Overview
The Customer Domain in the Orthogramic Metamodel focuses on the people and organizations that consume an organization's products and services. It provides a structured approach for modeling customer segments, personas, journeys, and relationships, enabling a customer-centric view that drives strategic decisions and operational excellence.
This domain extends the existing Stakeholder domain by providing deeper insights into customer behaviors, needs, and interactions, enabling organizations to design more effective products, services, and experiences.
Purpose and Value
The Customer Domain enables organizations to:
Align organizational capabilities with customer needs and expectations
Map customer journeys to internal value streams for better experience design
Support data-driven decision making about customer segments and targeting
Drive product and service development based on customer insights
Measure and improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, and lifetime value
Provide a structured foundation for customer experience management
Core Concepts
Customer Segment
A distinct group of customers with similar characteristics, needs, behaviors, or value to the organization. Segments provide a way to stratify the customer base for targeted strategies and experiences.
Customer Persona
A fictional character that represents a typical user within a specific customer segment. Personas humanize segments by providing detailed demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes that make customer needs more relatable and actionable.
Customer Journey
The end-to-end experience a customer has with an organization over time, including all interactions across channels and touchpoints. Journey mapping provides insight into customer experiences, pain points, and opportunities.
Customer Relationship
The ongoing connection between a customer and the organization, including relationship type, strength, history, value, and growth opportunities. This element focuses on the strategic management of customer relationships.
Domain Structure
Domain Attributes
Basic identification: title, description, customerSegmentType
Organizational alignment: orgUnitTitle, orgUnitRoles
Customer characteristics: customerNeeds, customerValue, customerLifecycleStage
Value metrics: customerLifetimeValue, performanceIndicators
Management approaches: acquisitionChannels, retentionStrategies
Relationships: dependencies, relatedCustomerSegments
Improvement: improvementOpportunities, strategicAlignment
Domain Elements
Customer Persona Element
Provides a detailed profile of a representative customer, including:
Demographic attributes (age, gender, location, income)
Psychographic attributes (values, attitudes, interests)
Behaviors and preferences
Goals and pain points
Decision-making influences
Technology usage patterns
Customer Journey Element
Maps the progression of customer interactions with the organization:
Sequential journey stages
Touchpoints at each stage
Customer thoughts, feelings, and actions
Pain points and opportunities
Links to supporting capabilities and value streams
Performance metrics for each stage
Customer Relationship Element
Defines how relationships with customers are structured and managed:
Relationship types and engagement levels
Relationship history and current status
Value assessment (current and potential)
Risks and growth opportunities
Engagement models and management approaches
Implementation Guidelines
Getting Started
Begin by identifying and documenting key customer segments
Select a high-priority segment and develop a detailed persona
Map the primary customer journey for this segment
Link this journey to relevant capabilities and value streams
Define performance metrics for measuring success
Best Practices
Ensure customer segments have clear, measurable differentiators
Base personas on actual customer research, not assumptions
Map customer journeys from the outside-in perspective
Connect customer attributes to organizational capabilities
Involve multiple departments in customer domain development
Regularly update customer model elements based on new insights
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Creating too many segments or personas, diluting focus
Designing journeys based on internal processes rather than customer perspectives
Failing to connect customer elements to operational domains
Not updating customer models as markets and behaviors evolve
Focusing exclusively on transactional data rather than emotional aspects of customer experience
Schema Evolution Guidance
The Customer Domain schema is expected to evolve with emerging practices in customer experience management. Future extensions may include:
Enhanced digital behavior modeling
Emotion and sentiment tracking
Real-time personalization frameworks
Predictive customer analytics integration
Ecosystem journey mapping (beyond organizational boundaries)
Customer data ethics and governance
Organizations should plan for these evolutions by maintaining clean taxonomies and clear relationship models in their current implementation.
