Transforming Customer Journey Mapping: Moving from Pitfalls to Practice
- Michael Brandt
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
Customer journey mapping is widely used in CX programmes, but too often it fails to deliver on its potential. This isn't because the idea is flawed; it's because of how it’s typically approached. With the right mindset, process, and engagement across the organisation, journey mapping can be one of the most effective tools in the CX manager’s toolkit. Below, we examine some of the common customer journey mapping pitfalls and how to avoid them, issues we regularly explore in depth during my customer journey mapping workshops.
1. Start with the Customer, Not Your Assumptions
The Issue: Many journey maps look tidy but are based on internal assumptions. The result? Elegant artefacts that bear little resemblance to the customer’s actual experience.
What to Do Instead:
Base your work on real customer input. Start with interviews, surveys, complaints data, and observational insights.
Blend qualitative and quantitative methods. Understand both what customers do and why they do it.
Refresh maps regularly. They are working documents, not decorations.
Include real customer quotes and expressions. Drop the corporate speak.
Sign of Success: If your journey map causes internal surprise or discomfort, you’re probably doing it right.
2. Keep It Structured, Not Overloaded
The Issue: Journey maps tend to swing between overly complex encyclopaedias and oversimplified diagrams.
What to Do Instead:
Create separate maps for key personas; don’t try to please everyone in one diagram.
Use a tiered approach:
Executive view: High-level emotional narrative
Operational view: Key touchpoints and interactions
Tactical view: Specific breakdowns and opportunities for improvement
Focus on moments that matter, not on listing every single step.
Allow for progressive detail; start broad, go deeper where needed.
Sign of Success: Everyone, from C-suite to front line, finds the map useful without feeling overwhelmed.
3. Make It a Team Sport
The Issue: Journey maps often fail because they’re created in silos, with no follow-through.
What to Do Instead:
Bring together a cross-functional team: CX, Sales, Ops, Marketing, Product, Support.
Secure a senior sponsor to provide visibility and backing.
Assign ownership for each journey stage to the relevant functions.
Connect improvements to metrics that matter to each team.
Build journey reviews into the calendar. Don’t wait for issues to emerge.
Sign of Success: Teams begin to refer to journey maps without being prompted—they’ve become part of business as usual.
4. Join the Dots: Data Matters
The Issue: Disconnected data systems make it impossible to create an accurate view of the customer journey.
What to Do Instead:
Invest in systems that bring customer data together, CDPs or integrated CRMs.
Ensure departments actively share customer insights.
Use journey analytics tools to track interactions across channels.
Set clear rules for collecting and analysing data.
Build dashboards that offer a near-real-time picture of what’s happening.
Sign of Success: You can track a specific customer’s journey across all touchpoints—quickly and reliably.
5. Tell the Customer’s Story, Not the Process
The Issue: Too many journey maps are dressed-up process diagrams focused on what the business wants the customer to do.
What to Do Instead:
Start by asking: What is the customer trying to achieve at this stage?
Document emotions and motivations alongside actions.
Include customer effort: where are you making them work too hard?
Consider what else may be going on in their lives that affects their experience.
Use the customer’s own words, not internal jargon.
Sign of Success: When customers read your map and say, “Yes, that’s exactly how it feels.”
6. Make It Part of the Culture
Beyond fixing specific issues, organisations that get journey mapping right treat it as a strategic capability, not a one-off workshop or glossy output.
Principles to Embed:
Iterate often: Your first map is a hypothesis, not a final product.
Link to customer outcomes: Every improvement should aim at better retention, satisfaction, or loyalty.
Share widely: Make maps accessible to everyone, not just those in the CX team.
Celebrate wins: Highlight examples where journey insights led to better experiences or measurable improvements.
Final Thought: Do It Well or Don’t Bother
The critiques of journey mapping aren’t wrong. But the problem isn’t with the method, it’s with poor execution. When approached seriously, journey mapping helps align teams, prioritise resources, and improve the experience where it matters most.
These are precisely the kinds of challenges and opportunities we explore in my customer journey mapping workshops, helping teams shift from ‘drawing the journey’ to using it as a tool for real business impact.
The real question isn’t whether to do journey mapping. It’s whether you’re prepared to do it well.
About the Author Michael Brandt is a specialist in Customer Journey Mapping and Customer Journey Management, with extensive experience supporting global organisations in designing journeys that drive real business impact. He regularly delivers practical, hands-on training courses using JourneyTrack, helping CX professionals and cross-functional teams build the skills to map, manage, and improve customer journeys effectively.
To learn more about upcoming sessions or bespoke workshops, feel free to get in touch. To stay informed and ensure you don’t miss future articles, insights, or course announcements, consider subscribing to Michael's newsletter or following Michael on LinkedIn.
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