Francis Cordón is an O’Daily hero.

I worked with Francis at Rigor and learned SO much about strategic Customer Success from him.

He’s a genius (and a great human!). Customer Win Slides and aligning to your customer’s North Star both came directly from Francis and are simple, easy-to-implement strategies to 10x your customer experience.

When Francis offered to share more about the Journey Map of Value he outlined in this blog’s comments section, I jumped at it!

Journey Map 101

I’ve heard “Journey Map” used a few different ways in the business world, so I’m going to clarify what we mean for today’s post.

Imagine you’re visiting Madrid, Spain. You enlist a tour guide.

Your guide asks:

“What would you like to see?”

This question can bring immediate frustration:

“I don’t know! You’re the expert here. You tell me what I should see.”

Maybe you’ve done some research, maybe you have a few ideas, but you’re paying them to be the expert!

Now imagine, instead of a totally generic opener that puts the burden on you, your tour guide asks about your preferences and goals:

• What are your goals for this day and trip?

• What do you love? Favorite interests?

• Any “must-see” items?

They’ll also look for clues:

• kids (family friendly?)

• mobility (more or less walking?)

• your cool tattoo (into art?)

• camera equipment (photography buff?)

• “I love seafood” shirt (foodie?)

Then, they make customized recommendations based on you and your goals.

Makes sense, right?

Now substitute “Tour Guide” for “Customer Success.”

• Are you guiding your customer? Or asking them to figure out what they want?

• Are you giving them a list of every possible feature in your tool? Or curating it based on their business goals?

• Do you give them a progression? (“First, we’ll see El Prado, then stop for lunch.”) Or give a full list on Day 1? (“Here are the 10 things we’ll do today.” Eek! Overwhelming!)

THIS is what we mean by Journey Map.

Clearly laying out a reasonable plan based on your customer’s goals.

(Note: there are also “journey maps” in the presales process or sometimes looking at the full customer experience from first exposure to the brand through multi-year renewal.)

Francis made an amazing point when we chatted:

Often times, the buyer is not the power user. The buying executive hands off the implementation to someone who reports to them but doesn’t have all the details, context, or vision but needs to make the project a success and get results.

Customer Success can help this power user be a hero!

But enough of literal Spanish tour guides!

Let’s get to it and hear directly from our Customer Success Spanish tour guide genius himself on the 3 common Customer Success pitfalls and the 4 components of a great Journey Map.

Heeeeeeeere’s Francis…👏👏👏

Navigating the Journey Map of Value Realization: A Roadmap to Customer Success

In the Journey of Customer Success, I like to focus on value and business outcomes, as well as on the personal aspect of it. This journey is marked by numerous challenges and opportunities, where the path to value realization is often obscured by common pitfalls. Drawing upon my experience as both a customer (when I was at the BNY Mellon dealing with so many vendors and investing in them, yet rarely getting the CS I really needed) and later building the CS practice at amazing organizations (including the awesome Quantum Metric where I currently have the honor of working), I've identified three prevalent pitfalls that frequently impede this journey. However, with a strategic approach and a well-defined roadmap, these obstacles can be overcome, paving the way for sustained success.

Pitfall 1: Overlooking Documented Realized ROI 

Many organizations fixate on projected ROI, neglecting the achieved outcomes. Admittedly, this can be challenging, especially with some solutions and platforms, but it’s an area where Customer Success as a partnership with the customer is absolutely essential. It ensures that value realization is documented, celebrated, and trended over time, in relation to the customer goals.

Pitfall 2: Passivity vs. Proactivity

Becoming passive instead of proactive in managing the customer journey hinders success. It's tempting to wait for customers to voice concerns, but true Customer Success demands an active leadership role and the map for that is what we will discuss in pitfall #3. This means adopting a proactive approach and constantly aiding customers in achieving their goals. By focusing on individuals (and making the person in front of us a hero with the focus of bettering their lives) and connecting their needs with our solutions, we become true partners in their success journey.

Pitfall 3: Anecdotal Value Trap

Relying too heavily on anecdotal evidence of value rather than implementing a systematic approach can lead organizations astray. While one-off success stories can be inspiring, they often lack the substance needed to sustain long-term engagement. To mitigate this risk, we need a structured roadmap comprising value realization milestones tailored to the customer's specific use cases and goals. This roadmap serves as a guiding beacon throughout the customer lifecycle, enabling a progression from simple wins to more sophisticated endeavors. By painting a clear picture of the path ahead and the future value to be realized, we can avoid the pitfall of short-sightedness and ensure sustained success over time. 

When done well, this Journey Map of Value Realization can help overcome all three pitfalls.

What Sets Apart a Mature Journey Map of Value Realization?

1. Pragmatic, Actionable Nature

A mature Journey Map isn't fluff; it offers concrete steps and outcomes that are achievable with the existing SaaS platform. It’s a true map of ‘things we will do together’ throughout the lifecycle of the customer. It provides a clear roadmap for both the Customer Success Team and the customer, guiding them towards tangible results rather than abstract promises. It is not a project plan of tasks, it is a roadmap of value milestones to be achieved in partnership with the customer.

2. Adaptability

It caters to diverse industries and use cases, customizing its approach to suit specific needs and challenges. Whether it's a large financial institution or a medium-sized travel agency, a mature Journey Map can be tailored to fit the unique requirements of each industry and use cases. So one could say ‘Be Water’ :) as our dear Bruce Lee said!

3. Balanced Progression 

Starting with simple, out-of-the-box solutions and gradually advancing to more complex configurations, it eliminates the false dichotomy between quick wins and in-depth value creation. This ensures that customers can derive value from the platform at every stage of their journey, without feeling overwhelmed or left behind. This is absolutely essential, do not sacrifice quick value for sophisticated wins too late, when the customer has run out of patience. But at the same time, do not settle for quick wins, it may not create differentiation enough for your platform and services and you can do so much more for your customers!

4. Comprehensive Coverage

A mature Journey Map covers all aspects of the customer lifecycle, from onboarding to ongoing support and beyond. It not only focuses on achieving short-term goals but also paints a picture of future value, ensuring that customers remain engaged and invested in the long term, eliminating the syndrome of ‘diminished returns’ (a term I learned from the great Daniel Marsh!). 

At Quantum Metric, we've embraced this approach through our Maturity Model, seamlessly integrated with our robust QM platform. Together, they form an unparalleled delivery system poised to revolutionize the landscape of Customer Success. In essence, the journey towards value realization is not a solitary trek but a collaborative odyssey, guided by a meticulously charted roadmap. 

If you combine this approach with your genuine focus on the person in front of you, connecting the dots to the buyer’s goals, you’ll see the difference.

Yes, you’ll retain and expand a lot more, but above all, you’ll go to bed knowing you are doing a lot more to make many people’s lives much better!

“True living is living for others” after all, as Bruce Lee said!

Disclaimer: I am so honored to be guest writing this for the O’Daily and feel absolutely insecure about not being good at adding the right emojis at the right time, but nevertheless, the O’Daily is a source of inspiration to me, so this is such a treat!

(Thank you, Francis! It’s an honor to have you and thank you for letting me share so many of your ideas on this blog. Emojis here: 🙏 👏 🥳 🙌 🧠 🚀 - Kathryn)

Has anyone implemented some or parts of this Journey Map concept for their customers? Francis and I chatted through a few specific examples. Let me know if you’d like a follow up post to hear about those!