A recent Google search of the term “Customer Journey Maps” (CJM) turned up 5.3 million results. This indicates that journey mapping is widespread and is probably getting more popular every day, So I decided to share some of the limitations of journey mapping with you so you can make sure you know what’s what when you create one.
Maps are fixed, but journeys change.
Think about your commute to/from work. Do you always take the same route? Do you ever take a detour because of a traffic backup? Do you ever run into a store on the way home? Get gas? Pick up the cleaning? We all do!
Now, think about contacting technical support when you have a problem. Do you always immediately call their 800- number or sometimes read the manual and try fixing it yourself? Do you use chat before you call? Do you start reading FAQs on the website, then go to the Apple Genius bar or to Best Buy and talk to someone in the Geek Squad? Different products, different problems, different urgencies, different journeys!
Maps are usually standalone and not related to other journeys.
Let’s assume you are researching an auto purchase. As you narrow your potential selection, you may stop buying and contact your bank to determine how much you can afford to pay for the vehicle. The bank’s customer journey maps probably do not consider that you are in the middle of a purchasing journey, with pressures and excitement building up.
The bank’s business processes are inflexible, while the customer’s journeys vary.
Maps focus on the journeys but not the customer’s expectations or emotions
When you create customer journey maps, you try to understand what is happening at the time. However, people rarely ask, “What does the customer expect?” This means that the participants try to make the experience as easy as possible, but they seldom compare experiences to expectations to improve experiences or reset customer expectations.
Likewise, rarely, journey maps will accurately capture the customer’s emotion at each touchpoint. Company actions should be very different depending on the customer’s emotional state, which varies depending on context.
For example, if an airline flight is canceled, the customer can be happy because she got up early that day, put in a hard day’s work, and was in no mood to fly for 90 minutes, then rent a car and check in to a new hotel. Instead, she stays the night at the airport, catches an early flight, and arrives at her next meeting well-rested.
On the other hand, I was once at the gate in Detroit for a flight to Chicago when the flight was canceled because of heavy snow. I had an early appointment near the airport and wanted to make it if possible. I was so desperate that when I met another passenger on the same flight who said he would drive to Chicago for his early appointment, I decided to ride with him. After we started, I decided that the driving was so dangerous I had him drop me at a nearby motel. The banker made it, but his meeting was canceled because his appointment could not get out of his driveway. My meeting was canceled the next day, and I flew home at a reasonable time. The point of this story is that how we feel at any touchpoint varies depending on circumstances – context.
Moments of truth require different actions than pain points
What is the difference between a moment of truth and a pain point? Context! A moment of truth occurs anytime a customer interacts with the organization. It can be on a website while using chat to get an answer to a question, when you book an Uber, or when you turn on your home heating system on the first cold day in the fall.
But these moments become pain points when things do not work as expected (or desired). And the company has to be intuitive and flexible to prevent things from going into the toilet. Consider my Detroit to Chicago ride in the middle of a snowstorm. If, instead of me finding another stranded traveler, I had hired a car and driver to take me west. And if the driver turned out to drive recklessly, my ride would immediately change from being a part of my experience to a significant pain point. But, since I was not paying for the ride, I had no expectations, and he had no obligation to care how I felt. But I think you get the picture.
Key Takeaway
When working on customer journey mapping, remember that we are dealing with real people who have pressures that cause changes in journeys, expectations that become the basis of determining satisfaction, and who do not live in a bubble but may jump from one trip to another with no warning. Your challenge is to build flexibility into what is perceived as a linear map! That means you have to depend on the people in your organization. I hope your team is fully engaged!
About Middlesex Consulting
Middlesex Consulting is an experienced team of professionals with the primary goal of helping capital equipment companies create more value for their clients and stakeholders. Middlesex Consulting continues to provide superior solutions to meet the needs of its clients by focusing on our strengths in Services, Manufacturing, Customer Experience, and Engineering. If you want to learn more about how we can help your organization create impactful customer journey maps, please contact us or check out some of our free articles and white papers here.