xtensio customer journey map

20+ User Journey Map Examples and Templates

13 min read

Looking at user journey map examples can help you come up with a visual representation of your customer’s journey.

Customer journey mapping research also allows you to identify areas of opportunity in your processes and plan to reduce those friction points. For instance, you might discover that you need user onboarding software to retain users after the first three months.

So, we’ve compiled 20+ examples and templates of customer journey maps to help you get inspired.

Let’s get started!

• A user journey map is a document that shares the steps a user must follow to accomplish a goal. It can also include sentiments, thoughts, and friction points.
• The terms user journey maps and customer journey maps are usually interchangeable. These are similar because they both tell the story of a customer’s journey . However, they vary in scope, definitions, and goals.
• For instance, a user journey map is usually reduced to a specific product or service; while a customer journey map shows the end-to-end of a customer’s activities involving your product or service, e.g., advertising.
• The touchpoints in a user journey map refer to in-app experiences, and customer touchpoints in a journey map refer to every interaction the customer has with your app.
• Usually, the user journey map influences product design, while the customer journey map informs business strategies.
• There are four types of customer journey maps:
• Current-state maps. To illustrate the customer journey in the present.
• Future-state maps. To speculate on potential user journeys in the future.
• Day-in-the-life maps. To show what a user does in relation or without any link to your product/service.
• Service-blueprint maps. To define everything that needs to happen internally to properly serve users.
• Examples of user and customer journey maps include companies like Hubspot, Zoom, Mailchimp, Dropbox, and Userpilot.
• Templates of user journey maps include service blueprints, customer empathy maps, user touchpoints, and effective journey maps.
• Did you identify friction points in your user onboarding? Try Userpilot , the all-in-one product adoption platform that’ll help you improve your onboarding experience and boost retention rates. Get a demo .

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What is a user journey map?

A user journey map is a document that shows the steps a user follows to reach a goal with your product or service. It’s usually used for UX visualization as it tells the story of a person navigating your product and their interaction with different touchpoints.

This document also helps you gather information about the user and the functionality they find most relevant.

In your first version of a user journey map, you may only add the user’s actions. But as you expand it, you should also add their emotions and thoughts.

User journey maps vs customer journey maps

User journey maps and customer journey maps are almost interchangeable terms. They both show the road a person takes to achieve goals and help improve the user experience .

However, these vary in scope, definitions, and goals:

• Scope. User journey maps usually showcase the way a user experiences and interacts with a specific product or service. On the other hand, customer journey maps visualize the end-to-end experience of a customer across various brand touchpoints.
• Definitions. The word ‘touchpoints’ has different meanings in each case. A touchpoint in a user journey map refers to interface interactions and in-app experiences. However, a touchpoint in a customer journey map means every moment a customer interacts with or becomes aware of your brand — e.g., advertisements, customer support, or at checkout.
• Goals. User journey maps are useful to influence product design improvements. The insights of a customer journey map , usually inform broader business strategies and customer engagement efforts.

Types of user and customer journey maps

Using customer or user journey maps for different purposes allows you to influence different aspects of your business. For instance, a day-in-the-life journey map lets you spot areas of your customer’s routine where you can participate.

Here are different types of user and customer journey visualization to implement in your business:

• Current-state map. Illustrates the critical user journey as it is now. It helps you visualize the current state of the user experience based on facts. This type of journey map allows you to identify the strengths and opportunities of your current process.
• Future-state map. Design how you wish the customers’ journey could look in the future. This type is aspirational and it’s useful when speculating potential customer paths. It’s mostly based on data from the current state map and creativity.
• Day-in-the-life map. Lists everything a customer does throughout the day despite those actions being related to your brand. A day-in-the-life map gives you an overall understanding of who your customer is, how they spend their time, and where your company falls. This map is based on user research data.
• Service-blueprint map. This is an internal document that states all the actions, policies, and processes that go behind customer-facing services. The service blueprint is usually for employees to know what they need to do to meet the customer across the journey.

User and customer journey map examples

Take a look at examples of user and customer journey maps from successful businesses and get inspired to draft your own.

1. Userpilot’s current user state journey map

To examine the user’s current state, you can use Userpilot to perform a path analysis .

With path analysis, you can identify and understand how users navigate through your product, pinpointing the key interactions and touchpoints they encounter.

For example, to optimize conversion , you can look into how enterprise users navigate toward the conversion point. Then you can use the discovered insights to replicate the experience for new users.

2. Spotify’s music-sharing user journey map

Spotify is a music streaming platform with various features. This example shows a detailed view of a Spotify user’s journey when sharing music with friends and family.

The image shows the steps the user takes to find and share music as well as their thoughts, emotions, touchpoints, and actors. It starts with a user opening Spotify to listen to music at work. They look up the different playlists and feel excited to see the suggestions.

Once they find a song that makes them feel happy, they share it with a friend by sending the link through WhatsApp. They follow up and wait for an answer.

This example is particularly interesting since it includes the actions, thoughts, and sentiments of two different personas.

3. Uber’s first experience user journey map

Uber is a popular transportation company for booking rides. This current-stage customer journey map shows all the steps a user takes from the moment they choose to use Uber as a new user, up to when they arrive at their destination.

It includes screenshots that show exactly what the user sees when they go through each of the customer journey stages.

This example includes goals from the persona on the side. It also includes verbatim thoughts and emotion tags that give you deeper insights into the target persona.

The bottom part of the map shares critical insights that help marketing and sales teams understand the user on a deeper level and improve their experience.