Example Implementation
Example: Retail Banking Customer Segment
{ "customerID": "CUST-SEG-001", "title": "Affluent Professionals", "description": "High-income professionals with complex financial needs and limited time", "customerSegmentType": "value-based", "orgUnitTitle": "Premium Banking Division", "orgUnitRoles": ["Segment Manager", "Relationship Banking Lead", "Product Specialist"], "customerNeeds": [ "Time-efficient financial management", "Wealth preservation and growth", "Personalized advisory services", "Seamless digital and in-person experiences" ], "customerValue": "Comprehensive financial management with personalized service and premium digital capabilities", "acquisitionChannels": ["Professional referrals", "Executive events", "Digital targeting"], "retentionStrategies": ["Dedicated advisor", "Quarterly portfolio reviews", "Premium service level"], "customerLifecycleStage": "growth", "customerLifetimeValue": { "value": 25000, "currency": "USD", "timespan": "Annual", "calculationMethod": "Risk-adjusted revenue minus servicing costs" }, "performanceIndicators": [ { "metricName": "Relationship Depth", "metricDescription": "Average number of products per customer", "currentValue": "3.7", "targetValue": "4.5", "unit": "Products" }, { "metricName": "Net Promoter Score", "metricDescription": "Likelihood to recommend to others", "currentValue": "42", "targetValue": "60", "unit": "NPS Points" } ], "dependencies": [ { "dependencyType": "Critical", "domainType": "Capability", "entityID": "CAP-001", "description": "Wealth Advisory Services capability" }, { "dependencyType": "Important", "domainType": "Service", "entityID": "SVC-003", "description": "Portfolio Management Service" } ], "relatedCustomerSegments": [ { "segmentID": "CUST-SEG-003", "relationshipType": "progression", "relationshipStrength": 4 } ], "improvementOpportunities": [ "Enhanced mobile investment capabilities", "Proactive life event planning", "Integrated business and personal banking" ], "strategicAlignment": "Core focus segment for 2025 growth strategy, driving 40% of total profits" }
Conclusion
The Customer Domain extends the Orthogramic Metamodel with a robust framework for modeling and managing customer-related aspects of the business architecture. By providing structured schemas for segments, personas, journeys, and relationships, it enables organizations to systematically align their capabilities, value streams, products, and strategies with customer needs and expectations. The integration with the Strategic Response Model ensures that customer insights drive strategic decision-making and organizational change.
Customer Domain schema
Cross-Domain Relationship Mappings
Customer-Capability Relationship Schema
{ "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#", "title": "Customer-Capability Relationship Schema", "description": "Schema for relationships between Customer domain and Capability domain", "type": "object", "required": ["relationshipID", "customerSegmentID", "title", "relationshipType"], "properties": { "relationshipID": { "type": "string", "description": "Unique identifier for this relationship" }, "customerSegmentID": { "type": "string", "description": "ID of the customer segment" }, "title": { "type": "string", "description": "Name of the capability" }, "relationshipType": { "type": "string", "description": "Nature of the relationship", "enum": ["value-enabling", "experience-critical", "differentiation-driver", "satisfaction-driver", "loyalty-builder", "other"] }, "relationshipStrength": { "type": "integer", "description": "Importance of this capability to this customer segment (1-5)", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5 }, "valueDelivered": { "type": "string", "description": "How this capability delivers value to this customer segment" }, "customerImpact": { "type": "string", "description": "Impact of this capability on customer outcomes" }, "performanceMetrics": { "type": "array", "description": "Metrics for measuring this relationship", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "gapAssessment": { "type": "object", "description": "Assessment of capability gaps against customer needs", "properties": { "currentState": { "type": "string", "description": "Current capability state" }, "desiredState": { "type": "string", "description": "Capability state needed to fully satisfy customer needs" }, "gapDescription": { "type": "string", "description": "Description of the gap" }, "impactOfGap": { "type": "string", "description": "How the gap affects customer experience" }, "closureStrategy": { "type": "string", "description": "Approach to closing the gap" } } } } }
Customer-Value Stream Relationship Schema
