2 minutes
Are you familiar with member journey mapping? It’s one of the hottest topics I encounter in my work with credit unions throughout North America. Member journey mapping is metaphorically putting yourself in your members’ shoes and walking through typical interactions with your organization. Along the way, you’ll observe what’s working and what isn’t. The goal is to improve the experience however, whenever and wherever a member engages with you.
For a process that yields big rewards, it’s amazingly easy to implement. Here’s a simplified framework:
Pull together a handful of people from across your organization (a.k.a. “subject matter experts”) who bring relevant experience to the table.
Supply them with big paper, markers and sticky notes.
Give them an assignment to walk through every step of the current approach to the top three to five member experiences that matter most (e.g., account opening, a loan application and problem resolution).
Challenge them to dream big and imagine what potential future member journeys could be instead of the current experiences.
Develop an action plan for improvement, starting with low-hanging fruit.
But, you might say, we already know what’s working and what’s broken! You may think so, but I can assure you member journey mapping almost always yields surprises. If you have the right people in the room and you’re tapping into their expertise, issues will reveal themselves.
Inherently, member journey mapping addresses how various channels work together to provide a seamless member experience. Can members easily navigate from one channel to another? How well does technology function behind the scenes? Are IT, marketing and operations aligned to fulfill your service pledge? Member journey mapping can answer these questions and more.
At CUES School of Member Experience (cues.org/some), our approach to member journey mapping is theoretical, practical and interactive. We review the methodology and best practices and then provide opportunity to practice techniques in a small group setting. Attendees leave with tools to apply at their credit union to help make members’ interactions simpler, faster, smoother and more delightful. That’s what the buzz is all about.
Tansley Stearns, CME, CSE, is chief impact officer of Filene Research Institute. Join Stearns at CUES School of Member Experience™, Sept. 26-27, to learn how to build an outstanding member experience at every point of contact across multiple channels.
