Designing the Customer Journey
How researching chatbot technology led to a smarter approach for improving customer navigation and inquiry routing.
Whether someone is requesting a quote, looking for product information, seeking technical support, or simply trying to reach the right department, the customer journey should feel intuitive from the very first interaction.
This project explored how a thoughtfully designed Request Router could simplify that experience—guiding visitors to the right destination while helping the business receive better, more accurately qualified inquiries.
This case study focuses on the research, strategic recommendation, customer journey design, and proof-of-concept planning developed to improve website inquiry routing using HubSpot's chatbot capabilities.
The Situation
Heath was exploring ways to improve how customers navigated the website and submitted inquiries.
One recurring challenge was that visitors with very different needs often arrived at the same generic contact form. Product questions, service requests, career inquiries, parts requests, and general questions could all follow the same path, creating unnecessary manual effort and increasing the likelihood that inquiries would be routed to the wrong team.
The objective wasn't simply to add another communication channel.
It was to design a better customer journey—one that helped visitors quickly identify what they needed while improving the quality and accuracy of the information reaching internal teams.
A Request Router offered a practical way to accomplish that.
The Challenge
Improving the customer experience required more than designing a conversation.
Before recommending a solution, I first needed to understand what HubSpot could realistically support.
That meant researching HubSpot's chatbot ecosystem, evaluating the differences between Rule-Based Bots and Customer Agent, studying competitor implementations, and understanding how our subscription level would influence the customer experience we could actually build.
One discovery significantly changed the direction of the project.
The Rule-Based Bot → Customer Agent handoff wasn't available under Heath's HubSpot subscription.
Rather than designing around functionality we couldn't implement, I needed to rethink the proof of concept using the tools that were available while still solving the original business problem.
My Thinking
As I learned more about HubSpot's capabilities, I realized the technology itself wasn't the most important part of the project.
The customer journey was.
Visitors weren't looking for an AI conversation.
They were looking for the quickest path to the right answer, the right resource, or the right person.
That shifted how I approached the project.
Instead of asking how the chatbot should respond, I focused on how it should guide.
Every prompt, button, and decision point became an opportunity to reduce friction, eliminate confusion, and move visitors toward the outcome they actually needed.
The chatbot wasn't the destination.
It was the guide.
The Strategy
Based on the platform research and business objectives, I recommended developing a structured Request Router as the initial proof of concept rather than pursuing a fully AI-driven chatbot experience.
Instead of relying on open-ended conversations, the proposed experience used guided decision paths that helped visitors quickly identify why they had come to the website.
Whether someone needed product information, wanted to request a quote, required service, needed replacement parts, or had a general question, each path guided them through a simple series of decisions designed around that specific objective.
The strategy balanced two priorities:
First, helping visitors reach the correct destination as quickly as possible.
Second, capturing structured information that could improve routing, reduce misclassified inquiries, and support more efficient follow-up within HubSpot.
By solving navigation first, the organization would establish a stronger foundation for future AI capabilities if and when they became appropriate.
Execution
To support the recommendation, I developed a comprehensive proof of concept documenting how a routing-focused chatbot could function within HubSpot's existing capabilities.
The project included:
-
Research into HubSpot's chatbot ecosystem and Customer Agent functionality
-
Competitive analysis of chatbot experiences across the industry
-
Evaluation of subscription capabilities and platform limitations
-
Customer journey mapping
-
Conversation architecture
-
Request Router design
-
Workflow planning
-
Routing logic for multiple inquiry types
-
Structured property capture recommendations
Each conversation path was intentionally designed to reduce friction while collecting meaningful information that could improve both the customer experience and internal business processes.
Rather than relying on AI to interpret every request, the recommendation emphasized guided conversations, conditional branching, and structured routing that could deliver consistent outcomes using the organization's existing technology.
Challenges Along the Way
One of the biggest challenges was balancing customer experience with technical reality.
The ideal solution wasn't necessarily the solution the platform could support.
As my research progressed, I had to continuously reconcile business goals, customer needs, HubSpot capabilities, subscription limitations, and implementation complexity.
That process ultimately changed the recommendation.
Rather than forcing advanced AI into the proof of concept, I proposed a solution that delivered immediate value while creating a foundation that could evolve alongside the organization's future technology investments.
Sometimes good strategy isn't choosing the most advanced solution.
It's choosing the one that's both effective and achievable.
Results
The project produced a strategic proof of concept that reframed the chatbot initiative around customer journey design rather than AI alone.
The final recommendation outlined a structured Request Router that aligned with both the organization's customer experience goals and the capabilities of its existing HubSpot subscription.
By defining clear inquiry paths, workflow ownership, and structured data capture before introducing more advanced conversational AI, the recommendation established a practical roadmap for improving website navigation while reducing misrouted inquiries.
More importantly, the project demonstrated that better customer experiences begin with thoughtful journey design—not simply more sophisticated technology.
What I Learned
This project reinforced something I hadn't fully appreciated before.
Good strategy isn't about finding the most advanced solution.
It's about understanding the problem well enough to recommend the right one.
Researching HubSpot's capabilities taught me that platform limitations don't have to be roadblocks. They're design constraints.
They force better questions.
They encourage simpler experiences.
They often lead to solutions that are more practical for both customers and the business.
The experience also changed how I think about customer journeys.
Every prompt, decision, and interaction influences whether someone reaches the right destination or gives up before they get there.
Designing those moments intentionally is just as important as the technology behind them.
Project Scope
-
Primary Inquiry Paths: 5
-
Conversation Flows Designed: 5
-
Workflow Routes: Sales • Marketing • Service • Parts
-
Platform Evaluated: HubSpot Conversations
-
Primary Recommendation: Request Router Proof of Concept
-
Focus Areas: Customer Navigation • Qualification • Routing • Structured Data Capture
Tools
HubSpot • Competitive Research • Microsoft Office • Customer Journey Mapping
My Contributions
Customer Journey Strategy
Chatbot & AI Research
Competitive Analysis
HubSpot Capability Evaluation
Conversation Architecture
Request Router Design
Workflow Planning
Business Process Analysis
Proof of Concept Development
Industry
Utility Services • Customer Experience • B2B Marketing
Company
Heath
Developed a strategic proof of concept for a website Request Router by researching HubSpot's chatbot capabilities, evaluating platform constraints, and designing a structured customer journey that improved inquiry routing while creating a scalable foundation for future AI integration.