Consistent CX requires orchestration over automation

Illustration: (Expand to read)

The below image is an example of a process flow flowing through different tools; the incoming signals signifies customer behavior, and the actions signifies the business’s response. Customer records are accommodated at different stages and moved when the Signals are triggered. And, that is how customer experience can be coherently delivered through the process.

Understanding Journey Builder and its components 

About FSM: Finite State Machine is a tool that is made up of a finite number of states (as in states of being) . When there is an external influence on a resting state, the tool will move the physical entity from that state. This is called the transition. Consider a power switch where there are two states: On and Off. When you toggle the switch ON, your toggling action acts as a transition that moves the switch from the state off to on. And what the switch renders after this transition is its designated action—like a fan running as a result.
   

  More examples of Finite State Machine 

STAGES 

 

1. Create goals for your journey at the starting stage
   
2. Mark multiple stages as the end stage along with their sentiments
   
3. Set up instant, schedule, and recurring actions for every other stage.
   

Add success and failure stages 

1. To any stage, if they are the last step in the process, you can mark them as the end stage in the stage info. You can also mark the sentiment of the stage as Success, Failure, or Neutral, which indicates the success or failure of the journey taken.
   
2. You can also create success and failure stages right from within the floating Elements tray and associate them to the journey created.
   

Note:

Marking as end stages will indicate the customer's journey for that process is ended. They can, however, enter or continue to be in another journey based on their qualification for that journey’s criteria.

To configure stages in Journey Builder 

1. Log in to your CRM organization as an admin.
   
2. Navigate to Setup> Experience Center > CommandCenter > Journey Builder. Alternatively, you can also search for Journey Builder in the Setup search.
   
3. In the Journey Builder page, click on the Create Journey button from the top-right of the list view.
   
1. To add stage to an existing journey, open the journey from the list view.
   
4. In the ensuing Create Journey form, provide Journey name and Description. Click Proceed.
   
5. The builder will welcome you. Click on the Create Stage button to get started. The first stage will be named Stage 1 by the system, and it is connected to the zeroth moment called the Start stage.
    
1. Goals are the journey's objective, and they are not mandatory. If you’d like to add goals, click on the Start stage to configure Goals for this journey.
   
1. You can select from these options: Reaching a particular stage, Take a predefined path, or the time taken to reach a stage.
   
2. Based on your selection, select associated attributes to define the selected goals.
   
3. Click Save once you're done.
   
2. Up next, rename the Stage 1 as desired. You can also add a description to serve as a reference.
   
3. Likewise, create as many stages as you’d like to have in your journey.
   
4. You can add a stage from the floating Elements tray, or simply click on the existing stage. This will display visual cues to create new stages in the rest of its sides as branches. Click on the desired branch to add a new stage.
        
6. After creating a stage, add Actions to each stage to orchestrate personalized responses for the customers' choices on their journey.
    Learn more about setting up actions.

UX Shortcuts to create Stages

1. Hover on a stage to view nodes along the mouse path.
   
2. Click on a current stage and click on the proximity handles to create a Stage adjacent to the existing one.
   
3. Click the +New button on the stages options from the elements tray to create empty stages.
   
4. Convert a success/ failure end stage into a stage

TRANSITIONS 

1. Configuring Signals means determining which events trigger the record in the previous stage to go into the next stage.
   
2. Conditions let you narrow down your record selection using the characteristics of a record or the configured Signal.
   

Signals

Signals can capture events of the following types with their examples:

1. Record actions: CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
   Example: Create of a record, Update to the Last modified time, Edit to the record, Delete of the record.
   
   
2. User actions: Email, Call, Webform submissions
   Example: Submission of a webform, Receiving an incoming email, Attempting an outgoing call.
   
   
3. Integration Signals: Events from Zoho’s applications integrated with Zoho CRM.
   Example: Visiting a Survey, Registration received for a Webinar, Receiving a Desk ticket.
   
   
4. Custom Signals: Any custom capability that can trigger the record’s movement in the journey.
   Example: Prospect wish-listing a product, Abandoning a cart, Drop in demand observed in the MRP tool and so on.

Conditions

Types of transitions in Journey Builder

Standard Transition

1. A standard transition is a one-to-one transition. For each destination stage, there will be only one source stage and one transition connecting them. When this transition is triggered, a record resting in the source stage will be moved into the destination stage. In other words, standard transitions are unique because of those specific source and destination stages, and they can accommodate only one preceding stage.
   
   For example, records in the Order Placed stage will rest in that stage until an event qualifies them to move to the Payment completed stage. Here, the event is completion of payment. Until the payment is initiated and completed, the record will be in the Order Placed stage, and the act of completing the payment can move the records in the Order Placed stage only.

Common Transition

1. A common transition is a single transition that is shared by multiple source stages. All of these source stages will converge into one destination through a single, common transition.
   

