlying intentions
With these weaknesses exposed, and in each choice the customer makes,
4
Outlook 2012
understood, a good next step is looking and anticipate (and facilitate) his or
Number 3 to the Nonstop-Customer Experience her next steps.

5. For example, a company may be a plane ticket, a travel site gets out
able to identify the point at which a in front and acts as a guide by
customer “drops” the path to purchasing anticipating his or her next move.
a specific branded item or service, If a customer is booking a flight,
and analyze his or her actions to he or she may also need a hotel and
figure out what went wrong, and a car. The site guides the customer,
make adjustments accordingly. What providing a full set of options for
barrier caused the drop? How might both. This may sound simple, but to
the company remove that barrier? be successful, the guidance must be
With this purchase under way, what sophisticated, which today means it
else might the customer be considering often is dependent on sophisticated
but hasn’t yet articulated? customer analytics.
An enhanced Following a customer’s choice journey
may reveal the answers to those Filter and curate
knowledge of how questions and help position the company
quickly or slowly to complete a sale, or move the customer Companies can’t control open content,
toward an additional purchase. that tidal wave of information and
customers shop opinion that continuously breaks
for any given item By following customers closely—and
then analyzing their behavior using
over the Internet. But they can listen,
and they can learn when they can
or service will predictive analytics—companies can effectively influence behavior in their
also gain a better understanding of the favor. Which external content is
help companies nuances of pace, and be better able to just “noise”? Which truly attracts a
anticipate and position and deliver a brand message customer’s interest? Which content
at the point when (and where) it will influences a customer’s behavior?
influence customers’ have the greatest influence. When is
the customer impatient? What factors By figuring out when open content
next moves. cause that impatience? What triggers makes a difference, companies can help
the desire to reevaluate before purchase? customers filter out the information
After purchase? that doesn’t matter as much to them,
thus helping them on their journey.
An enhanced knowledge of how Again, advanced analytics, such
quickly or slowly customers shop for as “sentiment monitoring” or social
any given item or service will help media listening, can help companies
companies anticipate and influence with this task.
customers’ next moves.
Home Depot provides a good example
Motorcycle Superstore provides an of filtering done well. The company,
example of how a company can follow which often teaches customers
a customer to its advantage (and the how to use its products, uses “quick
customer’s satisfaction). The Medford, response,” or QR, codes to encourage
Oregon-based company pays attention customers to access its content-rich
to the way customers search for a mobile site. When scanned, the
particular product, and adjusts the codes bring up detailed product
language on its website to match the information, instructional videos,
terminology, including colloquialisms, consumer reviews, product ratings
they discover in customer searches. and the ability to purchase the
That way, customers find what they are product online.
looking for (and what the company is
hoping they’ll find) more easily. If filtering narrows the field and
improves a customer’s focus, then
Online travel-booking companies curating brings other, select products
5
Outlook 2012
provide a good example of guiding.
Number 3 When a customer goes to purchase (Continued on page 7)

6. Different segments, different behaviors
All consumers are affected by the increasingly dynamic, accessible and continuous nature of their customer journeys. How their
behaviors in this new channel environment will change will vary, however, by customer segment. In prior research, Accenture
identified four customer segments that highlight the multiple faces of loyalty. An individual may, over time and across product
categories, fit into any segment or combination of segments. They may, for example, go for the best possible deal with some products
and unthinkingly stick with the tried-and-true with others. They may maintain staunch loyalty with yet other “trusted” products and
so on. For executives mapping segments against the Accenture Nonstop-Customer Experience Model, the key is to understand how
a customer might behave in the dual loops and how this behavior is likely to create new opportunities as well as challenges to build
and strengthen customer relationships.
Select implications of the Accenture Nonstop-Customer Experience Model on customer segments
More dynamic More accessible Increasingly continuous
Segment Attributes
Upside Downside Upside Downside Upside Downside
Emotional Strong emotional More Increased time Opportunity Easier Constant Increased
loyals bond to primary opportunities spent evaluating for new levels competitor access to contact can
brand to reinforce expectations of advocacy/ access to companies increase chances
cross- and upsell and whether word-of-mouth traditionally becomes an of a disappointing
Do not shop for
messages they are being brand building hard-to-reach integral part experience
deals
satisfied through loyals, and of the brand or wear out
Trust and product/ ”evangelist” increased experience enthusiasm
service quality are customers awareness of
critical drivers non-favorable
opinions
Inertia-based Stay with brand Customers are More easily Volume of Easier access Can more Become
loyals out of habit, driven glad to be guided pulled into noise in the to trusted easily serve more likely
by inertia and accelerated the awareness channel can recommendations and maintain to reconsider
through the and consideration reduce interest may raise loyalty during brand
Brand-loyal, but
decision cycle of competitive in looking for interest in impulsive buying satisfaction in
can reevaluate
offers due to an alternate changing brand/ repurchasing
on rare occasions
lower barriers solution providers
Not very
tech-savvy
Conditional Aligned with brand More rapid Easier for Easier to sell More likely Likely to seek Harder to
loyals “under conditions”; movement to customers solutions to to be affected guidance and close a sale,
open to reevalu- buy and use to blend their a portion of by negative curation to as evaluation
ation can accelerate purchases this segment’s comments, manage time never feels truly
purchasing across a range buying resulting in in channel complete
Extend rather
of best-in-class their seeking
than replace
providers alternate
brands
providers/brands
(partial switch)
Value for money
and trust are
critical drivers
True deal Most likely More chances More pressure Increased More Can more Harder to
chasers to leave; to gain back to lower differentiation competitors and easily enter close a sale,
not connected past customers costs; more due to more more “noise” the contest for as there is
to brands chances to visible and from impulsive the customer, always the
lose at the last transparent customer even late in chance of a
Very willing
minute after competitor comments the sale better offer
to shop around
investment in offerings likely in each somewhere
and trade off
the sale transaction
for low prices
Attracted by
engaging
messaging
Source: Accenture analysis
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Outlook 2012
Number 3

