Why you need to map the customer's ecosystem
Most companies only look at their interactions with the customer, but the customer interacts with many other actors to get the resources they need to get their jobs done.
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Further Reading:
I wrote about the difference between customer journeys and company pathways in an earlier post on...
SHOULD WE MAP CUSTOMER JOURNEYS OR COMPANY PATHWAYS?
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grahamhill_cx-servicedesign-journeymap-ac...
More Further Reading:
There area number of ways you can map the customer ecosystem. The technique I have used for the past ten years is Value Network Mapping, which maps the relationships between the different actors in the customer ecosystem and what resources flow between them. The best Value Network Mapping approach I have seen, and the one I use, is the one Elke den Ouden describes in Chapters 8 & 9 of Advanced Design Methods (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grahamhill_cx-servicedesign-journeymap-ac...) and in her book, 'Innovation Design: Creating Value for People, Organisations and Society' (https://elkedenouden.com/).
Once you understand the bigger picture, you can dive into the bits that interest you the most.
Thank you Dr. Hill.
This post makes so much sense to me, but the thought of doing what you suggest is daunting. Finding out the myriad external factors that lead to a customer interacting with your business can require a huge amount of qualitative and quantitative research that many businsses won't have the patience for. Journey mapping is still very en vogue but it rarely ever looks outside of the touchpoints the customer hits within your business. I would love to see the entire 'ecosystem' being mapped as standard - this is where the value of the information gathered really lies.
Hi Simon
Although it looks daunting, it isn't.
It can be as easy as sitting down with a sheet of flip chart at your desk, drawing the customer journey and listing all the other actors the customer or you interact with during the journey. The list doesn't have to be long and definitive. It can be just the key actors. You are going to have to choose which ones to exclude in further analysis anyway, so you lose little by keeping the list short. Once you have the list of other actors and the interactions where they may play a role, you can start to identify what it each actor provides the customer or you.
Before you realise it, you will have created an initial value flow map as the foundation for your customer ecosystem.
My advice is just to get started.
You can always ask for help if you get stuck.
Best regards Graham
Thanks Graham! Certainly something tobe said for pulling out the whiteboard and some highlighter pens. I've enjoyed the drawings youve provided as examples in this article series. Brings to life the ideas and questions you pose .
Thanks Graham! Certainly something tobe said for pulling out the whiteboard and some highlighter pens. I've enjoyed the drawings youve provided as examples in this article series. Brings to life the ideas and questions you pose .