4. Dropbox’s customer journey map

This journey map includes the user persona’s jobs-to-be-done (JBTD) and the path they follow from the problem-awareness stage.

Since Dropbox is a cloud storage platform, using it for business affects the day-to-day of all workers. Hence, this map includes a clever section named “cast” which includes the profiles of everyone who’ll be affected by the decision to use Dropbox.

As you can see, Sophia starts her journey when she discovers Dropbox. She researches alternatives, books a demo, and signs up for the application.

This looks like a future state journey map as it seems quite simplified for a current state map.

5. Mailchimp’s day-in-the-life customer journey map

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform. The customer journey map captures everything a marketing worker named Dani does every two weeks.

This customer journey map compiles all the little tasks she does before, during, and after she sends a marketing email.

It’s considered a day-in-the-life map rather than a current-state one because it includes more detail than simply outlining the steps Dani takes to send an email. Instead, it includes the digressions she takes before actually completing the task, as well as emotions and areas of opportunity.

6. Hubspot’s customer journey map

This platform offers multiple services for managing a business. This is the current state of Hubspot’s customer journey . It shows everything a user does from the moment they become dissatisfied with previous tools.

This map explains in detail how customers interact with Hubspot until they become paying users. It also includes all the other actors involved, the factors that lead to a positive or negative experience, and the decision points.

This map also includes thoughts and sentiments, friction points, customer touchpoints, and internal actors involved.

7. Netflix’s customer journey map

Similar to the Mailchimp example, this customer journey map explains the macro steps a user like Jen takes to watch a movie on Netflix.

As a media streaming platform, Netflix’s algorithm comes up with movies and TV show recommendations. This map shows how Jen disregards those recommendations and searches for a different movie instead, making it an area of opportunity for the Netflix team.

As part of the analysis, this map also includes Jen’s pain points, motivators, and emotions. This is an example of how breaking the journey down into smaller goals can simplify spotting friction points by showing an end-to-end process on a single screen.

8. Canva’s user journey map

Canva is an online graphic design platform, mostly suited for non-designers. This user map tells the story of Laura, a woman who isn’t a designer but wants to build beautiful flyers to promote her hobby.

As you see, the map walks us through the process of building a new design. It starts with Laura creating a board and ends when she exports the design. Similarly to the Netflix example, this journey map is also restricted to one scenario.

This user journey also includes actions, pain points, goals, expectations, and thoughts across the phases.

9. Zoom’s user journey map

This popular online meeting platform serves different purposes. This example is about Zoom for teachers and it’s broken down into three main categories: Action, emotions, and thinking.

This user journey map explains what a teacher does to give online lectures. It’s separated into five main action buckets with a breakdown of the tasks that go into each bucket. For example, for a teacher to “Start teaching” they need to open Zoom and roll the call.

You can also see how the teachers’ emotions and thoughts vary throughout the session. Plus, the design of this map lets us quickly identify opportunities just by looking at the emojis.

10. HeartiCraft’s user journey map

HeartiCraft is an online store for people who want to buy handcrafted products. The experience begins when the user researches and finds the website and ends when they decide to buy again.

It’s an interesting view of a user journey map as it exposes where HeartiCraft shines but also where it fails to delight users.

This map highlights four different stages and includes all the actions, thoughts and feelings, pain points, and delights under each of them.

11. Say Yeah!’s customer journey map

This company helps businesses deliver products and services that better serve neurodiverse users. To analyze this customer journey , you need to place your eyes on the left side of the screen and skim through the stages.

As you can see, this is the journey of an adult child looking for health support for their parents. It starts at the moment they discover a problem and ends after they’ve made a purchase.

This map includes the tasks, actors, emotions, media, tactics, and the thinking process of the user across the stages. It also shows how relevant each of those moments is for serving the customer properly.

12. Gartner’s B2B customer buying journey map

As a consulting firm, Gartner has a deep understanding of the B2B sales process. You can see that in this example because it paints the B2B buyer’s journey as a non-linear path.

This is likely informed by historic customer behavior, journey analytics , and user research. In the map, you’ll see four main actions across the user’s journey that allow them to buy a product.

However, there are internal discrepancies that Gartner manages to capture in this map. For example, showing that the person meeting with the company isn’t necessarily the decision maker and needs to go back and get the CEO’s approval before agreeing to make a purchase.

13. Service blueprint map for technical support

As mentioned above, a service journey map helps employees know what needs to happen internally to power customer-facing tasks. In this example, we can see how systems are interconnected and linked to company policies.

This map also shows the actions employees take to provide service, including the invisible back-end tasks and the evidence that supports each action.

Templates for user and customer journey mapping process

Explore the different templates included on this list, and edit them to fit your customer journeys:

1. User journey map template in Figma

You can leverage this template on Figma for your customer journey mapping exercise and uncover user activities and emotions across different stages – from realizing their needs to becoming a paid customer.

It allows you to add what you expect the user’s emotions, experience, and expectations to be at each of the stages.

You can include as many ideas as you wish on this canvas or even invite your teams to work on this together.

2. User empathy mapping template in Notion

An empathy map compiles your target user’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.

This Notion template follows the classical approach by including the four main categories:

• Says. Direct quotes or statements that provide insight into the user’s thoughts and opinions.
• Thinks. Reflects the user’s thoughts, beliefs, and feelings.
• Does . Includes what the user does in real life or during their interaction with a product or service.
• Feels . Fears, frustrations, joys, and other emotional responses.

