Ekspla is an innovative manufacturer of solid-state and fiber lasers, offering everything from customized systems to small and medium OEM series. With an in-house R&D team and over 27 years of experience, the company leads the global market for scientific picosecond lasers.
Ekspla
Project information
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Team
- Jurgita Babilčiūtė
- Deividas Juozulynas
- Karolina Petraitytė
Client
Ekspla
Sector
Manufacturing
We did
User journey, Experience design, Sensemaking, Research, Engagement, Data analysis, Placemaking
Year
2023
ABOUT PROJECT
Revealing the Hidden Value
The Challenge
How might we create added value for our products and brand through an excellent customer experience in a competitive market?
The Context of the Challenge
Ekspla provides reliable laser equipment designed for long-term use and tailored to unique customer requirements. In 2021, the company decided to elevate its customer service experience to match and exceed its achievements in R&D and hardware.
The Approach
01
Understanding the Client
Customer personas were defined through a series of participatory workshops including employees and international representatives. We analyzed each persona’s motivations, needs, goals, fears, and frustrations.
02
Client Journey Deconstruction
After streamlining customer personas, a workshop was conducted to deconstruct the customer journey, identifying pain points and their interconnected causes. This involved analyzing and aligning the actions and goals of both clients and employees.
03
Client Experience Development
Insights from the customer journey deconstruction informed a creative session with employees, where discussed pain points and ineffective touchpoints led to potential solutions and improvements for enhancing the customer experience.
04
Customer Groups
After deconstructing the journey and identifying critical touchpoints, we analyzed different customer groups. Research on commercial and academic customers revealed that although their journeys are quite similar, the strategies for engagement and commitment need to differ significantly due to varying fears and goals.
The Insight
01
Communication
A major insight was that most miscommunication with clients stemmed from late inter-departmental communications and delays in updating clients. Occasionally, team members hesitated to inform clients about delays or problems, which could snowball into doubts about the company’s capabilities.
02
Clear Customer Path
Involving all Ekspla departments helped us identify knowledge gaps in understanding the customer’s journey, from initial considerations to buy a laser to decisions about long-term loyalty.
03
Customer Groups
After deconstructing the journey and identifying critical touchpoints, we analyzed different customer groups. Research on commercial and academic customers revealed that although their journeys are quite similar, the strategies for engagement and commitment need to differ significantly due to varying fears and goals.
The Change to the Context
01
Shift in Mindset
Developed customer journey maps aligned department visions with extended experiences for customers.
02
Strengthened Communication
It was commonly agreed that Ekspla needs to be transparent about real situations with clients, especially when handling project delays or other unexpected circumstances.
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