Customer Journey Mapping: A Simple Guide
A customer journey map shows your business the way customers actually experience it, step by step, including the parts nobody inside the company sees.
Customer journey mapping is the process of laying out every step a customer takes with your business, from first hearing about you to buying, using, getting help and coming back, and noting what they do, think and feel at each step. To map a journey, pick one customer type, list every touchpoint, mark where they get frustrated, talk to real customers and front-line staff, and fix the biggest friction points first.
Leaders often see their business from the inside: departments, processes and systems. Customers see one continuous experience. A journey map helps everyone see what customers see.
For the bigger picture, read What Is Customer Experience?.
Six steps to map a customer journey
- Pick one customer type. One journey at a time.
- List every step. First contact to repeat purchase.
- Note feelings. What they think and feel at each step.
- Mark friction. Where they wait, repeat or get confused.
- Check with real people. Customers and front-line staff.
- Fix the biggest friction first. Then the next.
List every step
Include the obvious steps and the forgotten ones: the confirmation email, the invoice, the hold music, the follow-up. Customers experience all of it.
Mark the friction and the feelings
At each step, ask: what is the customer trying to do, and how do they feel? Where do they wait, repeat themselves or get confused? Those are your friction points.
Focus on the first, the worst and the last
Research on how people remember experiences shows they weigh the most intense moment and the ending most heavily. On your map, pay special attention to the first impression, the moments when something goes wrong and the last impression.
Fix and repeat
Fix the friction point that affects the most customers, then the next. Revisit the map every few months as your business changes. See How to Improve Customer Experience.
Removing friction from the customer journey is part of The Power of Small Moments.
A journey map shows your business as customers experience it. Pick one customer type, list every step, note what they feel, mark the friction, check with real customers and staff, and fix the biggest friction first, especially in the first, worst and last moments.
Frequently asked questions
What is customer journey mapping?
How do you create a customer journey map?
Why is customer journey mapping useful?
How often should a journey map be updated?
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