An epiphany moment

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”— Maya Angelou

Covid-19 has forced millions of people into their homes and left as many cars locked into the garages. We have realised that life feels more fragile than it once did. As traveling has been a common thread in our family, I was looking back at some of our special moments and also enjoying the beauty of things around me.

Trapped in the prisons we have ourselves built, it sure feels great to get out, breathe fresh air exhale every now and then. Way back in 2014, we decided to ride on our new monster, Royal Enfield... the destination had to be special... a trek up 18 km to Churdhar from Nohradhar.

We started at 6 am from Delhi and choose to take the Delhi-Karnal-Shahabad-Kala Amb-Nahan-Banethi-Rajgarh route, a total of 374 Kms to Nohradhar. Post crossing the Renuka lake just 55 km to reach our destination, the roads turned into dusty village paths. We were told by locals not to take the Solan route as the roads were under repairs. It certainly could not have been worse.

What seemed like riding for hours, we reached Nauradhar by 6 pm, all covered in dust from head to toe. We kept stopping for directions every now and then.

Nauradhar is the basecamp for trekkers who wish to go up to the Chureshwar Mahadev Temple, atop the Churdhar peak. The temple management has a facility for an overnight stay for the pilgrims as well as the trekkers.

After buying chocolates, juices at the local market, we went up half a km to check the route that we would take the next day.

Churdhar is a moderate climb of about 1600 m in a 20 km distance which we were told takes the entire day. The walk was strenuous but the charms of nature kept the adrenaline going. ...hey, you did spot the butterfly!

There were no trekkers as the season starts post-May. We were told that the snow had not completely melted and the going for us would be tough.

After about 4 hours of walking uphill, we stopped at a small cafe for a tea break, that's when the rain started pouring in.

We were stuck. After about 5 hours of downpour, we decided not to proceed further and spend the night here. The owner of the cafe had overnight arrangements for travelers who wish to take a break or get stuck owing to bad weather.

Though it was a very small place with basics in a remote area, his hospitality was at its peak. With a hot cup of tea and Maggi and a blanket to keep us warm, the starry night seemed the best companion. The next morning, things were not looking up... it went on pouring. After lunch, we decided to brave the weather and return back to Nauradhar.

One memorable experience leads to a long term relationship. We shared this experience with travelers and friends within our community visiting Nohradhar.

As per a study by Forbes, our brains can’t remember everything, so it uses mental shortcuts (emotion) to pick out what’s important. The more intense and more recent the feelings, the more memorable the experience.

It is very critical to pay attention to whatever could form a powerful emotional moment in a customer journey and these “wow moments” are valuable in forming a bond with a customer.

When we map experiential customer journeys, it is the customer’s persona coupled with our deliverables that creates the experience as ultimately perceived by the customer.

Does this resonate with your story? How are you mapping your customer journey to deliver a spectacular experience?