5 Customer Journey Map Mistakes: Journey Mapping Pitfalls to Avoid

5 Common Customer Journey Mapping Mistakes

Customer journey mapping can improve your business, but common mistakes can hold you back. Aside from failing to map the customer's journey at all (which I see as the most common issue), here's the five biggest mistakes to avoid and how to fix them:

1. Unclear Goals: Without SMART objectives, your efforts lack focus.
   Fix: Set clear goals: specific, measurable, and time-bound goals to guide your map.
2. Not Using Real Customer Data: Assumptions lead to inaccuracies.
   Fix: Base your map on customer feedback, analytics, and surveys.
3. Focusing on Business, Not Customers: A company-first approach hurts customer experience. Be customer-centric every step of the way.
   Fix: View every touchpoint from the customer’s perspective.
4. Missing Customer Personas: Generic solutions miss the mark.
   Fix: Create detailed customer avatars and update them quarterly.
5. Incomplete Steps: Ignoring pre- or post-purchase stages creates gaps.
   Fix: Map every interaction, including offline and follow-up steps.

Yes, this list simplifies the issues. And each of these five tasks could take a very long time to execute. I encourage you to take it slow. The purpose of these exercises and analyses is to improve the customer experience. When your customers experience improvements, it increases retention, loyalty, and your product or service.

In our work with clients, we find many businesses don't set clear goals or regularly ask for feedback. That's why we placed them at the top of this list.

Quick Tip: Use the table below to pinpoint issues and solutions for better results.

Take Action: Start with SMART goals, prioritize customer needs, and use real data to create a complete, customer-focused journey map. For more help, explore our consulting services and membership (which includes an extensive resource library).

5 Major Journey Mapping Errors

These common errors can reduce the effectiveness of your journey map and its return on investment. Here's how to address them:

1. Lack of Clear Objectives

Solution: Define SMART objectives - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. This makes sure the process leads to useful information.

For example, look at your conversions. A SMART goal could be to increase conversions [for product or service "x"] by 10% in Q3. That's an obvious goal.

If you want to dig deeper than "throw more money at the problem," then it makes sense to look at the user experience. Is our website slow? What causes frustration or confusion for our customers?

I've used SMART goals since my early days as a project manager. The beauty of setting these goals is it is the beginning of your plan.

2. Insufficient Customer Data

Solution: Build your map using actual customer feedback instead of relying on assumptions. This approach provides a better understanding of their behaviors and needs.

Is it easier to wing it and take a WAG (wild-ass guess) at what your customer's care about, what they think about your services? Sure.

When I ask clients if they ask for testimonials and feedback, they cringe. It's an even split between not wanting to bother their customers, and fear of what that feedback might be.

Negative feedback is hard to hear. BUT... it's a critical piece of the journey mapping process. If you want to deliver better services, you need to ask the hard questions and then make improvements to address the feedback.

I have a client who gave me very difficult feedback about her experience. It was also exactly what I needed to hear. I responded to her with kindness. And, equally important, I addressed her concerns. She's one of my loyal customers who attends workshops and receives coaching to this day. I'm grateful because she made me a better service provider.

3. Focusing on Business Over Customer Touchpoints

Solution: Evaluate every touchpoint from the customer's point of view. This helps avoid prioritizing company goals at the expense of customer experience.

Here are a few internal questions you need to ask:

• Do you know where your customers come into contact with you?
• Are you providing the same experience regardless of where and how they find you?

One of the common pitfalls I see among clients is diminishing the importance of providing customer service wherever they may come into contact with potential clients.

I recently met a potential lead at a friend's graduation party. We just started talking, and the conversation drifted to what they do, including marketing struggles. I provided the same blend of help, value, and service offerings as they would see if we were on social media or a discovery call.

The more you know your business — and your customers — the easier it is to navigate interactions, no matter how mundane or unexpected.

4. Missing Customer Personas

Let’s chat about those pesky missing customer personas.

If you’re diving into a journey mapping initiative but you haven't nailed down who your customers really are... how will you find them (let alone market to them)?

Without a solid understanding of the customer, creating a customer journey map is just more noise likely to end up in a dusty digital file.

Here's what to do:

• Grab a pen and paper (or go to your whiteboard)
• Brainstorm who your typical customers are
• Is this who you want to work with? Why?
• How much money do they make?
• Where do they live?
• How do they find you?
• What's their typical day like?
• What keeps them up at night? ... and how do you help them resolve it?

If you haven't done is (or haven't done it recently) you need to think about the entire customer lifecycle and how each persona interacts with your product across multiple channels.

Yes, you need different avatars. Because you have more than one type of customer.

The more specific you are, the more likely it is that your customers will say things like you really get me.

5. Incomplete Journey Steps

In an ideal world, you'd think of your products and services as programs. What I mean by that is, you'd have ongoing data collection so you can use the data and actionable insights for continuous improvement (marketing, service delivery, etc.).

You'd think of your offerings in terms of how it supports other services, what you're learning from customers, and it fits in (meaning it actively prevents inconsistent customer experiences).

What often happens, however, is small business owners have a great product or service idea, and then they launch without concern for how it fits into other offerings, or the business.

If you want to create a cohesive customer journey, then you need to create a holistic approach to what you offer and how it creates better customer relationships. For example, consider how you integrate your online and offline channels, offerings, and interactions to create those moments of delight that keep customers coming back.

Here's how to get started:

• List out your products and services and price point(s)
• Which customer avatar (or avatars) use each product/service?
• How do you bridge the gap(s) between your products/services and your ideal customers?
• How do they find you? What do they do before, during and after engaging with you?
• Do they tend to use/need other services?

Map every interaction, including offline and follow-up steps. If anything is missing, add it to a list for business process improvement. It's tedious, but as you close the gaps, you'll increase ROI.

Pitfalls and Solutions Guide

This guide highlights five common issues and offers straightforward solutions to address them. Use the table below to resolve each issue quickly and improve your process.

Quick Fix Reference Table

Support from Women Conquer Business

If you're looking to implement these solutions, we offer tailored support:

• Strategic Marketing Membership: Includes the SMART Marketing Strategy Framework, live group coaching sessions, and access to on-demand training.
• One-on-One Digital Marketing Coaching: Focuses on personalized goal-setting, tactical planning, and accountability to keep you on track.
• Marketing Operations Makeover: Provides detailed marketing tech and operations guidance to position you for growth.

Next Steps for Better Journey Maps

To address the mapping problems discussed earlier, follow these actionable steps:

• Set clear SMART objectives for every journey mapping effort. This ensures your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.
• Prioritize customer needs at every touchpoint you document. Keep the focus on their experience, not just on your processes.
• Blend data and feedback. Use quantitative metrics alongside qualitative insights to create a more complete picture.
• Update personas regularly. Aim to refresh them every quarter to reflect changes in customer behavior and preferences.

For more in-depth help, explore our services.

Editorial Note: AI SEObot assisted with brainstorming and summarizing information (editorial policy).

Related posts

• 5 Common Marketing Mistakes Small Business Owners Make
• Building Customer Trust: 7 Digital Marketing Success Strategies
• Personalize the Checkout Experience: Customize Checkout
• Create a Customer Journey Map: Templates and Journey Mapping