3. Future state customer journey map template from Xtensio

Use your creativity and your current state journey map to fill out this template. Explore alternative customer paths to offer a better customer experience.

This template includes space to add:

• Stages of the journey.
• User’s thoughts and feelings.
• Actions and touchpoints.
• How this map is different from the current journey.

4. Service blueprint customer journey map template from Miro

This is a typical service blueprint template. Miro lets you edit it to your liking by following these steps:

• Define the customer service scenario to investigate.
• Plot customer actions in chronological order.
• Lay out processes, actors, and support systems.
• Add roles and responsibilities by specifying interactions, visibility, and internal actions.
• Illustrate cross-functional relationships.

5. Customer journey map template from Mural

Use Mural’s customer journey map template to have a better understanding of your target audience’s touchpoints, needs, motivations, and barriers.

Here you can:

• Establish a customer scenario, e.g., buying a shirt online.
• Define the customer steps, including big and small actions.
• List all customer interactions with your brand, either in physical or digital touchpoints.
• Determine your customer’s goals and motivations.
• Highlight the positive moments at each stage.
• Define the negative or frustrating moments across the journey.

6. Customer journey map template from Canva

Find many different customer journey map templates on Canva. These all let you edit the customer actions across stages, and depending on the option that you choose, you’ll also be able to add the user’s:

• Emotions and feelings.
• Thinking process.
• Physical or digital touchpoints.
• Barriers or pain points.
• Solutions to barriers.

7. Customer touchpoint map template from InVision

Map out the customer touchpoints on this InVision template. Here, you’ll be able to list all the different interactions between the user and your business, as well as mention all the involved actors. You can break down the actions by stages and teams.

8. Customer journey mapping template from Slidesgo

Slidesgo provides you with 29 customer journey mapping examples. You can choose the design that piques your interest the most and add the different stages, touchpoints, actions, and sentiments. These designs are mostly suited for journeys of up to five steps.

9. B2B customer journey map template from UXPressia

UXPressia developed a set of B2B/B2C customer journey map templates for you to use. This mix also includes persona templates to guide you when creating personas for your journey maps.

You can use these templates as-is to guide your thinking or adapt them to fit your specific project needs.

10. Customer journey map template from Conceptboard

This customer journey map template is a classical one. Open the file with a clear understanding of your user persona.

There, you’ll be able to add customer data concerning each stage, more specifically regarding their:

• Touchpoints and channels.
• Overall experience.
• Pain points.
• Areas of improvement.

Exploring user journey map examples can inspire you to enhance your customers’ experience by pinpointing critical areas, such as better onboarding processes.

To create an effective customer journey map, you need a deep understanding of your user and a clear mapping path, i.e., via conducting user interviews and contextual research.

Userpilot is an all-in-one product platform that can equip you with actionable customer journey insights. Get a demo to explore our powerful analytics capabilities!

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How to Use Customer Journey Maps (CJMs) for Business Success

Discover the artistry behind creating impactful customer journey maps, refining your approach to enhance engagement and satisfaction at every touchpoint.

10 min read

Mapping a customer journey is a pivotal tool companies can leverage to understand better how to turn a customer into a loyal, long-term prospect. In simple terms, a journey map allows a business to contextualize its customer’s experience by identifying the steps a customer goes through while interacting with their service or product. It leads to the discovery of which areas the customers find troublesome (known as pain points), and those are then applied when considering how to optimize the product by the UX design team.

With a revitalized design based on understanding this interaction, companies will improve their services or products, leading to higher customer satisfaction rates and securing future business from the targeted base. Studies have shown that upsell and cross-sell revenues by companies who engage in journey mapping increase by as much as 79% over those who do not. This guide will dive into the customer journey mapping artform, allowing your business to use the collected customer data more effectively to enhance customer experiences.

Customer Journey Map Defined

From a holistic standpoint, a customer journey map (or CJM) breaks down the customer’s interaction with a business by visualizing the interaction process from start to finish. This affords insights for the business into what their customers are motivated by, what they need, and what they expect from the product or service.

Customer journey maps have utility across sectors. A visual map of customer interaction routes with the company and its product(s) enables a more detailed understanding of how customers behave throughout their experiences, whether for UX design , marketing, or customer support reasons. With this information, companies may adjust their goods to the needs of their clients and improve their overall experience. Happy customers will return and make purchases from the business again, allowing the organization to reap the financial rewards.

Source: NNGroup

The first step in a journey map is the customer’s product discovery. Still, other typical touchpoints generally include researching the product, deciding to make the purchase, making said purchase, obtaining it, and everything that comes after the sale. Customers may experience pain points at any time during this process, so the business can use the CJM to improve the necessary part(s).

Perhaps even more pertinent than the steps customers conduct during their interaction is how they feel about the product and if they believe they are getting what they need. If a business can tailor the improvements to those needs, customer experience is improved, driving the customer’s loyalty and engagement. For instance, if a customer is trying to use the business’s website to research a product but finds this difficult, key adjustments to the website navigation tactics and research areas can alleviate this frustration. As a result, customers will have an easier time finding what they need, driving satisfaction up.

When a business understands its customers’ experiences, it allows them to adjust and, in turn, acts as a tool that bolsters the meaningful nature of its relationship with that business. CJM illuminates those areas that need improvement along the customer’s journey, generates more positive experiences, and, over time, allows users to return as loyal customers while referring others, which then grows the business.

