How do you align your customer journey maps with your business goals and strategy?

1 Define your purpose

Before you start mapping your customer journey, you need to define your purpose. Why are you creating a map? What problem are you trying to solve? Who are your target customers? What are their needs, pain points, and goals? How do you want them to feel and act at each stage of the journey? Having a clear purpose will help you focus your map on the most relevant and impactful aspects of the customer experience.

2 Identify your business goals

Next, you need to identify your business goals. What are the outcomes that you want to achieve with your customer journey map? How do they align with your overall vision and mission? How do they support your value proposition and competitive advantage? How do they relate to your key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics? Having specific and measurable goals will help you evaluate your map and track your results.

3 Map your current state

Now, you are ready to map your current state. This is where you document the existing customer journey, from the customer's perspective. You can use various methods to collect data, such as interviews, surveys, observations, analytics, etc. You can also use different formats to visualize your map, such as diagrams, storyboards, timelines, etc. The main elements of your map should include the customer actions, touchpoints, emotions, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.

4 Map your desired state

After mapping your current state, you can map your desired state. This is where you envision the ideal customer journey, from the customer's and the business's perspective. You can use techniques such as brainstorming, prototyping, testing, etc. to generate and validate ideas. The main elements of your map should include the customer actions, touchpoints, emotions, value propositions, and solutions for the pain points and opportunities.

5 Define your gaps and actions

Once you have mapped your current and desired states, you can define your gaps and actions. This is where you compare your maps and identify the areas where you need to close the gap between the current and the desired customer experience. You can also prioritize your actions based on their impact and feasibility. You should link each action to a specific business goal and assign a responsible person or team.

6 Monitor and update your map

Finally, you need to monitor and update your map. This is where you measure and analyze your progress and performance. You can use tools such as dashboards, reports, feedback, etc. to track your KPIs and metrics. You should also review and update your map regularly to reflect any changes in the customer behavior, expectations, or context. You should also celebrate your successes and learn from your failures.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?