{ "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#", "title": "Customer-Value Stream Relationship Schema", "description": "Schema for relationships between Customer domain and Value Stream domain", "type": "object", "required": ["relationshipID", "customerJourneyID", "title"], "properties": { "relationshipID": { "type": "string", "description": "Unique identifier for this relationship" }, "customerJourneyID": { "type": "string", "description": "ID of the customer journey" }, "title": { "type": "string", "description": "Name of the value stream" }, "touchpoints": { "type": "array", "description": "Points where customer journey and value stream interact", "items": { "type": "object", "properties": { "valueStreamStage": { "type": "string", "description": "Stage in the value stream" }, "journeyStage": { "type": "string", "description": "Stage in the customer journey" }, "interactionType": { "type": "string", "description": "Nature of the interaction" }, "experienceQuality": { "type": "string", "description": "Description of the customer experience" }, "visibilityToCustomer": { "type": "string", "description": "Extent to which this value stream activity is visible to customers", "enum": ["invisible", "partially-visible", "fully-visible"] } } } }, "customerOutcomes": { "type": "array", "description": "Outcomes customers receive from this value stream", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "frictionPoints": { "type": "array", "description": "Areas of difficulty or friction between customer journey and value stream", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "improvementOpportunities": { "type": "array", "description": "Opportunities to improve alignment", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "alignmentScore": { "type": "integer", "description": "Score indicating how well the value stream aligns with customer journey (1-5)", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5 }, "performanceMetrics": { "type": "array", "description": "Metrics for measuring this relationship", "items": { "type": "object", "properties": { "metricName": { "type": "string", "description": "Name of the metric" }, "metricDescription": { "type": "string", "description": "Description of what is measured" }, "currentValue": { "type": "string", "description": "Current performance value" }, "targetValue": { "type": "string", "description": "Target performance value" } } } } } }
Customer-Product/Service Relationship Schema
{ "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#", "title": "Customer-Product/Service Relationship Schema", "description": "Schema for relationships between Customer domain and Product/Service domains", "type": "object", "required": ["relationshipID", "customerSegmentID", "offeringType", "title", "relationshipType"], "properties": { "relationshipID": { "type": "string", "description": "Unique identifier for this relationship" }, "customerSegmentID": { "type": "string", "description": "ID of the customer segment" }, "offeringType": { "type": "string", "description": "Whether this is a product or service", "enum": ["product", "service"] }, "title": { "type": "string", "description": "Name of the product or service" }, "relationshipType": { "type": "string", "description": "Nature of the relationship", "enum": ["primary-solution", "complementary-offering", "entry-point", "upgrade-path", "retention-driver", "other"] }, "needsFulfilled": { "type": "array", "description": "Customer needs fulfilled by this offering", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "adoptionRate": { "type": "number", "description": "Percentage of segment using this offering" }, "usagePattern": { "type": "string", "description": "How customers use this offering" }, "customerFeedback": { "type": "string", "description": "Summary of customer feedback" }, "enhancementPriorities": { "type": "array", "description": "Priority enhancements based on customer needs", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "competitiveAlternatives": { "type": "array", "description": "Competitive offerings customers might consider", "items": { "type": "object", "properties": { "alternativeName": { "type": "string", "description": "Name of alternative offering" }, "provider": { "type": "string", "description": "Company providing the alternative" }, "competitivePosition": { "type": "string", "description": "How our offering compares" }, "switchingTriggers": { "type": "array", "description": "What might cause customers to switch", "items": { "type": "string" } } } } }, "marketShareInSegment": { "type": "string", "description": "Market share within this customer segment" }, "customerLifecycleRole": { "type": "string", "description": "Role this offering plays in customer lifecycle", "enum": ["acquisition", "onboarding", "growth", "retention", "win-back", "multiple"] } } }
Customer-Strategy Relationship Schema
{ "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#", "title": "Customer-Strategy Relationship Schema", "description": "Schema for relationships between Customer domain and Strategy domain", "type": "object", "required": ["relationshipID", "customerSegmentID", "title", "strategicImportance"], "properties": { "relationshipID": { "type": "string", "description": "Unique identifier for this relationship" }, "customerSegmentID": { "type": "string", "description": "ID of the customer segment" }, "title": { "type": "string", "description": "Name of the strategy" }, "strategicImportance": { "type": "integer", "description": "Strategic importance of this segment (1-5)", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5 }, "growthTarget": { "type": "string", "description": "Growth target for this segment" }, "strategicInitiatives": { "type": "array", "description": "Initiatives targeting this segment", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "competitivePositioning": { "type": "string", "description": "Competitive positioning for this