7. (Continued from page 5) for those customers. For example,
Cinematch once found that people
and services into the customer’s already who like the movie The Patriot and
narrowed view. (predictably) Pearl Harbor also like
the movies Pay It Forward and I, Robot.
Drawing on analytics- True curating takes guiding to the Caution, however. There is a fine line
next level. Where guiding simplifies between following and stalking, and
based insights, and speeds the pathways of the between curating and intruding.
providers will stay on customer experience, curating helps
companies approach trusted advisor JewelMint, a partnership between
top of the customer’s status. Curating makes the shopping actress Kate Bosworth and stylist
evaluation experiences, experience easier for the customer by
finding that perfect product or service
Cher Coulter, provides another example
of effective curating, albeit one that
so they can intervene or by drastically reducing the number markets a single brand. JewelMint works
of choices to the few that are most by asking customers a few questions to
as needed to counteract likely to serve that customer best. ascertain their style preferences, and
a potentially emotional This reduces the time he or she needs then every month presenting each with
to travel around in the channel. a tailored selection of jewelry of the
or unpredictable company’s own design.
Interior designers are curators by
reaction to external default, as are the carefully trained Bosworth and Coulter communicate
content. salespeople found at high-end with potential customers through email
department stores. The challenge is messages that blend their personal
taking a skill—the ability to assess a opinions with product information. The
customer’s needs quickly and to guide two send customer updates regularly
that person to the products that are and, when a new “showroom” is ready,
right for him or her—that’s often present they send additional information on
in isolated, individual sales and service fashion trends or on how each piece
associates, and ensuring that it becomes of jewelry might be paired with an
a natural part of the way the outfit. To round out their presentation,
company interacts with customers. they also send customers special
That’s true whether the company is offers and coupons.
marketing a single brand or serving as
a conduit for many different brands
and suppliers. Synchronize and optimize
To get curating just right, a company Synchronizing is all about making
often needs systematic input from the sure that the customer experience is
customer. Netflix’s Queue is a good consistent across marketing, sales and
example. By encouraging customers service—that the promise gets delivered,
to evaluate their rentals (and making every step of the way. Optimizing
it easy to do so), the company follows means making sure that the actual
unobtrusively. Then it steps into a customer experience consistently exceeds
curator role, considering the customer’s expectations. While technology is
reviews as it tailors recommendations, of course a key enabler, the second
and encouraging customers to broaden key is data, which links the activities
their scope. that make synchronizing and
optimizing possible.
The Netflix Cinematch feature
goes even further. Using advanced The company that successfully
analytics, Cinematch builds on what adheres to this guiding principle
Netflix learns about its customers’ will act as a single and seamless
choices by making sophisticated point of contact, from the moment
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Outlook 2012
connections and suggesting new movies a potential customer becomes aware
Number 3 that would not be intuitive choices of a brand through whatever channel

