Customer journey map as a way to get conversions

What is CJM and what are the goals of its creation?

To begin with, it is worth understanding the very concept of CJM (Customer Journey Map). If we consider CJM from a more technical point of view, then this is a whole methodology that is based on a detailed analysis of the needs and behavior of the target audience.

CJM is a fairly comprehensive study, which usually takes into account not only the experience of a client interacting with your site/application/system, but also with all possible points of interaction, from the moment the client becomes interested in your product and until he reaches the final goal.

Thus, this methodology helps the business to assess customer satisfaction at all points along the path and predict the likelihood of its return (re-contact).

Who can use CJM?

I would like to note that this method is quite universal - it is suitable for any business, and it does not matter at all whether you have a startup, a young business, or you already have many years of experience. You can still apply CJM.

Benefits for startups:

1. it will help to assess the viability of the idea and understand how much your product / service will be in demand in principle, or it may be worth reconsidering your business goals;
2. you will be able to identify possible problems of clients even before the launch of the project, when solving them is not so painful and costly;
3. identify the interests of your potential audience and evaluate ways to scale your business by researching the demand for other related services.

Benefits for companies with experience:

• will give you the opportunity to review yourself and your service from the other side (for a more independent assessment is better to involve outside experts);
• will help to understand in which points the audience is in touch with product/service and how different audience segments interact with it;
• assess how easily users move from one stage of interaction to another and what emotions they experience in the process;
• one of the most important factors will help to find out the barriers that prevent clients from reaching their ultimate goals;
• find alternative ways of development and business increasing.

How to compose a CJM so that it is useful?

In order not to waste time and effort in vain and your CJM has really benefited the business, it is necessary to correctly place emphasis when creating it and actively interact with responsible persons, company representatives,  for which the map is made, throughout the entire process of CJM creation.

Procedure for creating any CJM:

• Find out the key points between the client and your company as they pursue their end goal;
• Describe in each of these points: the user goal, the process, the challenges (if there are), emotions and impressions, ideas and suggestions for solving problems or just improving their experience at that specific point.

Tips for making useful CJM:

• Analize your target audience and make the portrait of the most frequent user of your product/service/service.
• Work up a basic CJM about this particular characte
• Use only verified data, fewer assumptions, more facts, and statistics. In the case of an online business, a good source of data for CJM would be web analytics
• Try to put yourself in your customer's shoes and go all the way from the beginning to the end. And «pass the way» literally: make a purchase of your product, order a service, talk to the call center, etc. See how much time each step takes and what difficulties arise in the process. This will help you not only identify all the touchpoints but also understand the client's emotions at different stages of interaction with your company, identify problematic moments and understand how you can solve them.
• Hire specialists to help you map it out. People with that experience can help you identify the real touchpoints and, most importantly, help you understand how to address user issues and barriers in the most optimal way possible.

When should You use it?

The user journey map can and should be used when:

• When you see that customers are struggling with the system, but you can't pinpoint the exact cause of that dissatisfaction
• When you want to find ways to improve system efficiency
• If you are ready to scale and want to understand what direction to take
• In business process automation projects. Here you can use CJM to visually compare the problems that users face without a system, and outline the ways in which these problems will be solved after automation

Results of CJM usage

We are actively using CJM on many of our projects.

For example, at Botkin.pro (an online doctor's video consultation service) we used CJM to identify service conversion issues and find solutions for different types of users - doctors and patients.

Conclusion

In fact, there is no canon or standard for making CJM, everything is very individual and depends on many factors. Don't be afraid to experiment, pick the most appropriate ways for your project, audience, and focus on the goals you want to achieve as a result.

Based on our experience of using CJM on various projects, we would like to note that this is not a one-time procedure, but a periodically recurring process. Business goals are adjusted, the market changes, the interests of the audience also change. All of this makes the business always be in a state of flux and react quickly to the slightest fluctuations in the environment. If you use CJM methodology regularly, it will not only increase the conversion rate but will also make the company more client-oriented, thereby increasing customers loyalty and thus your profits.