Info: You can also have a standard one-to-one transition connecting the same source and destination stages. Read more: Setting Precedence between two branching transitions

A common transition enables a many-to-one flow of records.

Imagine there are multiple stages that are similar in purpose but vary based on process. These stages might require only one qualifying event (Signal) so that they can move the records to their destination stage.

The below image depicts a common transition. There are three stages to represent three categories: New home buyers, Investors, and Entrepreneur. However, for all the three personas, your business will have to collect requirements and instead of having three different standard transitions, when the need being the same for all the above stages, you can use a common transition, there by making the process flow logical and continuous.

Wait as a transition

1. Wait as a fallback option: While transitions qualify events through Signals, Journey Builder also considers a lack of response an event, thereby enabling you to use the Wait component to transfer records from one stage to another.
   
   It's a fallback option to manage no-shows.
   
   A cold prospect is unlikely to respond to any of your emails. Instead of holding their records in the Email Sent stage, by using the Wait component, you can park their records in a dedicated stage, so that those unresponsive records are not stagnated, while others pass through the same stage.
   
   This will cleanse the stages from cold records, prevent unintentional engagements, and help produce accurate overall customer journeys.

Transition in a nutshell

1. Add standard and/ or custom Signals to capture a wide range of events
   
2. Provide conditions for Signals for accurate transmission
   
3. Narrow things down further using record conditions for precision
   
4. Add Identifiers to identify and track customers in the web of other customer journeys
   
5. Add logs for effective journey administration
   

 

Ways to create a standard transition

1. Connecting two stages by dragging the node from one stage to another will create a plus icon. Clicking + will create a transition.
   
2. Add a transition from the Elements tray. Clicking on the Transition options in the Transition tray will let you set the source and destination stage. This action will create a transition bridge. You can either establish the bridge and create Signals later or create a transition with Signals.
   
3. Or, you can click on the transition option in the elements tray and drag them onto the desired stage. This will invoke a new destination stage, you can then rename.
   

Ways to create a common transition

1. Click on the + icon and determine the Signal. After you have renamed the transition, beneath the transition name, you can see which stage this transition bridges. Click on the Set as common button and select the source stages from the list.
   
2. Click on the common transition option from the Element tray and select the source and destination stages. Like a standard transition, you can create one as-is or create it with Signals.
   
3. Convert a standard transition to common transition by selecting the transition, clicking Set as common beneath the Transition name, and selecting the source stages.
   
4. Or, select the common transition option from the elements tray, drag and drop onto the destination stage to choose the desired source stages that corresponds to this common transition.

Converting a common transition into standard transition

 

UX shortcuts for transitions

To create Transition:

1. Drag the Stage node and drop it to the neighbouring Stage to enable transitions between them. It helps when connecting stages that are distant from one another.
   
2. Creating a stage will allow you to configure transition right next to it.
   
3. Create a transition from the elements tray by determining the stages

Note:

1. Canceling a common transition and converting it to a standard transition will result in the connection node changing. The stage it was created in will become the source stage; to change it, you have to manually reposition the connection node.
   
2. A common transition will come bearing the linked icon (), and the stages it connects will be visible only when you hover your mouse over them.
   
3. Two stages can be connected using all kinds of transitions: Common, Standard, and Wait. If by choice, the Signals between common transition and standard signals happen to be the same, and you can choose to set precedence for execution.
   

To configure transitions 

1. Click the plus ➕ icon between two stages to create a transition.
   
2. Select the desired Signals. It can be the system-standard CRM Signals, integration-based application Signals, or custom Signals.
   
1. Further select the Signal attributes.
   For example: If you have selected Record Create as a Signal, then the Signal attributes are the modules, layouts, and other Signal conditions. Attributes like these are available distinctively for each Signal.
3. Click Add Record Conditions to achieve finer record transition.
   
4. Click the Identifier tab to add identifiers for each Signal. Learn more about creating identifiers.
   
5. Click the Logs tab to record events occurred during the transition for future reference. Press the Add Log button to invoke the field. You can also use #Merge fields to refer to a few particular records that passed  a transition.
   

ACTIONS 

1. Instant actions are executed the next moment the record reaches the respective stage.
   Example: If a prospect submitted a gated form, then an email with the requested exclusive content can be shared via instant actions.
2. Scheduled actions are scheduled a certain period after the record has reached the stage.
   Example: A task can be created for the sales representative two days after the record creation to remind the sales reps to take further actions.
3. Recurring actions are actions that are set to keep executing every day, hour, or minutes until the record is moved to the next stage or if the Wait transition lapses its timer.
   Example: You can send reminder emails to your customers requesting that they complete the balance payment using recurring actions. If the payment is made, the emails will stop moving the record to the next stage; if they exceed a certain amount of time (and if the Wait deadline is crossed), then the record can be moved to the next stage called Violated with legal steps as actions. 