segment" }, "investmentPriority": { "type": "string", "description": "Investment priority for this segment" }, "strategicThemes": { "type": "array", "description": "Strategic themes relevant to this segment", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "strategicRisks": { "type": "array", "description": "Strategic risks related to this segment", "items": { "type": "object", "properties": { "riskName": { "type": "string", "description": "Name of the risk" }, "riskDescription": { "type": "string", "description": "Description of the risk" }, "mitigationApproach": { "type": "string", "description": "Approach to mitigating the risk" } } } }, "targetValueProposition": { "type": "string", "description": "Strategic value proposition for this segment" }, "futureStateVision": { "type": "string", "description": "Vision for future relationship with this segment" } } }
Attribute and Element Schema properties
Customer Domain Attributes
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for the customer element | "CUST-SEG-001" |
| The name or title of the customer segment or persona | "Affluent Professionals" |
| A detailed explanation of the customer segment's characteristics | "High-income professionals with complex financial needs and limited time" |
| Classification of segment | "value-based" |
| The organization unit responsible for this customer segment | "Premium Banking Division" |
| Specific roles within the organization unit that manage this segment | ["Segment Manager", "Relationship Banking Lead"] |
| Primary needs, wants, and pain points addressed | ["Time-efficient financial management", "Wealth preservation"] |
| The value proposition offered to this customer segment | "Comprehensive financial management with personalized service" |
| Channels used to acquire this type of customer | ["Professional referrals", "Executive events", "Digital targeting"] |
| Approaches to maintaining customer relationships | ["Dedicated advisor", "Quarterly portfolio reviews"] |
| Current position in the customer journey | "growth" |
| Expected or measured value of this customer type | $25,000 annually |
| Metrics used to measure success with this segment | Relationship Depth: 3.7 products, NPS: 42 |
| Other domains, processes, or systems supporting this segment | Wealth Advisory Services capability |
| Other segments with relationships to this one | Business Owners segment (progression relationship) |
| Areas where customer experience can be enhanced | "Enhanced mobile investment capabilities" |
| How this customer segment aligns with strategic goals | "Core focus segment for 2025 growth strategy" |
Customer Persona Element Properties
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for the persona | "PERSONA-001" |
| Name of the specific customer persona | "Michael Chen" |
| Detailed profile of this persona | "42-year-old technology executive balancing career advancement with family needs" |
| The organization unit responsible for this persona | "Premium Banking Division" |
| ID of the customer segment this persona belongs to | "CUST-SEG-001" |
| Age, gender, location, income level, etc. | Age: 42, Gender: Male, Income: $250,000+, Location: Urban |
| Values, attitudes, interests, lifestyle | Values: Achievement, Security, Family; Interests: Technology, Travel |
| Typical behaviors and preferences | "Researches thoroughly before decisions, prefers digital interactions" |
| What the persona is trying to accomplish | "Build wealth for early retirement, fund children's education" |
| Challenges and frustrations experienced | "Limited time for financial management, complex tax situation" |
| Factors influencing decisions | "Peer recommendations, expert financial advice, industry trends" |
| How decisions are made | "Gathers options online, consults advisor, then makes decision" |
| Technology usage patterns | "Early adopter, mobile-first, uses financial management apps" |
| Representative quotes | "I need financial solutions that work around my schedule, not the other way around" |
| A day-in-the-life scenario | "Michael checks his portfolio during his morning commute..." |
Customer Journey Element Properties
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for the customer journey | "JOURNEY-001" |
| Name of the specific customer journey | "Wealth Management Onboarding" |
| Overview of the entire customer journey | "Process of transitioning high-value clients into comprehensive wealth management" |
| ID of the customer segment this journey is designed for | "CUST-SEG-001" |
| IDs of personas this journey applies to | ["PERSONA-001", "PERSONA-002"] |
| The organization unit responsible for journey management | "Wealth Management Division" |
| Sequential stages in the customer journey | Discovery, Needs Assessment, Solution Design, Implementation, Review |
| Interaction points with the organization | "Initial consultation with wealth advisor" |
| What customers do at this stage | "Share financial goals and current portfolio information" |
| What customers think/feel | "Concern about whether their needs will be understood" |
| Challenges faced at this stage | "Repetitive information gathering, complex paperwork" |
| Potential for enhanced experience | "Digital pre-collection of information before meeting" |
| Capabilities supporting this journey stage | Financial Needs Analysis, Client Profiling |
