Unlocking the Power of Customer Journey Analytics: A Game Changer for Businesses

Understanding Customer Journey Analytics (CJA)

Customer journey analytics (CJA) is a concept that is frequently discussed but not widely implemented. Though the technology has existed for over two decades, with pioneers like ClickFox (now BryterCX) and Thunderhead (now part of Medallia), its practical application has lagged behind.

CJA connects related interactions throughout a customer’s journey, utilizing Sankey-style diagrams to visualize actual paths across channels and time. The real benefit of CJA lies in its ability to link data across touchpoints and, more importantly, to act on that data.

The Under-Deployment of CJA

Despite its clear necessity, CJA has been underutilized for years. Implementation often demands significant professional services, and providers have struggled to transition from generic value propositions to concrete use cases. Consequently, customer service practitioners, already inundated with data, have been left questioning its practical value. The challenges were compounded by the diverse range of potential buyers for the solution.

Recent Market Shifts

A significant wave of acquisitions in late 2021 and early 2022 has reshaped the CJA landscape:

• BryterCX (formerly ClickFox) → acquired by IgniteTech
• Kitewheel → acquired by CSG
• Pointillist → acquired by Genesys
• Thunderhead → acquired by Medallia
• Usermind → acquired by Qualtrics

By 2024, the market has completely transformed; CJA is now a top investment priority for customer service organizations. Providers are modernizing their products to simplify deployment and usage, marking a stark contrast to the previous period, which felt like a CJA "winter."

Emerging Business Challenges

Two critical challenges have emerged that CJA can ideally address:

1. Complex Customer Journeys: As businesses expand digital pathways and channels, customers often hop between multiple channels to resolve their service requests. This leads to excessive interactions and can degrade the customer experience.
2. Balancing Automation and Human Support: Many self-service journeys escalate to an agent only after frustration occurs. Businesses face pressure to automate more interactions but struggle to identify the right segments for self-service. Continuous monitoring and adjustment between automation and human support is essential.

The Future of CJA

Today, CJAs are provided by leading Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) and Voice of the Customer (VoC) solutions, alongside numerous specialized providers. The industry is striving to simplify deployment and democratize access, ultimately using journey analytics to shape real customer experiences. Reflecting this evolution, Gartner has rebranded its latest Magic Quadrant to "Customer Journey Analytics and Orchestration."

I'm excited to lead the Can Journey Analytics Drive Digital Channel Success panel at the upcoming Enterprise Connect event. Experts from Five9, Genesys, inQuba, and NICE will join me to explore key use cases and the potential of current offerings in this renaissance of customer journey analytics. The panel starts at 10:00 am on Monday, March 17.

About the Author

Nicolas De Kouchkovsky is the founder and principal of CaCube Consulting, specializing in helping B2B software companies grow. With over 30 years in the cloud and software industry, he is an expert in customer-facing technologies, including customer experience and service. You can follow him on LinkedIn.