2018 customer journey_mapping_research_myc

Brought to you by In association with
Customer journey
mapping research
report 2018
A GLOBAL STUDY EXAMINING
MATURITY AND BEST PRACTICES

2
Customer journey mapping research report 2018
Foreword
Executive summary
Key insights
How many organisations are using customer journey mapping?
How mature is customer journey mapping at most organisations?
The impact of customer journey mapping
Who is managing customer journey mapping programmes?
Who has ownership vs. success
How are practitioners executing customer journey mapping?
What is preventing wider adoption of customer journey mapping?
Methodology
3
4
5
8
11
12
13
16
18
20
24
Contents

3
Customer experience is a primary differentiator for many organisations
in a world where price and product are no longer sole consumer
considerations. And customer journey mapping (CJM) is the start of the
process for companies wanting to deliver exceptional customer experience.
The following research report demonstrates the value of CJM, with those
companies using the methodology reporting an improvement in customer
satisfaction by a huge 81%.
Customer journey mapping enables organisations to ensure that they are
serving customers on the right channel at the right time, but also that they
can deliver communications at the right time, place and format as well.
Quadient has seen evidence of this first-hand, with our CJM SaaS offering
helping organisations to move towards a more customer-centric culture
and deliver a better service.
Clients of Quadient testify that better customer communication results
in an improved customer experience. It can drive improvement in
customer loyalty, help to reduce costs and improve brand and message
consistency across communications channels - even compliance and
regulatory communications.
In addition, Quadient research across its client base has shown more than
50% of customer experience is activated within the message and content
received (the remaining being external influences), underlining why
organisations should focus on getting this right.
Customer experience is the new competitive differentiator leading
companies to change their mindset, reorganise their internal processes
while keep costs under control. Customer-centricity is a cultural shift in
many organisations, and CJM represents the start of that process.
For any enterprise keen to initiate a change in the mindsets of employees
and directors alike, this research demonstrates the importance of customer
journey mapping and the long-term growth it can deliver.
Foreword
Laurent Ghio
Strategic Marketing CX Saas Solutions
Quadient

4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Customer journey mapping is a discipline that allows organisations to
step into their customers’ shoes; to gain valuable insights that enable
them to improve the customer experience. But how well-adopted is it -
and how successful are practitioners at using it?
MyCustomer’s 2018 customer journey mapping research report is based
on a global survey of 248 customer experience professionals across
EMEA, North America and Asia-Pacific.
The research looks at the maturity of the practise of customer journey
mapping, exploring how long organisations have been utilising journey
mapping, and how successful they feel they are at it.
The research also examines what trends are emerging in the execution
of customer journey mapping, including who typically has ownership of
the programme and what tools are most commonly used to support it.
We have also attempted to tease out best practices from organisations
whose customer journey mapping programmes are most mature and/or
most successful.

5
Two-thirds of respondents told us their organisations are using, or have
used, customer journey mapping.
Customer journey mapping is far from a new discipline, with around a
quarter of respondents having employed it for over five years.
However, for a large proportion of respondents, customer journey
mapping is a relatively new development. A third of respondents who
told us that they use customer journey mapping have been doing so for
under a year. A further third have been using it for under three years.
Nearly all practitioners of customer journey mapping reported that it has
delivered positive results, covering a range of benefits.
Almost 90% of the customer journey mapping practitioners we interviewed
told us that their programme is delivering a positive impact. And over a
third of those reported that the impact was ‘extremely positive’.
The most common positive impact attributed to customer journey
mapping by our respondents is an increase in customer satisfaction –
reported by nearly three-quarters of practitioners.
Other benefits that are commonly cited include an increase in Net
Promoter Score (NPS), a fall in customer complaints and a reduction in
customer churn, all reported by around a half of practitioners.
Key insights from this research:

