After publishing my posts on how to build a customer journey map and the importance of customer journey maps, during my Christmas holidays I had an engaging discussion with a former colleague. During our conversation, I realized he was missing a major point.
I may not have been clear enough about the relationship between customer needs and customer journey maps, so I decided to revisit the topic.
Recap: What Is a Customer Journey Map?
A customer journey map outlines the stages of the customer journey and the actions customers take at each step. It identifies the touchpoints where customers interact with the company and brand, and it captures the emotions and sentiments experienced at each stage. The goal is to uncover areas for improvement and enhance the overall customer experience.
Customer Needs and Customer Journey Maps
A key element of any customer journey map is the need the customer seeks to satisfy by following the journey and reaching the intended destination.
To develop an authentic and effective customer journey map, it is essential to investigate customer needs throughout the entire journey.
Customer needs are the underlying reasons why a customer begins and continues the journey.
What Are Customer Needs?
As previously discussed, customer needs—or any synonymous concept—refer to the benefits customers seek from a product or service. These needs are not absolute; they are contextual.
For example, a physician prescribing a coxib to treat osteoarthritis may aim to:
- Reduce the patient’s pain
- Improve mobility
- Minimize side effects
- Increase treatment compliance
- Reduce flare-ups over a defined period
Customer needs can be functional, emotional, social, financial, or a combination of these.
In some cases, customers compare product options to select the one that delivers the most value—such as in tender-based procurement.
In other scenarios, customers re-evaluate a product based on service experiences, such as repair or warranty support. When deciding whether to renew a contract, they assess how well their needs were met throughout the service process.
Customers also determine whether the perceived benefit justifies moving forward in the journey or abandoning it altogether. For instance, the patient journey for individuals with hearing loss is typically long and begins before they even recognize the condition. It continues well beyond their final visit to a hearing care professional.
By understanding the journey these patients undergo on their path to hearing aids and rehabilitation, companies and professionals can better address their needs and collaborate for improved outcomes.
How to Identify Customer Needs
Identifying customer needs is critical to both product development and customer journey mapping. Collecting Voice of the Customer (VOC) data using appropriate methodologies is essential to uncover these needs.
Regardless of the method used, needs-finding should be approached as a structured exercise. At every contact point, assess the benefits—functional, emotional, social—that create value for the customer.
Why Is It Important to Understand Customer Needs?
Improving customer experience through a journey map requires a deep understanding of customer needs at each touchpoint. While identifying problems and customer sentiment is helpful, understanding the root cause of those problems is even more valuable.
Customer needs enhance your understanding of personas. Different personas follow different paths—not just based on demographic, behavioral, or psychographic segmentation—but primarily according to their needs.
At each stage and touchpoint, examine which needs are most relevant. Identifying unmet needs helps pinpoint the root cause of dissatisfaction. It moves beyond recognizing symptoms and enables you to find meaningful solutions.
Ultimately, understanding customer needs throughout the journey lays the foundation for true innovation—creating value for both the customer and the company. If your journey map focuses only on current pain points, you may be equipped to develop incremental improvements. However, if your goal is breakthrough innovation that transforms and disrupts the market, you must deeply investigate customer needs.
Conclusion
Building a customer journey map is a valuable exercise for any company operating in the medical field.
A well-crafted map not only improves customer experience—it also reveals opportunities for breakthrough product and service innovation.
Exploring customer needs at each stage will help you identify problems in the current experience and guide you toward creating entirely new ones.
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