Journey Mapping Benefits

The primary benefit of CJMs is the ability to identify areas where customers encounter challenges and resolve them with targeted changes, which, in turn, bolsters customer satisfaction. By providing a tighter and more concentrated understanding of customer behaviors, businesses can employ more strategic tactics to improve the customer’s experience. This includes multi-channel improvements, process streamlining, and other operational optimizations. Journey maps also open opportunities for a business to grow and scale. With a deeper understanding of the needs of a target audience, companies can better personalize their offerings.

Source: Zapier

Observation and study of CJMs also inform businesses about the best ways to launch products and engage in marketing campaign strategies. This can be done in real-time, employing customer feedback to make the necessary adjustments or modifications and more efficient resource allocation, ultimately leading to a higher return on investment. Therefore, every improvement CJMs offer serves a business on multiple fronts, from loyalty building to long-term profitability.

Components of a Customer Journey Map

The first component of a CJM is choosing to purchase a product and making it. That process can involve many smaller parts, and understanding any related shortcomings can help make adjustments to eliminate them. This covers the spectrum of interactions from when the customer first discovers the product to how long after purchasing it. The key step to improving something is understanding and addressing the problems it incurs.

The customers’ emotional experience is another component of CJMs. Businesses use CJMs to tailor the customer's experience to their needs, allowing for more positive results, bolstering engagement, and securing loyalty. Another vital component of CJMs is the set of user actions, which businesses can trend over time. This yields insights into what users want from products, allowing the organization to revise or update the product to suit those desires, needs, and requirements.

Once the needs are illustrated, user research is the next logical component of CJMs to collect data about customer preferences and typical behaviors related to the product. Organizations can use several data collection methods, including surveys and general market research, to compare customers’ usage and satisfaction levels of similar products. This can illustrate other pain points that the business can include solutions to during their own design and development processes .

Source: Service Design Show

All of the data and information made available through customer journey maps is valuable only if actionable follow-ups are taken to lead to the final component of CJMs: solutions. By solving customers’ problems in the product interaction process at any stage, businesses increase satisfaction, promoting growth and product loyalty. These solutions might be in the form of slight or significant redesigns or the introduction of new features that serve the customer’s needs and preferences better. Therefore, mapping the customer journey can be quantitatively measured over time in the form of ROI.

Types of Customer Journey Maps

Not all customer journey maps are always applicable to every facet of a business. Certain types help certain companies achieve their particular goals better. Let’s discuss four different types of CJMs that businesses could use and their particular strength of purpose.

Current State

The current state map is immensely helpful for those looking to visualize the process of customer interaction with the product from beginning to end as it currently functions, yielding a better understanding of the needs and wants of the customer. This leads to businesses knowing the key areas to build upon or improve regarding their product. Surveys returned from customers, website analytics, and recordings from the company’s call centers are all perfect examples of metric and context tools that allow businesses to gather information based on which they will strategize to make informed decisions about the product’s current state.

Source: Fullstory

Future State

Future maps focus on how companies can improve future customer experience relating to their products and services by implementing new tactics and the utility of new technologies that will enhance and enrich the customer’s journey. One example is the adoption of push notifications or chatbot software to personalize customer experience based on their wants and needs.

Source: Xtensio

Day in the Life

Another vital aspect for businesses to explore about the customer’s journey is tracking it over long periods across various platforms and channels. This drives companies to many leads about areas where the customer journey can be improved. Metrics used to draft this type of CJM include social media engagement, through which organizations can better assess what type of messaging engages the customers, affording feedback about the strategies that work better than others.

This type of customer journey map is used to create a formula for the ideal customer journey. It considers product placement, pricing, and messaging alongside multiple other metrics. Once this CJM is formulated, organizations utilize it as a reference point that guides their decision-making strategies to optimize their customers' experiences and avoid potential problems. When drafting a blueprint CJM, companies could consider, for instance, a long-term objective like customer loyalty cultivation alongside short-term ones such as growing conversions.

Methods of Creating Customer Journey Maps

To craft a customer journey map, a company must thoroughly study, analyze, and consider its customers' needs, motivations, and expectations. The first step is to define the goals of the customer’s journey, or in other words, what motivates the customer to seek out the business’s product and what need the customer is looking to satisfy with it. Businesses can map the steps between those two reference points with that information.

Logically, the next step includes the identification of all possible touchpoints along the customer’s journey that drive the process through which customers make their decisions regarding the product. These include product research, comparative analysis, reading reviews, and deciding to purchase the product.

Source: GeoJango Maps on Unsplash

Beyond identifying these touchpoints, this step also reveals the negative or positive ramifications of each touchpoint on the customer’s experience because this will ultimately guide the optimization strategies for the product moving forward. Once the touchpoints have been gathered, data about the interactions will be collected through methods such as reviewing web analytics (bounce rates, etc.), tracking survey responses, diving into call center logs and keeping a close eye on social media engagement. This data should fill any company's understanding gaps about the customer's journey, painting a more detailed start-to-finish picture.

Lastly, the compiled information should be leveraged to visually represent the customer’s journey, feelings, and sentiments regarding the product. This yields a full scope of the process, making it easier to identify its pain points and allowing businesses to respond to those by optimizing applications to the problem areas. With these improvements, the pain points can be systematically addressed, bolstering customer engagement and satisfaction, proving a highly effective strategy for pleasing customers, and creating brand loyalty .

Customer Journey Map Implementation

A well-crafted map will be useless if it is not implemented correctly. If done right, it will yield results leading to a better customer experience. Through the correct application of CJMs, businesses can better understand the customer’s journey, allowing for proper adjustments and enhancements to grow engagement and loyalty, optimizing efficiency on an operational level along the way.