6
There is little consensus regarding who in the business should take
ownership of customer journey mapping – but those programmes led by
the CEO are most likely to report extremely positive results; and those
without any project leader at all are most likely to deliver no value.
Around a third of practitioners told us that their customer journey
mapping programmes are run by a head of customer experience or
equivalent role.
But the remaining two-thirds of practitioners have programmes led by
CEOs, COOs, heads of customer service, CMOs, insight teams or indeed
any combination of the above.
Half of the practitioners running programmes led by multiple
stakeholders or the COO reported ‘extremely positive’ results, compared
to under a quarter of practitioners running programmes led by a head of
customer experience or equivalent.
Over two-thirds of the practitioners running programmes led by
the CEO reported ‘extremely positive’ results, making it the most
successful. The caveat here, however, is that these are practitioners at
smaller (under 50 staff) organisations, where perhaps the CEO has a
more hands-on role than the typical CEO at an enterprise.
It was also found that a fifth of practitioners whose programmes have
no leader at all reported that customer journey mapping is delivering no
value. None of the practitioners with a programme leader (or leaders)
reported no value being delivered.
There is little consensus regarding how often customer journey mapping
should be conducted, but those that use it most frequently are more
likely to report extremely positive results.
Around a quarter of practitioners we interviewed conducted customer
journey mapping on a monthly basis. A further quarter conducted it
every six months. And around a quarter conducted it annually. The
remaining quarter either performed it at rarer intervals, or conducted it
as a one-off.
56% of practitioners who conducted customer journey mapping monthly
reported that the programme’s impact is ‘extremely positive’. This drops
to 37% for those who conducted it every six months, 22% for those who
conducted it annually, and 28% every other year.
Half of the practitioners running programmes
led by multiple stakeholders or the COO
reported ‘extremely positive’ results.

7
Despite those who conducted customer journey mapping reporting such
positive results, a third of organisations are still yet to embrace it – with a lack
of understanding/awareness the most common obstacle. However, many are
expecting to roll out journey mapping programmes in the near future.
Most of those respondents not using customer journey mapping reported
that their organisation was not satisfied with the level of insight they had
into their customer journeys. But a number of barriers are preventing
them from using customer journey mapping to glean greater insight.
Half of those respondents that don’t currently use customer journey
mapping said that a lack of understanding and awareness of the benefits
of the discipline was hampering them. While customer journey mapping
has been a recognised discipline for some time, this suggests there is still
work to be done to educate more organisations of its value.
Other obstacles to adoption commonly cited by our respondents included
a lack of technology/tools, and a lack of appropriate skills, both reported
by a third of the sample who are not using customer journey mapping.
However, despite these barriers, a third of those not currently using
customer journey mapping told us that their organisations were planning
to invest in customer journey mapping in the next 12-18 months.

8
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Yes No
Does your organisation currently use customer journey mapping?How many organisations are using customer
journey mapping – and is it benefiting them?
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Two-thirds (67%) of individuals surveyed said their organisations
were currently using customer journey mapping. One-third said their
organisation isn’t mapping the customer journey at present (33%).
This proportion was consistent irrespective of company size,
refuting the notion that the discipline is more popular amongst
larger organisations.
• 33%• 67%

9
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Extremely
positive
Positive No impact Too early
to tell
Those that use customer journey mapping are very pleased with its
results, with half (49%) reporting that it is delivering a positive impact,
and over a third (36%) describing the impact as ‘extremely positive’.
85% of those using customer journey
mapping reported a positive or very
positive impact.
How would you describe the impact of customer journey mapping on
customer experience?
• 36%
• 49% • 2%
• 14%

10
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Increased
customer
satisfaction
Reduced
customer
churn
Fewer
customer
complaints
Lower
customer
eﬀort score
Increased
NPS
Increased
customer
spend
Fewer calls to
your contact
centre
Other
90%
80%
The process of customer journey mapping enables organisations to
better understand and visualise interactions (often across different
profiles). This in turn provides the insight necessary to improve
business processes, operations and resources to improve customer
interactions and deliver a more joined-up and streamlined customer
experience throughout the entire customer journey.
The positive impacts of this manifest themselves in a variety of different
ways, according to the findings. Nearly three-quarters (71%) believe
that their customer journey mapping projects have led to an increase in
customer satisfaction, representing the most common benefit.
However, around half of those questioned who use customer journey
mapping also reported that they have enjoyed an increase in Net
Promoter Score (53%), a drop in customer complaints (48%) and
reduced customer churn (40%).
71% believe that their customer journey
mapping projects have led to an increase in
customer satisfaction. Respondents ticked all that applied
If you have experienced positive impacts of customer journey
mapping, where have you seen the benefits?
• 71% • 40% • 48% • 19%
• 53%
• 32% • 31%
• 18%

11
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Under
a year
1-3
years
3-5
years
5-10
years
10+
years
The almost universal success of customer journey mapping amongst our
respondents is all the more surprising because the findings indicate that in
many organisations it is still a relatively new discipline.
Nearly a third (32%) of respondents reported that they had been using customer
journey maps for under a year. A further 30% have been using it for 1-3 years.
However, reflecting the fact that the discipline has been practised for many
years, a notable proportion of respondents disclosed that they have been using
customer journey mapping for some time. In fact, nearly a fifth (18%) have
been employing it for over five years, with 8% having used it for over a decade.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the more experienced practitioners, who have been
conducting customer journey mapping the longest, are reporting the greatest
returns for their efforts.
Around a quarter of those who have been utilising customer journey mapping
for under a year (24%) and between 1-3 years (29%) describe the impact of
journey mapping as ‘extremely positive’. But those that report ‘extremely
positive’ results rises to 41% of those who have used it for 3-5 years, and up to
66% of those that have practised it for 5-10 years.
How mature is customer journey mapping at
most organisations?
How long have you been conducting customer journey mapping?
• 32% • 30% • 20% • 10% • 8%

