Beyond Internal Walls: Unlocking the Power of External Customer Journey Mapping

Customer journey mapping (CJM) is often seen as an internal exercise, a tool for organizations to visualize and improve their customer experience (CX). But what if we told you the magic truly happens when you step outside the walls? Enter external CJM, a powerful approach that extends the map’s reach to your customers themselves.

Why Go External?

Authentic Insights: Get real-time, unfiltered feedback directly from your customers. Forget assumptions, let their experiences guide your strategy.
Shared Vision: Build a transparent understanding of your journey together. Align expectations and foster trust through open communication.
Collaborative Improvement: Involve customers in identifying pain points and brainstorming solutions. Leverage their expertise for meaningful change.

Go and Ask your Customers – Building your CJM based on their feedback:

Gather Input: Conduct workshops, surveys, and social media listening to capture diverse perspectives. Make participation easy and incentivize feedback.
Co-create the Map: Collaborate with customer groups to visualize their journey. Let them map touchpoints, identify challenges, and suggest improvements.
Dynamic Updates: Don’t let your map gather dust. Use VoC tools and feedback channels to gather ongoing input and ensure your map reflects reality.

CJM as a Guideline for your Customer – Benefits for Onboarding & Adoption:

Reduce Friction: Identify and address onboarding pain points early on. Use the map to streamline processes and enhance the first impression.
Boost Adoption: Clearly communicate product value and usage steps through the map. Guide customers towards success and eliminate confusion.
Increase Engagement: Sharing the map demonstrates transparency and encourages customer involvement. Build trust and ownership of the experience.

Long story short - Leverage your Customer Relationship

Be transparent: Share the map openly and explain its purpose. Address concerns and actively incorporate feedback.
Empower customers: Provide tools and platforms for ongoing feedback. Show them their input matters and drives change.
Focus on action: Don’t just collect feedback, act on it! Prioritize identified issues and communicate progress on improvements.