A CJM should leverage reliable data sources for their customer’s journey visualization, achieved through a review of bounce rates, page views, and other website analytic metrics like social media engagement measurements (survey responses, call center logs, likes, shares, etc.). With the sentiments and data points derived from the above, businesses can accurately capture the state of every step of the customer’s journey.

Source: NNgroup

Once the map is formed, it should be thoroughly reviewed to identify areas of improvement and any potential pain points in the process. Some aspects that must be addressed include website presentation features, messaging, or tweaks to connect with customers across various channels. Companies can enhance their customer interaction experience by testing new tactics and strategies before implementing them.

It is also highly recommended that businesses invest in tools to help them track customer journeys effectively. This allows for evaluating and comparing various strategies, adjusting them based on customer feedback for maximum success. These tools allow the CJM to stay updated and fresh so businesses have a consistent source from which to base their informed decisions about various product launches and marketing campaigns.

Customer Journey Mapping Best Practices

Considering many factors and a careful plan are essential to creating an effective customer journey map. To achieve one, certain best practices are recommended.

Comprehensive Data Collection

Gathering as much information as possible about a customer's experience is vital before developing a user journey map. Tracking website analytics, gauging social media engagement metrics, compiling consumer survey replies, and going over call center recordings are just some techniques used to understand the user's experience more fully and to help pinpoint possible areas of concern or places for expansion.

Source: Scott Graham on Unsplash

Staying Up-To-Date

Customer journey maps must be modified frequently to account for shifts in buyer behavior. This includes ensuring the map covers all pertinent interactions, including marketing campaigns or product launches. Additionally, it is advantageous for organizations to use methods that enable them to monitor user journeys over time to assess the efficacy of various marketing initiatives and make necessary adjustments depending on client feedback.

Seeking Clarity

A consumer journey map strives to provide organizations with an accurate understanding of consumers' needs from beginning to end so they can develop focused techniques and plot business strategies that improve overall customer satisfaction. To do this, every process stage must be correctly portrayed on the map so businesses can immediately recognize any problems or areas for improvement.

Source: Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Testing Before Implementing

Companies should continually assess new strategies and tactics before adopting any changes based on lessons gained via the customer journey map to see how they will affect all customer experiences before launch. This enables them to pivot strategies to achieve the best results while mitigating risk.

Examples of Customer Journey Maps

Customer journey modeling is an effective tool for businesses of every size, and one can generate an effective map by using a variety of examples and templates. One such is the Customer Journey chart Canva, which uses four sectors to help businesses chart the customer's journey. With the help of this template, organizations can quickly pinpoint where clients begin their experience and which behaviors are observed through its various stages.

The Customer Journey Audit Template is another example that delves more thoroughly into the customer's journey. By examining consumer feedback, website analytics, and social media interaction indicators, this template aids companies in identifying any shortcomings of current tactics or potential areas for change. Businesses could then use this information to make adjustments to improve customer satisfaction.

Source: Figma

The User Journey Map Template from UXPressia is another template option that gives companies a thorough understanding of user behavior while continually monitoring their sentiment. It draws attention to matters including the nature of customers' engagement with products and services and what factors influence the degree of their satisfaction. Utilizing this knowledge, businesses can implement strategic changes that optimize user experience while minimizing potential issues.

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Final Thoughts

To provide consumers with the most satisfying experience feasible, companies have to develop an effective user journey map. This valuable resource enables them to make well-informed choices about marketing campaigns and product launches by utilizing real-time data that focuses on their target audience by gathering thorough data, keeping it updated with relevant touchpoints, striving for understanding in each process step, and evaluating strategic approaches before implementation.

Having a carefully thought-out user journey map will assist companies in better understanding the demands of their consumers, resulting in an overall boost in client satisfaction and revenues.

Clay is a UI/UX design & branding agency in San Francisco. We team up with startups and leading brands to create transformative digital experience. Clients: Facebook, Slack, Google, Amazon, Credit Karma, Zenefits, etc.

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What is a customer journey map and how to make your own [examples included]

Written by by Kiran Shahid

Published on  November 2, 2023

Reading time  12 minutes

Do you know what your customers see and do before they purchase from you?

They see your ads, interact with you on social media and explore your website before they buy. All these interactions—from the first ad impression to every “Please help” DM customers send—define your customer journey. To keep up with it all and better inform your social media marketing strategy , create a customer journey map as a blueprint to help you understand your customers at each stage.

Let’s explore what customer journey mapping is and how it helps your brand.

Social Customer Care by Sprout Social

What is customer journey mapping?

A customer journey map is a visual representation of each point of interaction your customers have with your company. You can style the map like a flowchart, timeline, table or even on sticky notes.

Creating the map is a great internal exercise. Along the way, you might find pain points or touchpoints you didn’t know existed. A basic customer journey map includes the buying stages (and support touchpoints) a customer goes through.

More detailed maps include:

• actions your customers take
• good and bad emotions your customers experienced
• departments involved in customer touchpoints
• content types you serve your customers
• solutions to pain points

What is a customer touchpoint?

A touchpoint on the customer journey map is the point of interaction a customer has with your brand. It doesn’t need to be a two-way interaction. Seeing a social media ad, getting a branded newsletter and asking a friend for a product recommendation are all touchpoints.

Customers may experience emotions and actions at touchpoints. When someone asks for product recommendations, people might mention your brand. You might not serve that recommendation to them directly but someone still introduces you to a potential customer.