12
The impact of customer journey mapping
Under a year
Extremely
positive 24%
Positive 46%
No impact 4%
Too early 26%
1-3 years
Extremely
positive 29%
Positive 58%
Too early 13%
3-5 years
Extremely
positive 42%
Positive 52%
Too early 6%
5-10 years
Extremely
positive 66%
Positive 34%
10 years +
Extremely
positive 50%
Positive 50%
We cross-referenced the length of time that respondents had been performing customer journey mapping with the impact that the programmes have had on the
customer experience.

13
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
We run it
internally
We use an external
third-party provider
We use a combination
of internal resource
and third-party support
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents told us that their
organisations perform customer journey mapping themselves, without
any third-party (i.e. consultant) assistance. A quarter (24%) collaborate
with a third-party to produce journey maps, while only 5% hand the
entire process over to a third-party.
The research also indicates that the longer organisations have been
using customer journey mapping, the more likely they are to use
third-party expertise. Indeed, although no organisation that has used
customer journey mapping over five years reports outsourcing it to a
third-party entirely, a third (33%) are collaborating with experts.
Despite this, respondents report similarly positive results whether they
perform customer journey mapping in-house (37% extremely positive;
48% positive) or in collaboration with a third-party (31% extremely
positive; 54% positive) – although those outsourcing it entirely are less
positive (only 14% reporting that the results are extremely positive).
Who is managing customer journey
mapping programmes?
Do you conduct customer journey mapping internally or use an
external provider?
• 5%• 71%
• 24%

14
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
No-one CMO Head of
customer
experience
CEO Head of
sales
Customer insight
or business
intelligence team
Head of
customer
service
COO Multiple
stakeholders
Other
Responses from those that are conducting the project in-house or in collaboration with a third-party suggest that customer journey mapping can
be led by a variety of different stakeholders. As of yet, there is no clear, common ‘owner’ of customer journey mapping.
Amongst our survey respondents, customer journey mapping is often led by a head of customer experience (or equivalent, such as chief customer
officer), with over a third (35%) of those surveyed reporting that they were the project leader.
This is perhaps a sensible option for
ownership, representing a role that sits
across multiple departments, with a
mandate to unite different parts of the
business around the customer. However,
heads of customer experience are still far
from ubiquitous.
And perhaps in the absence of such a
position, or perhaps simply because
of a strategic decision within the
specific organisations themselves, our
respondents disclosed a range of other
customer journey mapping leaders,
including CMOs (10%), CEOs (8%) and
customer insight leaders (6%).
Who has ownership of customer journey mapping within your organisation?
Respondents ticked all that applied
• 3% • 10%
• 35%
• 8%
• 3%
• 6% • 3%
• 3%
• 18%
• 10%

15
The second most commonly cited response to this question by our
respondents was that there is no single person leading it - nearly a
fifth (18%) revealed that they had multiple stakeholders leading their
customer journey mapping.
This could be said to reflect the lack of clarity over which role or even
department is most appropriately positioned to lead customer journey
mapping. However, on closer inspection, those respondents who told us
that their journey mapping is led by multiple sources reported some of
the most positive results – with 46% describing the impact of journey
mapping as “extremely positive”. The collaborative,
cross-organisational approach appears to be delivering success.
Only projects led by the COO (50% extremely positive) and the CEO
(69% extremely positive) reported a more positive impact.
That the CEO-led projects are reporting such a significantly larger
number of extremely positive results than any other programme, is
worth noting. But is ownership of customer journey mapping by the
CEO realistic for larger organisations? Certainly our findings suggest
not, with all CEO-led programmes hailing from organisations with
under 50 employees, save for one in the 50-100 employees category.
Elsewhere, there are similar results reported where programmes are
led by CMOs (31% extremely positive) and heads of insight/business
intelligence or equivalent (33%).
Also noteworthy is the fact that while none of the aforementioned
projects are attributed as having delivered ‘no impact’, irrespective
of who in the business was leading the programme, of those that told
us their programmes have no leader, 20% said that customer journey
mapping had no impact. Perhaps a reminder that somebody (or several
somebodys) needs to take ownership of the project, no matter where in
the business they sit.
Somewhat surprisingly, those programmes led by a head of customer
experience or equivalent, reported less impact than most other
programmes – with only 24% reporting ‘extremely positive’ results
(although with a further 67% reporting ‘positive’ impacts, the results
were still overwhelmingly positive). Similarly, those programmes led
by a head of customer service are slightly less impactful, with only
20% reporting ‘extremely positive’ results. Meanwhile, none of our
respondents with a head of sales leading customer journey mapping
described the programme as yielding ‘extremely positive’ results.