8. For further reading route the customer chooses, then and their social connections. For
through and past the point of purchase, example, through the AmEx “Link, Like,
“Shoppers without borders,” no matter whether the journey takes Love” program on Facebook, cardholders
Outlook, No. 3 place online, in a physical store or can connect to a personalized dashboard
across both mediums. through which AmEx delivers those
“How to make your company think tailored offers. Cardholders choose
like a customer,” Outlook 2012, No. 1: Drawing on analytics-based insights, the deals they would like, and then
http://www.accenture.com/us-en/ these providers will stay on top of use their cards normally. American
outlook/Pages/outlook-journal- the customer’s evaluation experiences Express then sends statement credits
2012-make-company-think-like- so that they can intervene as needed to their cards.
customer.aspx to counteract a potentially emotional
or unpredictable reaction to external By engaging with customers in
For more related content, content. They will recognize that the this way, American Express subtly
please visit www.accenture.com. experience starts long before someone encourages more use of its card, all
becomes a customer and continues while building an increasingly massive
even after he or she has completed wealth of customer information that
a purchase. could lead to even more sophisticated
customer outreach and tailored
And they will continually (and brutally) offers in the future.
scrutinize their own processes, asking
questions like these: When do our Zipcar, the car-sharing company
customers want to come to a physical that positions itself as an alternative
store and when are they better off to traditional car ownership and
online? What kind of follow-up is renting, offers another example. The
optimal in either scenario? What company synchronizes and optimizes
connections between the physical and its customers’ experiences from the
virtual shopping experiences would moment they become members at the
a customer value? And where are the Zipcar website, which then offers clear,
gaps or misfires in our marketing, sales soup-to-nuts directions designed
and service activities that are resulting to guide each customer through an
or can result in a less-than-excellent optimal journey.
experience for customers?
Thereafter, members can interact
American Express synchronizes and with the company through its website,
optimizes its customers’ experiences on Facebook and through a variety
through social networking plaforms, of other apps (as well as a traditional
including Facebook, Foursquare toll-free number and local offices).
and Twitter.
One example of how Zipcar synchronizes
For example, the company offers and optimizes the customer experience:
cardholders automatic discounts on text messages sent to customers
a host of items and services based reminding them that the rental deadline
on their activities on social media sites. is approaching (and giving them the
All the customer has to do is synch his option to extend their reservation, if
or her social accounts to AmEx. What’s the car has not already been reserved),
more, since offers are extended and thus allowing the customer to avoid
redeemed by AmEx, customers need a late fee.
not present coupons or deal with rebates;
in fact, sales personnel at the store These companies make synchronization
where the transactions occur may not look easy, even in customer service
even be aware of them. and customer complaint response
methods. But there are many more
The offers are contained in their card, examples of businesses that stumble
8
Outlook 2012
managed by AmEx, and tailored badly when it comes to helping
Number 3 according to the interests of cardholders customers navigate among products,

9. move back and forth between online About the authors
and physical venues, or even complete
what ought to be a single transaction. Paul F. Nunes is the executive director
of Research at the Accenture Institute for
High Performance. He is based in Boston.
Funnel-based strategies worked very paul.f.nunes@accenture.com
well in their time. They even continued
to work well enough for many companies Olivier Schunck is the Offering
for several years after the funnel Development lead for Accenture’s
itself had begun to disintegrate. The Marketing Transformation group. He
then-strong economy masked cracks is based in Brussels.
in the strategies, as did isolated olivier.schunck@accenture.com
pockets of excellence in marketing,
sales and service. Robert E. Wollan is the managing director
of Accenture Sales Customer Services.
But companies that continue to cling He is based in Minneapolis.
to a funnel-based approach today robert.e.wollan@accenture.com
are like people driving cars long
after the gas warning light has come
on. Their success (if they aren’t already
struggling) isn’t sustainable, and in
all likelihood, they’ll stall out sooner
rather than later.
It’s not difficult to recognize the
realities of today’s customer experience,
as demonstrated in the Nonstop-
Outlook is published by Accenture. Customer Experience Model. The
challenge is designing a strategy
The views and opinions in this article based on the model, because for
should not be viewed as professional
advice with respect to your business. most companies, the organizational
changes needed to implement such
a strategy will more likely be trans-
The use herein of trademarks that may formative than incremental. Making
be owned by others is not an assertion
of ownership of such trademarks by the shift will probably require bold,
Accenture nor intended to imply an even sweeping, changes. Companies
association between Accenture and the will need to hone their analytical
lawful owners of such trademarks.
abilities; they’ll need f luency in
cutting-edge interactive technologies;
For more information about Accenture, and, in many cases, they’ll need to
please visit www.accenture.com overhaul their operations.
But the long-term results, in the
form of a company attuned to today’s
nonstop customer and with a growing
base of loyal buyers, will be worth
the effort.
Copyright © 2012 Accenture
All rights reserved.
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High Performance Delivered
are trademarks of Accenture.