| Value streams involved | Wealth Advisory Value Stream |
| How success is measured at this stage | "Time to complete stage: 3 days, Client satisfaction: 4.2/5" |
Customer Relationship Element Properties
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for the customer relationship | "REL-001" |
| Name of the relationship type | "Premium Advisory Relationship" |
| Detailed description of the relationship | "Comprehensive wealth management relationship with dedicated advisor" |
| ID of the customer segment this relationship applies to | "CUST-SEG-001" |
| The organization unit responsible for this relationship | "Private Client Group" |
| Nature of the relationship | "advisory" |
| Indicator of relationship quality (1-5) | 4 |
| Degree of active engagement | "active" |
| Current loyalty or retention status | "loyal" |
| Timeline of key relationship events | "Initial engagement: March 2022, Portfolio review: Quarterly" |
| Current and potential relationship value | Current: $15,000 annual revenue, Potential: $25,000 |
| Threats to relationship continuity | "Advisor turnover, competitor offers, market performance dissatisfaction" |
| Opportunities for relationship expansion | "Trust services, business banking integration, family office services" |
| How the relationship is managed | "Quarterly in-person reviews, monthly check-ins, dedicated support line" |
Customer-Other Domain Relationship Schemas
Customer-Capability Relationship Schema
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for this relationship | "REL-CUST-CAP-001" |
| ID of the customer segment | "CUST-SEG-001" |
| Name of the capability | "Wealth Management Advisory" |
| Nature of the relationship | "experience-critical" |
| Importance of capability to segment (1-5) | 5 |
| How this capability delivers value to this customer segment | "Provides personalized investment recommendations based on client goals" |
| Impact of capability on customer outcomes | "Critical for retention of high-value accounts" |
| Metrics for measuring this relationship | ["Recommendation relevance", "Portfolio performance vs targets"] |
| Assessment of capability gaps | "Current capability lacks real-time portfolio simulation" |
Customer-Value Stream Relationship Schema
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for this relationship | "REL-CUST-VS-002" |
| ID of the customer journey | "JOURNEY-001" |
| Name of the value stream | "Wealth Management Onboarding" |
| Points where journey and value stream interact | "Financial needs assessment stage connects to client profiling value stream stage" |
| Outcomes customers receive from value stream | ["Personalized wealth strategy", "Clear understanding of options"] |
| Areas of difficulty between journey and value stream | ["Repetitive data collection", "Multiple handoffs between specialists"] |
| Opportunities to improve alignment | ["Unified client data platform", "Single advisor coordination"] |
| Score for value stream-journey alignment (1-5) | 3 |
| Metrics for measuring this relationship | ["End-to-end onboarding time", "Customer effort score"] |
Customer-Product/Service Relationship Schema
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for this relationship | "REL-CUST-PROD-003" |
| ID of the customer segment | "CUST-SEG-001" |
| Whether this is a product or service | "service" |
| The name of the product or service | "Wealth Advisory Service" |
| Nature of the relationship | "primary-solution" |
| Customer needs fulfilled by this offering | ["Wealth preservation", "Legacy planning", "Tax optimization"] |
| Percentage of segment using this offering | 68 |
| How customers use this offering | "Quarterly in-depth reviews with monthly monitoring" |
| Summary of customer feedback | "Strong positive feedback on advisor expertise, requests for better digital visibility" |
| Priority enhancements based on customer needs | ["Digital portfolio dashboard", "Scenario planning tools"] |
| Competitive offerings customers might consider | "Premium wealth services from major investment banks" |
| Market share within this customer segment | "23% of addressable market" |
| Role in customer lifecycle | "retention" |
Customer-Strategy Relationship Schema
Attribute | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
| Unique identifier for this relationship | "REL-CUST-STRAT-002" |
| ID of the customer segment | "CUST-SEG-001" |
| Name of the strategy | "Affluent Client Growth Strategy" |
| Strategic importance of this segment (1-5) | 5 |
| Growth target for this segment | "35% growth in assets under management by 2027" |
| Initiatives targeting this segment | ["Digital wealth platform", "Family office services"] |
| Competitive positioning for this segment | "Premium service with integrated banking and investment capabilities" |
| Investment priority for this segment | "High - tier 1 strategic focus" |
| Strategic themes relevant to segment | ["Digital transformation", "Advisory excellence"] |
| Strategic risks related to segment | "Emerging fintech competition targeting affluent professionals" |
| Strategic value proposition for segment | "Seamless integration of banking, investing, and advisory services" |
| Vision for future relationship with segment | "Trusted primary financial partner for all wealth management needs" |