16
Who has ownership vs. success
Chief marketing officer
Extremely
positive 31%
Positive 43%
Too early to tell 26%
Head of sales
Positive 50%
Head of customer service
Extremely
positive 20%
Positive 80%
Head of customer
experience, or equivalent
Extremely
positive 24%
Positive 67%
Chief executive officer
Extremely
positive 69%
Positive 15%
Chief operating officer
Extremely
positive 50%
Positive 50%
We cross-referenced the ownership of customer journey mapping programmes with the stated impact on the organisation’s customer experience. As you can
see in the following charts, the most positive impact was felt when a CEO, COO or or multiple stakeholders had ownership of the programme.

17
Multiple stakeholders
Extremely
positive 46%
Positive 46%
Customer insight /
business intelligence
Extremely
positive 33%
Positive 33%
No-one
Extremely
positive 20%
Positive 40%
No impact 20%

18
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Customer
feedback
solutions
Customer
journey
analytics
Journey
visualisation
software
User proﬁling /
segmentation
tool
Other
Respondents tell us that they use a variety of tools to support their
customer journey mapping projects. Customer feedback solutions are
used by over half (54%), representing a useful way to glean insights
to bake into the map. Over half (53%) also utilise user profiling and/
or segmentation tools as part of the mapping process, reflecting
the emphasis that many journey mapping projects place on persona
building to provide added rigour.
Journey visualisation tools are reported as being used by nearly half
(42%) of respondents, in contrast to the post-it notes and pads, or
Excel documents used by a small number of interviewees.
Most respondents reported using a combination of different tools.
Those that report using customer journey analytics solutions as part
of their toolkit overall reported a slightly more positive impact of
their journey mapping, with 42% saying that the impact was ‘extremely
positive’, compared to users of journey visualisation software (39%),
customer feedback solutions (38%) and user profiling/ segmentation
tools (35%).
How are practitioners executing
customer journey mapping?
How are practitioners executing customer journey mapping?
• 54% • 40% • 42% • 53%
• 16%

19
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Monthly Annually Every other
year
Every 2+ Years One-oﬀEvery six
months
90%
80%
70%
The findings indicate that there is little consensus regarding how
frequently journey mapping should be conducted, with around a
quarter of respondents each telling us that they map customer journeys
monthly (26%), every six months (23%) and annually (29%). Even when
drilling down into this area by industry, there is no consistency in
terms of the frequency that it is conducted.
How often do you conduct journey mapping?
• 26%
• 23%
• 29%
• 5%
• 8% • 9%
56% of respondents who conducted
customer journey mapping every
month reported that the impact was
‘extremely positive’.

20
What we have found, however, is that those who conduct
journey mapping more regularly are more likely to
report the impact as very positive. 56% of respondents
who conducted customer journey mapping every month
reported that the impact was ‘extremely positive’, this
compares to 37% for those who conduct it every six
months, 22% for those who conduct it annually, 28%
every other year and 33% for those who conduct it every
2+ years. This would seem to suggest that organisations
are most satisfied with the results if customer journey
mapping is conducted very frequently.
This also appears to be reflected in the behaviour of the
more experienced practitioners. Nearly a third (31%) of
respondents who have used journey mapping for three
years and longer at their organisations perform journey
mapping on a monthly basis, with a further quarter (24%)
performing it every six months. Less than a fifth (19%)
conduct it annually.
Monthly
Extremely
positive 56%
Positive 41%
Every six months
Extremely
positive 37%
Positive 51%
Annually
Extremely
positive 22%
Positive 60%
No impact 4%
Every other year
Extremely
positive 28%
Positive 42%
Every 2+ years
Extremely
positive 33%
Positive 58%
It was a one-off and
we currently have no
plans to repeat it
Extremely
positive 28%
Positive 28%
How often mapping is conducted vs. CX impact
We cross-referenced how often respondents performed customer journey mapping
with the impact they reported it had on customer experience.

