Customer journey maps are a critical component of many organizations’ customer experience (CX) framework, however, almost one-third of organizations still face difficulty incorporating journey maps into their CX efforts, according to Gartner, Inc. That’s because many lack governance and oversight, and that ultimately undermines even the best maps’ ability to drive action.
Gartner defines customer journey mapping as a collaborative process of gathering qualitative and quantitative data to understand customers’ desired journeys and identify gaps between their expectations and their perceptions of the experience delivered by a brand at steps along the journey. The main goal of journey mapping is to determine the challenges and opportunities a brand faces in improving its CX and improve satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy.
“While CX leaders have long understood the value of customer journey maps and the impact they have on an organization’s ability to exceed or meet customer expectations, many still struggle to utilize them effectively in their CX initiatives,” said Jane-Anne Mennella, senior research director at Gartner.
“There are a number of reasons why this happens, from stakeholders who don’t understand their role, to using incomplete or incorrect data sources,” added Mennella. “Essentially, many fail because they don’t incorporate the governance and oversight needed to realize the journey map’s true ROI.”
According to Gartner, the main objectives of a customer journey map should be to (a) identify specific CX problems and opportunities, and (b) gain alignment and consensus on how to address those problems and opportunities. To execute on this effectively, and establish the appropriate governance and oversight, CX teams should follow three key steps:
