Will customers of the future create their own journey maps?
The world is changing fast, and so are the ways customers approach personal transformation and growth. Your job is not just to respond to customer needs; it's to anticipate them. It's to 'skate to where the puck will be.'
We're seeing a shift in how customers approach their journeys with companies. They're becoming more self-aware, more intentional about their goals, and more cognizant of their expectations and preferences. This shift is leading us to an intriguing question: Are we heading towards a future where customers create their own journey maps?
Let's consider some examples:
1. Fitness and wellness apps: Users often input their goals, preferences, and limitations. The app then creates a personalized plan, effectively allowing the customer to shape their own journey.
2. Online education platforms: Learners select courses based on their career goals, learning styles, and time constraints. The platform adapts, creating a unique learning path for each student.
3. Financial planning tools: Clients input their financial goals, risk tolerance, and current situation. The tool then generates a customized financial roadmap.
In each of these cases, customers are essentially creating their own journey maps, guided by the company's expertise and data.
Customer Expectations are Shifting
In April of 2024, we surveyed over 1500 Americans about their perceptions of transformational experiences, uncovering fascinating trends that support a shift towards customer-created journey maps.
Confidence in Self-Directed Change
Interestingly, 50% of people consider themselves capable of transforming their lives on their own. This confidence suggests a growing trend towards self-directed transformation journeys. However, it also highlights an opportunity for companies to position themselves as valuable partners and facilitators in these self-directed journeys rather than as sole providers of transformation.
Motivations and Expectations
People are most motivated to seek growth or change when it impacts life satisfaction and finances. They desire more knowledge, confidence, and productivity. These outwardly focused goals shift with life stages, emphasizing the need for flexible, adaptable journey maps that can evolve with the customer.
Barriers to Change
On par with a similar study, we conducted in 2023, money and time continue to be the biggest perceived hindrances to change. Customers value taking small steps, setting goals that work with their lives, and developing new routines to overcome these barriers. This preference for incremental, lifestyle-compatible change should be reflected in how we design transformation journeys.
Given these insights, let's explore how the future of customer journey maps might look:
1. Self-Assessment Tools: Provide customers with sophisticated self-assessment tools that help them identify their goals, motivations, and potential barriers. This data becomes the foundation of their personalized journey map.
2. Flexible, Modular Journeys: Design journey frameworks that allow customers to select and customize modules based on their self-identified needs and life stage.
3. Incremental Progress Tracking: Create tools that help customers break down their goals into small, achievable steps and track their progress over time.
4. Time and Resource Optimization: Offer solutions that help customers maximize their limited time and financial resources, such as micro-learning modules or budget-friendly transformation options.
5. Adaptive Support Systems: Develop AI-driven support systems that can adapt to the customer's changing needs and preferences throughout their journey.
6. Positive Growth Framing: Frame the transformation journey in terms of growth and improvement, aligning with customer preferences for positive change language.
The Evolving Role of Coaches in Customer Journeys
As we consider the shift towards customer-created journey maps, it's crucial to examine how the role of coaches is transforming to meet new customer expectations. This evolution reflects a broader change in how people view support and guidance in their transformation journeys.
The Old Coach Model:
Traditionally, coaches were seen as providers of advice, programs, and motivation. Their involvement was often episodic and charged by the hour. This model, while effective for some, didn't always align with the continuous nature of personal transformation or the growing desire for self-directed change.
The New Coach Model:
Today's coaches are evolving into something quite different:
1. Troubleshooters and Micro-diagnosticians: Rather than providing broad advice, new coaches help pinpoint specific issues and offer targeted solutions.
2. AI-Assisted Guidance: Leveraging powerful tools and AI, coaches can provide more precise, data-driven insights and recommendations.
3. Facilitators of 'Assisted Self-Sufficiency': The goal is not to create dependency but to empower customers with the skills and tools to manage their own growth.
4. Always-On Support: Moving from episodic interactions to a subscription model, allowing for continuous, responsive support.
5. Balancing Big Changes and Little Tweaks: Coaches now help customers navigate significant transformations while also fine-tuning their progress with small, incremental adjustments.
6. Proactive Approach: The focus shifts from reactive problem-solving to preventing issues and anticipating challenges before they arise.
This new coaching model aligns perfectly with the concept of customer-created journey maps. It positions the coach as a collaborative partner in the customer's self-directed transformation, providing the right level of support at the right time.
What Does the New Coaching Model Look Like in Action?
1. AI-Powered Coaching Platforms: Develop platforms that combine human expertise with AI capabilities to provide personalized, always-on coaching support.
2. Micro-Learning and Micro-Coaching Modules: Create bite-sized coaching interventions that customers can access as needed, fitting into their busy schedules.
3. Predictive Analytics: Use data to anticipate customer challenges and proactively offer relevant support and resources.
4. Skill-Building Focus: Design coaching programs that teach customers how to become better self-coaches, enhancing their 'assisted self-sufficiency'.
5. Flexible Subscription Models: Offer various levels of coaching support through subscription plans, allowing customers to adjust their level of guidance as needed.
6. Integration with Self-Assessment Tools: Connect coaching services directly with the self-assessment and journey-mapping tools customers use to plan their transformations.
As we move towards a future of customer-created journey maps, the role of coaches will be crucial in bridging the gap between customer autonomy and expert guidance. By embracing this new coaching model, companies can position themselves as invaluable partners in their customers' transformation journeys, providing the right balance of empowerment and support.
The companies that succeed in this new paradigm will be those that can seamlessly integrate this evolved coaching model into their customer experience. They'll leverage technology to enhance human expertise, provide continuous yet unobtrusive support, and ultimately guide customers towards 'assisted self-sufficiency' in their transformation journeys.
Imagine a future where customers expect to co-create their journey with your company. What opportunities and challenges would this present?
Smart companies are beginning to recognize this trend. They're collecting data on:
Customer goals (both conscious and unconscious)
Expectations of results
Preferences for guidance and support
Limiting beliefs
Beliefs about helpful resources
This data is then used to create responsive, personalized journey maps. The key difference? These maps are initiated by the customer, delivered by the company, and guided by a combination of digital tools, human support, and data-driven insights from similar customer journeys.
The shift towards customer-created journey maps isn't just about giving customers more control. It's about creating a partnership between the customer and the company, where the customer's intentions and the company's expertise come together to create a truly personalized experience.
As experience strategists, our role is evolving. We're no longer just designing ideal experiences. Instead, we're creating flexible frameworks that allow customers to shape their own journeys while benefiting from our guidance and support.
The companies that succeed in this new paradigm will be those that can balance customer autonomy with expert guidance. They'll collect and analyze data not just to understand customers but to empower them. They'll design experiences that are adaptable, responsive, and deeply personalized.
Are you ready for a future where customers create their own journey maps? It's time to start skating towards that puck.
If you want to see where our work is heading in the future, join us for Experience Strategy Certification or our Collaboratives.
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