21
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
No budget Lack of
understanding/
awareness of
the beneﬁts
No senior
buy-in
Lack of
internal
ownership/
accountability
Used to do
it but did
not deliver
value
Don’t have
the relevant
skills
Lack of
technology
and tools
Other
So with such strong results being reported by practitioners of customer
journey mapping, what is preventing the other third from running a
journey mapping programme? Those that don’t utilise customer journey
mapping claim that there are multiple factors preventing them.
Over half of respondents (54%) say that a lack of understanding and
awareness of the benefits is a barrier to customer journey mapping,
suggesting that while the discipline has been in play for many years, there
are still a significant proportion of organisations and leaders that are not
very familiar with it. Arguably related to this is the fact that a quarter
(25%) noted that they are lacking senior buy-in to deliver a programme.
Elsewhere, a third of respondents also reported that they have been
hampered by a lack of technology/tools (38%); a lack of appropriate skills
(36%); and a lack of project ownership (36%).
Interestingly, 8% claimed that they used to map the customer journey but
that the project was dropped as it failed to deliver value.
What is preventing wider use of
customer journey mapping?
25% noted that they are lacking senior buy-in to deliver a programme.
What are the barriers to using customer journey mapping in
your organisation?
• 25%
• 54%
• 25%
• 36% • 9%
• 36% • 38%
• 13%

22
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Customer
surveys
Customer
interviews and
focus groups
Social media Employee
feedback
Usability
testing
Customer
advisory boards
Other
90%
80%
70%
60%
With a third of respondents reporting that
customer journey mapping is not being used
at their organisations, the research explores
what alternative steps are being deployed
to understand the customer and their
interactions in its absence.
Customer surveys are most commonly used, with
almost three-quarters (72%) conducting surveys
for customer insight. Employee feedback is also
used by most respondents (55%).
How do you gather insight around your customer journeys?
• 72%
• 39%
• 32%
• 55% • 16% • 10%
• 10%

23
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Very satisfied Satisfied Not satisfied
Despite the similarities in tools used to gain customer understanding,
there is an enormous discrepancy in how satisfied the respondents are
that these methods deliver adequate insight into the customer journey.
60% of organisations that do not use customer journey mapping report
that they are not satisfied with the insight that they have into customer
journeys. This compares poorly to those that use customer journey
mapping, with 64% reporting they are satisfied with the insight they
have achieved and 25% reporting they are very satisfied.
With a very similar set of tools being used by both groups, this could
indicate that the process of translating customer feedback and data
into a visual representation teases out insights that are otherwise
overlooked, or that those that conduct customer journey mapping are
simply more rigorous with their other customer research.
60% of organisations that do not use customer journey mapping report that they are not
satisfied with the insight that they have into customer journeys.
How satisfied are you that these methods give you enough insight into
the customer journey?
• 6% • 34% • 60%

24
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Yes, we have a budget
dedicated to customer
journey mapping
No plans to increase
investment
The positive news for those that are yet to capitalise on customer
journey mapping is that a notable proportion have plans to implement
the discipline in the immediate future.
A third of respondents (34%) told us that they are planning to invest in
customer journey mapping in the next 12-18 months and have a budget
in place.
Are you planning to invest in customer journey mapping in the next
12-18 months?
• 34%
• 66%

25
The customer journey mapping research report 2018 is based on an
online survey of customer experience professionals around the globe,
carried out between December 2017 and January 2018. A total of 248
respondents took part in the survey to tell us about their organisations.
Industries represented by respondents included financial services, retail,
hospitality, healthcare, media, telecommunications, technology, utilities
and transportation. Organisations of all sizes, from sole traders (8%) to
large-scale enterprise (39%) were represented.
METHODOLOGY

26
Quadient
Quadient helps companies deliver meaningful interactions
with current and future customers. A Neopost Digital
Company, the Quadient portfolio of technology enables
organizations to create better experiences for their customers
through timely, optimized, contextual, highly individualized,
and accurate communications for all channels.
Our solutions bring together and activate the entire
organization in the name of customer experience, through
better collaboration and visibility into the customer journey.
Quadient supports thousands of clients and partners
worldwide in the financial services, insurance and service
provider industries in their quest to achieve customer
experience excellence via mobile, digital, social media and
print technologies.
www.quadient.com

27
About MyCustomer
MyCustomer.com is Europe’s leading online resource
for customer-focused professionals, with over 100,000
members. Sharing news and advice on fields including
customer service, marketing, sales and CRM. MyCustomer.
com is a vital hub for business leaders looking to enhance
every part of the customer experience they deliver. With
a network of expert contributors from around the globe
and a focus on strategy, technology and in-depth research,
members of the MyCustomer community are able to
tap into a wealth of knowledge and receive the most
comprehensive view of the trends affecting and influencing
the world of customer management.
Join the community:
www.mycustomer.com

2018 customer journey_mapping_research_myc

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