How to create customer journey mapping to deliver better customer experiences

If you want to drive a customer-focused change in your organization to create an (even) better customer experience, you should start this change by creating a customer journey map.

Table of contents:

• What is customer journey mapping?
• Why do you need to create a customer journey map?
• Which organizations benefit the most from a customer journey map?
• Before making a customer journey map
• Follow this guide to create an effective customer journey map 

What is customer journey mapping?

Customer journey mapping is a method to help you get a clear picture of what it is like to be a customer of yours. By mapping your customer journey, you get databased insight into your most important and essential touchpoints. Customer journey mapping can be facilitated in many different sizes, with focus on the exact touchpoints that you and your organization will benefit from the most.

Why do you need to create a customer journey map?

If you want to drive a customer-focused change in your organization to create an (even) better customer experience, you should start this change by creating a customer journey map. That will give you a solid starting point, and it will surely give you a new perspective on what kind of experiences you expose your customers to.

You should create a customer journey map if you want insight and answers to questions such as:

• Do we have a crystal clear understanding of what our customers want, need and value the most?
• How do we ensure that everyone in our organization is aligned and working towards achieving the same goal?
• What does our end-to-end process, onboarding experience, purchase process, etc., look like?

Where do we identify our weak spots and understand our customers’ progress and fallout points?

Which organizations benefit the most from customer journey mapping?

Every organization, regardless of size, will benefit from a customer journey map. But you should always assess the benefits of it based on the amount of resources it requires – both in terms of time, energy, and finances. Making a customer journey map is not an ad hoc task you make in an afternoon. So consider if the number of resources required is worth it in your organization.

With that said, a customer journey map can always be designed to fit individual needs in any organization.

To get a quick indication of your need for a customer journey map, you can test your customer-centricity and need for a focus on a customer journey map. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Do you have a clear view of the main steps in your customers’ journey and how you perform in critical touchpoints?
2. Does your organization have an articulated customer strategy?

Is customer orientation fully anchored in your organization – from front line to back-office functions?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you are probably working professionally and actively with your customer journey mapping and are benefiting from these five main advantages of working with this area. If not, you can consider making customer journey mapping in your organization more customer-centric.

Before making a customer journey map

Making a customer journey map can be very complex and difficult to navigate. Before making the customer journey map, you should be able to answer these questions:
-    Why do we want/need a customer journey map?
-    What purpose does it have?
-    What do we expect the outcome to be?

Follow this guide to create an effective customer journey map

Once you have answered the above questions, you can get started:

1. Insights? What works well and what doesn’t work?
2. Engaging teams/stakeholders in a customer centric view across organization?
3. Innovation? How can we better fulfil customer needs in a certain phase or situation?
4. Prioritizing efforts? Where are the biggest opportunities or challenges in the service?

Change map for implementation

1. How will our work contribute to the business?
2. What relevant Key Performance Indicators do we want to contribute to?

1. Who are the people we need to collaborate with to create the most value? Are we gathering insight? Are we preparing implementation?
2. Identify both ambassadors and “opponents” and invite them to collaborate 

The process typically involves:

1. Pick one key process for a pilot

1. End-to-end customer journey? Or more detailed part of a certain journey? Start with a small scope
2. Start with an area where customer experience has an effect on important KPIs and where the result will have an impact on the customer
3. Start within an area where you have a mandate to influence. Show results and quick wins, to build acceptance for the method and mindset.
   
   

2. Decide whose journey you are mapping

1. Accumulated map for several user groups? Or a map for a single user group?
2. Personas / “jobs to be done” / behavioral groups?

3. Decide the levels of detail in your journey map (scope)

1. Overview vs. details
2. Decide if you are going to map the AS-IS or TO-BE
   
   Following these steps will put you in a position to get off to a good start.