Organizations often approach client journey improvement reactively—fixing the loudest complaint or implementing the newest trend. But what if we applied the same rigorous, systematic thinking that transformed organizational performance to the challenge of client experience?
The Foundation: Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model
In 1978, psychologist Thomas F. Gilbert published Human Competence: Engineering Worthy Performance, introducing the Behavior Engineering Model (BEM)—a framework that revolutionized how organizations diagnose and address performance gaps. Gilbert's genius was in creating what he called "a useful, simple, and coherent system for engineering more worthy performance in individuals and especially groups of people."
The BEM identifies six critical categories influencing human performance:
- Data and Information: Clear expectations, performance standards, and timely feedback
- Environmental Supports and Resources: Tools, time, materials, and financial resources
- Consequences, Incentives and Rewards: Meaningful positive and negative consequences
- Knowledge and Skills: The repertory performers need to succeed
- Capacity: Physical and mental capabilities
- Motives: Internal drivers including needs, desires, and aspirations
What makes BEM powerful isn't just its comprehensiveness—it's the systematic way it enables practitioners to diagnose issues, prioritize interventions, and allocate resources strategically.
The Parallel: Client Journey Engineering
Just as BEM transformed organizational performance improvement, we can apply similar systematic thinking to client journey optimization. Consider how Gilbert's categories map to the client experience:
Data and Information becomes client communication and journey transparency. Do clients clearly understand what to expect at each stage? Are we providing timely, relevant feedback about their progress?
Resources translates to the digital tools, support channels, and accessible materials clients need. Have we equipped them with the right resources at the right time?
Consequences and Incentives manifest as friction points and value realization moments. Are we creating positive experiences clients want to repeat while removing pain points they want to avoid?
Knowledge and Skills represents client education and capability building. Have we invested in onboarding and ongoing learning that empowers clients?
Capacity reflects client readiness and access. Can clients actually engage with our services given their technical capabilities and available channels?
Motives captures the underlying needs, pain points, and desired outcomes driving client behavior—the "why" behind every interaction.
The Strategic Advantage: The Cost-Impact Matrix
Here's where this approach becomes particularly powerful for resource allocation. Not all interventions are created equal. By plotting potential improvements along two dimensions—organizational cost and client impact—we create a strategic prioritization framework:
Quick Wins (Low Cost/High Impact)
- UI copy improvements for clarity
- Automated journey status updates
- Self-service FAQ enhancements
- Email template optimization
Strategic Investments (High Cost/High Impact)
- Process redesign initiatives
- Platform integration projects
- Comprehensive training programs
- Multi-channel strategy overhauls
Maintenance Activities (Low Cost/Low Impact)
- Minor aesthetic updates
- Incremental content additions
- Routine communication tweaks
Avoid or Defer (High Cost/Low Impact)
- Feature additions that don't address core needs
- Complex customizations with limited use cases
- Technology for technology's sake
Four Intervention Categories
This framework organizes improvements into four strategic categories:
1. Process Changes
Workflow optimization, policy adjustments, and system integration. These typically require significant investment but create sustainable, scalable improvements. Example: Redesigning a multi-step approval process to reduce client wait times.
2. Education
Employee training and client onboarding programs. These offer scalable impact once developed. Example: Creating interactive tutorials that help clients maximize product value.
3. UI/UX Changes
Interface simplification and journey mapping improvements. These can provide immediate impact with variable investment. Example: Redesigning a confusing form that causes application abandonment.
4. KPI Adjustments
Measurement refinement and success metric redefinition. Often overlooked but low-cost and high-value. Example: Shifting from transaction completion rates to successful outcome achievement.
Putting It Into Practice
The real value of this approach lies in its application. Start with diagnosis:
- Map the current state across all six categories
- Identify gaps where client needs aren't being met
- Generate potential interventions across all four categories
- Plot interventions on the cost-impact matrix
- Prioritize and implement starting with quick wins while planning strategic investments
This isn't about perfection—it's about systematic improvement. By moving from reactive fixes to strategic optimization, organizations can:
- Make evidence-based decisions about where to invest
- Create a common language for cross-functional collaboration
- Build sustainable improvements rather than temporary patches
- Align client experience efforts with business capabilities
The Path Forward
Gilbert's insight from 1978 remains remarkably relevant: worthy performance comes from systematic engineering, not random interventions. By applying this same discipline to client journeys, we transform client experience from an art into a science—one that respects both client needs and organizational realities.
The question isn't whether to improve client journeys. It's whether we'll do so strategically, systematically, and sustainably. With the right framework, we can engineer client experiences that are truly worthy—for both the clients we serve and the organizations that serve them.
What interventions could your team prioritize using this framework? Start by identifying one quick win and one strategic investment that could transform your client experience.
