The Florida Virtual School (FLVS), an esteemed online education provider, was striving to enhance its client experience. The objective was to improve the client journey, offering an interactive, engaging, and satisfying experience to every client who embarked on their digital education journey with FLVS.
However, challenges arose due to the multifaceted nature of the customer-client digital journey, which involved several staff members each having different roles and responsibilities. The introduction of new staff taking over existing systems and processes further complicated the scenario, presenting an intricate puzzle that needed to be solved.
This was when Ampersand, a data-focused consulting firm with a broad range of capabilities, stepped into the picture. Their initial approach was to map the client journey via an exhaustive secret shopper exercise. Deploying different personas, they navigated the client journey, emulating the experiences of key FLVS clientele. Complementing this, they conducted thorough online and SEO competitive research to unravel competitors’ ad purchasing strategies.
The result of Ampersand’s rigorous endeavors was a comprehensive analysis that meticulously documented the client’s digital user journey. It encompassed detailed observations of the copy and messaging received by users and the timing of these communications. The analysis further delved into the digital user journeys of FLVS’s competitors, offering comparative insights that were invaluable.
Ampersand also provided a roadmap to improvement with a list of short-term, mid-term, and long-term recommendations. They provided operational support to develop reporting mechanisms to monitor journey engagements and devised strategies for the automation of email sequences based on persona type.
Armed with this extensive insight and guidance, FLVS was empowered to undertake a significant rebrand of their website and customer journey messaging. It enabled them to make more informed decisions about budgeting and spending on Salesforce, and provided a robust framework for the deployment of their Google Adwords budget.
The transformational impact of Ampersand’s intervention was evident in the tangible outcomes. They unearthed that two out of three lead inquiry forms were not being adequately monitored or managed, a critical insight that led to an overhaul of the process. This resulted in the creation of eight new persona-based email and web-based lead inquiry journeys. Additionally, the competitive intelligence gathered improved the sales team’s insight around pricing and positioning, leading to a stronger footing in competitive bidding processes.
The Head of Strategy and Business Development at FLVS acknowledged the remarkable impact of these findings, stating,
“This is a huge finding for us on our request for information processes. We only have so many prospective leads visiting the site, and each one counts…this intel on pricing is a game-changing insight for us. We are in two competitive bids that we are leveraging for positioning now.”
The engagement with Ampersand resulted in a revitalized client journey for FLVS, enriched with data-driven insights and strategic recommendations, highlighting the power of data and strategic expertise in optimizing the client experience.
