Are you a CJM(Customer Journey Mapping) junkie? I ask that with a lot of love and respect because I know how we yearn for something as tangible as a process map to feel like it’s not all “soft and fluffy” as one of my Lean-Six Sigma colleagues referred to our Customer Experience efforts…
Many of our customers contact us once they have a map and ask us to assist them in implementing the map…. Now, we love to help but there are a few pitfalls in the Journey Mapping process… I am going to unpack them for you…
(1) Designing or Mapping in isolation
No matter how great you are or how innovative you are, if you have come up with a fantastic map, you may still struggle to get buy-in when you share the map. There is just something magical that happens when a group of people create a Customer Journey Map together, there is something about the co-creation, collaboration and alignment that ignites ownership and changes the way people view themselves the customer, and the way they partner inside the organisation. If you have a map (even a fantastic map) pretend you don’t… start with a blank canvas and get people in your organisation to “invest” the journey of the customer.
(2) Mapping as the holy grail
Customer Journey Mapping is very valuable when considered as a component of the Customer Experience Ecosystem. But there is a lot more that needs to be done around the Customer Journey Map.
Below is a diagram (click to download) that positions the customer journey map within the ecosystem.
Your employee journey is as important as your customer journey. Ensure that you as the CX evangelist in your organisation tell the whole story…. Not just the pieces that lend itself to tangible artefacts. CX is all about the brand promise, the people, the processes and the technology blended into a symphony that is awesome to experience for employees and consumers.
(3) Customer Journey Mapping as a once off exercise
See your map as a Tamagotchi, it cannot be left to die, it needs to be looked after. It needs to be kept alive through nurturing and care and constant improvement.
Some ideas I can share with you is having a meeting room as a customer war room with a visual journey map on the wall and invite and encourage people to contribute to the map.
Employees should be encouraged to use their own products and be the first to know when something is not working as well as be invited to innovate and come up with great ideas on how to improve the product or service experience. When everyone is proud of their brand and empowered to create remarkable experiences, that is when great experiences happen!
So just so summarise, if you want your CX transformation to deliver value and contribute to sustainable change, consider the entire ecosystem. Understand that the changes are systemic and cannot be “faked”.
Collaborate and co-create on Customer Journey Mapping. When people “invest it” they will own and defend it!
A customer journey map is like having a baby, it needs to be nurtured and needs to grow with the strategy and the organisation. It’s not a once off!
To learn more about Customer Journey Mapping, attend one of our workshops or CXPA accredited Customer Journey Designers Course. We also have fantastic Customer Journey Mapping Kits for sale in our online store.
Download our Journey Mapping Pocket Guide.
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Absolutely critical points here. It’s great to map out the customer journey, but what good is it if you can’t execute against that journey?