What are the benefits of customer journey mapping?

A customer journey map puts the customer first by giving you a deeper understanding of how your customers interact with your brand. This enable you to make better decisions and improve customer experiences.

When coupled with social media market research , they help brands:

• Provide an overview of the resources your customers use . This helps determine the ROI of customer-centric engagement and service. For example, if blogs are your highest traffic sources, investing more in those channels makes sense.
• Identify content gaps . Pain points without solutions are an excellent source for content ideation and development . If customers need help with a specific product issue, for example, but find limited guidance, create in-depth video tutorials to address this pain point.
• Identify inefficiencies . Maybe some processes are repetitive, or some solutions cause more friction. If your customers have trouble checking out due to a complicated form, for example, simplify it to reduce cart abandonment rates.
• Generate marketing campaign ideas . A clear understanding of customer motivations and journey stages creates targeted campaigns. You can provide them with relevant content and incentives to move them closer to a purchase.
• Guide multiple departments. Streamline content creation, social customer care strategy and messaging optimization across every touchpoint. Departments use the customer journey map as a central reference to ensure a consistent and customer-focused approach.
• Enhance customer communication . Customer journey maps reveal critical touchpoints, like social media interactions, for timely and meaningful engagement. In fact, The Sprout Social Index™ shows 51% of customers believe the most memorable brands on social respond to customers.

Every business and industry has its unique customer journey maps, but the fundamentals remain the same.

Recently, our social team talked about using social media for the customer journey in the auto industry. Watch the video below to hear their discussion on touchpoints, customer experience and how legacy brands are going beyond traditional tactics like targeted ads to tell their story.

It’s a great example of how industry-specific customer journey follows the fundamentals but also has touchpoints specific to them.

What’s included in a customer journey map?

A customer journey map is like a detailed travel itinerary for your customer’s experience with your brand. It includes elements like:

1. The buying process

The buying process is the step-by-step path a customer follows to make a purchase decision. It tells you where customers drop off or face obstacles during making purchases.

Use prospecting tools, content management systems (CMS) and behavior analytics tools to gather data. Facebook Shops, Instagram Shopping and TikTok Shop data also provide valuable insights into how customers find products and engage with content via social commerce .

Pro tip : Categorize the journey into stages like awareness, consideration and decision to map these steps horizontally on the customer journey map.

Don’t forget to integrate feedback mechanisms, such as customer surveys or user testing. These offer qualitative insights into the buying process. Understanding the “why” behind customer behavior can be as important as knowing the “what.”

2. Emotions

Emotions show how customers feel at different touchpoints in their interaction with your brand. Emotions heavily influence purchase decisions and brand loyalty which is exactly why it’s so important to include them.

Think about it: When someone has a great experience with your brand and feels happy, they’re more likely to buy from you again. On the flip side, if they feel frustrated or unhappy, they’ll knock on your competitor’s door.

Use surveys or feedback forms to ask customers how they felt during their experience. You might have come across these smileys during your own shopping experience:

These scales are a convenient way to gauge how your customers feel at any point.

Pay attention to what they say on social media and in reviews. You can tell if they’re happy or upset by their tone.

Tools like Sprout Social use AI-driven sentiment analysis to dig into social listening data to give you insights on what people think about your brand.

These insights are handy when creating emotional marketing campaigns . When you know how customers feel, take actionable steps to solve any negative experiences and encourage positive ones.

3. User actions

User actions are the steps customers take when they interact with your brand. They include steps like visiting your website, clicking on a product, adding items to their cart or signing up for your newsletter.

Actions highlight what people do at each stage. Each of these actions tells you something about what customers are interested in and how close they are to making a purchase.

Analytics tools for your website or app are your best bet for such data. These tools show you which pages customers visit, what they click on and where they drop off.

Once you have this information, tailor your marketing efforts and content to align with the actions customers take at each stage.

4. User research

User research examines what customers search for or where they turn for information during the buying process. This part of the customer journey map helps you understand how customers gather information.

For example, in the awareness stage, buyers often rely on search engines like Google to research solutions to their problems. But it’s not just about where they go—it’s about what they’re looking for. Knowing their specific research topics allows you to address their pain points.

What’s the trick? Keep an eye on what customers search for online. Tracking keywords and phrases they use on search engines, as well as social media market research are good places to start.

Also, monitor discussions and conversations to get a deeper understanding of the questions, concerns and topics that are top-of-mind for your potential customers.

The key is to use this information to provide potential customers with what they need at each stage. Targeted content delivery positions your brand as a valuable source of information.

5. Solutions

This section outlines the actions and strategies your brand implements to address customer pain points and improve their overall experience.

It documents the specific solutions or improvements applied at each stage of the customer journey. These include steps like changes to website design that resolve issues and improve the customer experience.

It visualizes how your brand responds to customer needs and challenges at different touchpoints. Besides that, it’s a good reference to ensure your team implements the solutions and refines them to increase customer satisfaction.

What are the 7 steps to map the customer journey?

A strategic approach to building a map ensures you capture every touchpoint, anticipate customer desires and address potential pain points. Here are seven steps to build a journey map unique to your customers and business needs.

1. Set your goals

What do you want to get out of this process? And why does it matter to your business? Knowing your goals sets the stage for how you assemble your map.

Some examples of goals include:

• Identify the top three customer pain points. Use these pain points to create content.
• Understand customer interests and motivations to develop better products and services.
• Total the cost of customer interactions to set a better social media budget .

