If you're looking for an overview on the basics, here's a general overview on customer journey management.
1. Create your first journey map(s)
For more information on this, please visit our introduction to journey mapping with Smaply.
2. Gather your journey maps and create a repository
You always aim to have research-backed journey maps in order to make decisions and take action based on data, and not on assumptions. This research data belongs to your journey map directly so that everybody working with or reviewing your maps can access this data easily. This way, you don’t only create a repository of maps, but also a data repository.
Smaply acts as your central repository for all your journey maps. A journey map repository allows you to organize all your journey maps and make it clear and accessible for yourself and your team. This is a crucial step towards using journey maps as a visual management tool and organizing all projects that impact experiences throughout the organization.
3. Create a journey map hierarchy
Now you can turn a repository into a hierarchy by linking the journey maps together. Your goal is to create a high-level journey map and zoom into single steps to illustrate a specific experience in more detail.
See featured image, this is a screenshot taken from Smaply, the journey management tool.
Why a hierarchy?
Imagine you need to define the map levels to successfully drive from one city to another. You’ll need more than one map: You may need a high-level map showing you the highways from one country to another. You might need regional maps to switch between highways. And you’ll need a city map to find the street you’re looking for.
This is the same for journey maps. You’ll need various zoom levels depending on your high-level experience. Often, the highest level map is your customer life-cycle. You can then zoom into every step and link a particular journey showing this step in more detail, and you can continue to zoom in all the way to the micro-interaction level.
How to create zoom levels
You’ll start with the big picture and then focus into more detailed views. Zooming into steps of journey maps changes the timeframe of the map. As more details become visible, you see less of the bigger picture. A step in a higher-level journey usually becomes the stage of the lower-level journey, which then includes many more detailed steps in that journey. This set of connected journeys are your management maps and should be kept up to date over time so that they can help drive understanding and decision-making across the organization.
High-level map (level 0)
Start with a first version of your high-level map, your customer lifecycle. Identify the steps that are most critical; where you expect the most critical pain points for customers or where you envision the biggest opportunities.
Detailed maps (level 1)
Ask yourself which part of the high-level map you would like to understand in more detail, then create this next level map. Usually, you’ll find 2-4 levels with the biggest depth around the buying and usage experience.
Create one to three sub-level maps to zoom into these steps further. Add quantitative and qualitative data to your maps. Set up a common structure for your management maps (see example above) and fill these with data.
Map titles
→ Tip: wisely choosing map titles will speed up your work!
For map titles, we recommend a system as the following:
- Hierarchy level; for example: high-level / customer life cycle vs. mid-level vs. detailed; or, alternatively, numeric levels like 0 vs. 1 vs. 2
- Map titles on top need to clearly depict the map’s focus, for example “air travel experience”, “boarding the plane” or “app usage”
Let’s assume you have a high-level journey map and would like to visualize the details of one specific step, so you create a second journey map where you illustrate the details.
For example:
- Steps of the high level journey map could be: get to store – choose product – pay – leave
- Steps of a detailed journey map for the step "get to store" could be: leave the office – go to bus station – get on a bus – drive – get off the bus – walk to the store – step in the door
In this case you would create a link for the detailed journey map and include it into the high-level journey map. This way you can zoom from the high-level journey map into the detailed journey map.
Journey info
→ Tip: You can use the stage descriptions on top of what you’ve added to the general journey info section to provide more details / information.
A journey info section is useful to define your journey title, give a short description of what the journey is about, add tags and additional notes. Use the notes for internal information. To make it easy to read, you can use icons/emojis and format the text.
→ Tip: You’ll find multiple recurring micro-interactions, such as log-ins on a website or shop visits. You can link the same map into multiple higher-level maps. It’s helpful to keep track of the journey maps where a certain recurring interaction is included.
4. Define taxonomy and structure
Using journey maps as a common information system in an organization requires standardization of your taxonomy, including your journey map structure and zoom levels of maps.
This is the structure we suggest for management maps:
Basic journey map outline:
add lanes for Steps, stages, storyboard
What if:
What are alternative scenarios? What could possibly go wrong?
Channels:
Which channels can customers use to get in touch with your org?
Teams:
Who is responsible? Who should be involved?
Pain points & opportunities:
What are the pain points or unfulfilled needs for both customers and employees?
Projects:
What are ongoing and planned projects impacting CX or EX?
KPIs:
What are the main KPIs to evaluate the map from an experiential as well as from a business perspective?
Research data:
What kind of quantitative and qualitative research data do you have available regarding CX and EX? Can you link to previous projects?
Journey Performance Indicator:
Combining the data of this map, how healthy is this map?
Emotional journey:
Visually express what are the current pain points of different customer segments
5. Roles and responsibilities: Set up a governance structure
Define who on your team will be responsible for each map.
The governance structure will always depend on your organizational structure. Our experts are happy to discuss your specific case and together work out a governance structure for your journey mapping activities.
Drop us a line at sales@smaply.com and let’s jump on a call!
6. Practice journey management as an ongoing activity
Get together with the project team with regular frequency (e.g., once a month) and discuss the following questions:
- How did the journey change since the last time? What experiences improved or got worse?
- What projects are ongoing? What new projects are to come and necessary?
- Where do you lack data and need research?