Notes: Actions are listed based on the modules and transitions selected for the stage.

To add actions

1. Go to the desired stage, then click the Actions tab from the sliding panel.
   
2. Click the New Action Group button.
   
3. Choose the desired module on which actions will be executed.
   
4. Select the Run for specific transition checkbox to execute this action group only for the records that come via a certain transition. Select all the desired transitions.
   
5. Append actions from the action group: Instant, scheduled, and/or recurring.
   
6. Select the action and furnish their properties from within each action accordingly. 

Notes:

1. If you have chosen an action group to run for records coming via specific transitions, then they get the precedence in terms of execution.
   
2. If action groups are configured for both specific transitions and 'All Transitions,' the specific transition action group will run first, followed by the 'All Transitions' action group.
   
3. If you have selected to run for specific records, then it applies for all action groups created for that stage.
   
4. You cannot uncheck the run for specific records once selected. You have to delete the action group and redo the configuration.
   
5. Action limits:
   

Illustrating Customer Journey in CommandCenter

1. The desired path or the journey is built with multiple stages in sequence
   
2. From the Zero moment, the behavior or action of a prospect or a customer can be observed and received using Standard and Custom Signals.
   
3. Signals trigger the transition, thereby moving the corresponding records to the appropriate stage.
   
4. Contextual actions get established as a result.
   
5. These structural components help in building journeys. Journey builder also comes with a few other components to identify, manage, and measure customer journeys: Goals, Identifiers, Logs, Deadline, and Variables.
   

Administrative components of Journey Builder 

GOALS 

1. Reaching a particular stage
   
2. Take a predefined path
   
3. Time taken to reach stage
   

SETTING PRECEDENCE

This happens especially when you have common and standard transitions between two stages.

1. Select the stage that has branching transitions
   
2. Click Precedence tab.
   
3. Look at the current order of execution.
   
1. If you'd like to change the order, select the double vertical ellipses (⋮⋮) and drag the selected stage up or down to set the precedence.
   

Note: Precedence can be set only with two or more transition nodes and it will not be displayed on stages otherwise, including the end stages.

IDENTIFIERS 

Note:

You can choose up to ten identifiers per transition

How does it work? 

Just for clarity: 

While identifiers are applicable for the CommandCenter suite as a whole, their role in Journey Builder is limited to attributing journeys with the respective customers’ journeys. In Path Finder, identifier helps in recording new paths and building their journey as they are discovered.

1. Signal fields lists all single-line fields available in the modules chosen in the Signal selection.
   
2. Reference fields in a transition will list all the previous transitions as breadcrumbs. By referring to one of the previous transitions, you are instructing the system to attribute the current transition to those customers that crossed that particular transition. You can use reference fields when there is no match between the two transitions, or if you want to narrow down to customers based on their historical engagement.
   

To add identifiers 

1. Go to the transition, select the Identifier tab from the sliding panel.
   
2. Based on the number of Signals, you would have as many fields to add Identifiers in.
   
3. Choose up to five unique identifying values from all of the fields. You can also use the system suggested fields for quick selection.
   

Manage Identifiers: 

1. Go to the journey and click Manage Identifier from the top-right corner, next to the Publish button.
   
2. Review the stages and transitions listed for your reference and start populating identifiers for each transition configured. 

LOGS 

DEADLINE  

1. Go to the journey, click on the Manage Variables icon from the top-right corner, near the Delete button.
   
2. You can capture records with desired attributes using user-defined variables.
   
1. Provide a name for the variable and the value. You can use the #merge fields to refer to the route.
   
2. Click Save.
   
3. You can also look at the system-defined Variables built based on transitions created.
   

Tools to enhance journey building experience 

Get into the state of flow: Shortcuts summary

1. Hover on a stage to view nodes along the mouse path.
   
2. Click on a current stage and click on the proximity handles to create a Stage adjacent to the existing one.
   
3. Click the +New button on the stages options from the elements tray to create empty stages.
   

1. Drag the Stage node and drop it to the neighboring Stage to enable transitions between them. It helps when connecting stages that are distant from one another.
   
2. If you are creating a common transition, dropping the selecting the common transition from the elements tray and dropping them on the "desitination" stage enables creation of common transition nodes.
3. Creating a stage will allow you to configure transition right next to it.
   
4. Create a transition from the elements tray by determining the stages
   

1. Pick the transition node from one stage and place them over another to rectify the configuration
   

1. Right click on the Stage or Transition to edit or delete.
   

1. Use your mouse’s scroll wheel or laptop’s trackpad.
   
2. Double-click on the zoom level to render optimal magnification.
   
3. Click on the navigation preview and pinch to magnify or shrink the entire journey.
   

1. Use your mouse’s trackpad
   
2. Click on the navigation preview and move the view-port indicator