2. Decide on a customer journey map type

There are several different customer journey maps and each one has its advantages. When you decide which map to work with, you know which details to focus on.

These are four of the most common types of customer journey maps: current state, future state, day in the life and service blueprint. We’ll go further into detail on each one later on.

Understanding your goals and where your brand stands in its evolution will guide you in selecting the appropriate map type.

3. Create and define your customer personas

Which customers will you focus on? It’s difficult to map a customer journey if you don’t have a customer in mind. Customer personas are fictional characters that represent each of your target customer groups. They’re detailed with everything from demographics to interests to buying behavior.

If you’ve already created social media personas to understand your audience, you’re more than halfway there. But if you haven’t, then our buyer persona template  or Xtensio’s will be useful. To really get to know someone’s purchase decisions and shopping processes, interview existing customers.

Pro tip: If you have distinctively different personas—such as, if you serve both a B2C and B2B market—set up different customer journey maps.

4. Break it down: touchpoints and stages

The customer journey map is divided into stages that usually fit within the funnel illustrated above. List out the stages to begin. Next, list out the main customer touchpoints that exist for your company. When you’re done with both lists, place the touchpoints into the different stages.

To get even more detailed, assign department owners to each touchpoint. You can identify where certain social media channels fit into the mix. And, you can assign predicted customer sentiment or emotions to different stages of the journey. It’s up to you how detailed you want the map to be.

5. Gather data and customer feedback

You need rock-solid data on how customers interact with your brand to create an accurate customer journey map. Focus on these three aspects:

Analyze existing data

Jump into the data you already have—more specifically website performance, chats with customer support and sales records. This information can tell you loads about how customers act, what they like and what frustrates them.

This quantitative data offers a foundational perspective on how customers interact with your brand, helping you identify both strengths and areas of improvement.

Conduct customer interviews

Get personal with one-on-one chats with customers. Ask them about their experiences, what bugs them and what they expect when they deal with your brand. These talks reveal qualitative insights that numbers can’t, like understanding the emotional and psychological aspects of the customer journey.

Create surveys and questionnaires

Turn to surveys and questionnaires for a more structured and broader approach to gathering feedback. Send them out to a bunch of customers and get structured feedback. Ask questions about their journey with your brand, how happy they are and where they think things could get better.

A combination of these three aspects gives you a 360-degree view of what your customers really experience with your brand.

6. Test and identify pain points

To confirm your customer touchpoints, you probably checked in on various departments and spoke to customers. This is great work but you need to take another step further: test it yourself. Go through the customer journey from the viewpoint of the customer.

While you’re testing the journey, keep an eye out for challenges, confusion or any frustrating moments. For example, if the website takes forever to load, if instructions aren’t clear or if reaching customer support is a headache, make detailed notes of these issues.

It’s also a smart move to collect feedback from both colleagues and customers who’ve gone through the journey. This way, you double-check and confirm your findings for a more complete picture.

A hands-on approach ensures your customer journey map reflects the real-world experience and equips you to take targeted actions to improve the overall customer journey.

7. Make changes and find solutions

So your map is complete. What’s next? You need to find or create solutions to the pain points you identified in the previous step.

Now’s the time to check in on the goals you established in step one and make the moves to smooth out the journey. Give yourself time and space to implement some of the solutions, whether a quarter or six months, and check back on the map to update it.

As you put these changes into action, make sure to watch your customer journey map closely. Don’t forget to keep it up to date to show the improvements and how they affect the customer experience. This keeps your customer journey map fresh and super useful for steering your brand toward delivering an exceptional customer experience.

4 types of customer journey maps and examples

Let’s take a look at the four most common customer journey maps and examples of each.

1. Current state

Current state customer journey maps are like an audit. You document how your customers experience their buying and service paths in your company’s current state. These are especially helpful to establish a baseline for your customer service experience.

Take a look at this simplified current state customer journey map from Nielsen-Norman.

The map follows the journey of “Jumping Jamie” as they navigate the process of switching to a different mobile plan. The map defines the current journey into four stages. Apart from the journey, it also highlights opportunities and metrics to track.

Current state maps are fantastic for sharing user frustrations with all departments. This helps you get everyone on board with investing in solutions and brainstorming ways to address user pain points.

2. Future state

Future state customer journey maps follow the same format as current state maps except they represent the ideal journey. You can use them alongside your current state maps to identify painpoints and areas to improve.

Here’s an example of a future state journey map:

Why does this visual work? It covers different states, feelings and even touchpoints in a cohesive format.

The map visualizes the best-case scenario to create a north star vision for your brand. It aligns your efforts toward achieving the ideal customer journey.

3. Day-in-the-life

Day-in-the-life customer journey maps outline one of your persona’s schedules as they go about their day. The interactions may or may not involve your company. Creating one of these maps helps you identify the best times and areas to interact with your customer.

Here’s a “day-in-the-life” visual from Pipedrive.

The map doesn’t just highlight when the persona does something, but it also highlights different touchpoints and the different people they interact with throughout the day. And, notice those thumbs ups and downs? Those highlight how the child feels during different activities too.

4. Service blueprint

A service blueprint customer journey map focuses solely on when you provide customer service. It ignores components like ads that might exist in other maps.

Miro, a collaborative online whiteboard for teams, created the above map with a bank in mind. You’ll notice how this map is only about a customer’s visit to the bank. This type of map helps brands look at individual service areas and interactions. It’s a macro version of the current and future state maps.

Get started with customer journey map templates

Creating a customer journey map doesn’t have to be overwhelming. There are plenty of free and paid templates out there to help you create one. If you think you’ll need more guidance or many maps, some companies offer special software to design a custom map. Build your first journey map or improve your existing one with these options.

• Current state template , provided by Bright Vessel.

• Customer journey map template by Moqups, a design and collaboration tool.

• Service blueprint template by Miro

• Customer journey map template by Mural, a planning tool.

• UXPressia’s customer journey map online tool , made specifically to create presentation-ready customer journey maps.

Create a strong foundation with a well-integrated customer journey map

A customer journey map gives you the recipe for crafting personalized, impactful interactions that build customer satisfaction and loyalty.

When you know what they are and why they’re important, it’s time to make yours. Use data to create a solid customer journey map that exceeds customer expectations at every touchpoint.

Check out how you can turn your B2B social media data into a revenue-driving powerhouse and create a memorable brand.

• Customer Experience
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User Persona Name

"A quotation that captures this user's mindset."

Work: Job Title

Family: married, kids, etc. , location: city, state, character: archetype.

• A task that needs to be completed. 
• A life goal to be reached. 
• Or an experience to be felt. 

Frustrations

• The challenges this user would like to avoid. 
• An obstacle that prevents this user from achieving their goals.
• Problems with the available solutions.

The bio should be a short paragraph describing the user's journey. It should include some of their history leading up to a current use case. It may be helpful to incorporate information listed across the template and add pertinent details that may have been left out. Highlight factors of the user's personal and professional life that make this user an ideal customer of your product.

Remember - you may modify this template, remove any of the modules or add new ones for your own purpose.

Traditional Ads

Online & Social Media

Guerilla Efforts & PR

Brands & Influencers

See related templates

What is Customer Journey Map and Why is It Important?

The customer journey map is one of the ways you can get to know your customers better and understand more about them. It's a way of viewing things from the point of view of the customer. It's not just about explaining what they're going through, it's about feeling what they have seen. CJM is a mechanism that can be applied, likely by improving customer experience and customer loyalty, as part of the business improvement process.

When to Use CJM?

Typical uses for mapping consumer experiences include:

CJM can be used to build the desired customer experience as part of a transformation or restructuring process by putting yourself in the customer's shoes

CJM help the teams get insight into pain and opportunity

CJM help to break organization silos and create smoother experience

Determine where effort and investment are required to improve customer service or where savings can be achieved while increasing customer satisfaction

What is Customer Journey Map?

Storytelling and visualization are the basic aspects of journey maps because they are effective mechanisms for delivering information in a memorable and concise way, and create a shared vision. A customer journey map creates a holistic view of the customer experience that brings together and visualizes different touch points (interaction between the customer and organization. that can involve stakeholders from different groups and promote collaborative dialogue and changes.

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Blog / Journey Planning

Customer Journey Mapping: How To Map Out Touchpoints To Improve User Experience

Burkhard berger.

• June 12, 2024

Table of Contents

Do your customers drop off at key stages of the buying process? If so, use customer journey mapping to visualize their engagement and pinpoint friction points so you can streamline interactions, boost the user experience, and drive more sales.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand how to create a customer journey map for a better UX. You can then optimize customer touchpoints, and align your strategies for more personalized customer interactions.

Let’s get started.

What Is Customer Journey Mapping?

Customer journey mapping visualizes the steps and interactions a customer has with a brand from start to finish. This includes every touchpoint along the journey, from initial awareness to post-purchase interactions. Mapping customer journeys lets you make decisions based on data to improve your customer’s experience.

An excellent example is Funnelytics that lets you map and present your strategy on a drag-and-drop digital canvas. You can visualize how a visitor lands on a lead capture page, becomes a lead, moves on to the sales page, and proceeds to the checkout.

To understand the concept, these are the key components of customer journey mapping.

4 Key Elements Of Customer Journey Mapping

• Stages: The journey is divided into 5 stages: Awareness, Consideration, Decision, Post-Purchase, and Advocacy.
• Touchpoints: Interactions customers have with the brand at each stage. It includes online ads, product pages, checkout processes, and follow-up emails.
• Metrics: This tracks each touchpoint’s performance. It includes conversion rates, bounce rates, and customer satisfaction scores.
• Visualization: Creating a customer journey map like a flowchart or diagram. This way, you will see the entire journey at a glance to identify gaps and improvement opportunities. 

Funnelytics lets you overlay all performance data to identify drop-off points. For example, if you notice a high drop-off rate at the sales page, Funnelytics will show that visitors are leaving because of slow loading time or unclear pricing details. Then, you can optimize the page, improve load speed, and clarify pricing to boost conversions.

Let’s map a customer’s journey in the awareness stage when buying a car. To do so, you will monitor these 5 factors to get a comprehensive view of their experience: 

• Customer Behavior: What actions is your customer taking?
• Customer Attitudes: What is your customer feeling? 
• On-Stage Experience: Who or what is your customer directly interacting with? 
• Off-Stage Experience: What elements support the customer journey but are not visible to them?

Customer Journey Mapping: A 5-Step Guide

As you go over the strategies, ask yourself: How can I optimize each customer touchpoint to create a seamless and engaging journey?

1. Specify Your Targets 

Before you start your customer journey mapping, establish clear objectives. Ask these questions: 

• Do I want to increase conversions and drive sales growth?
• How can I boost customer satisfaction at each touchpoint?
• Do I want to understand customer behaviors better?
• Do I want to improve customer retention and loyalty?
• How can I reduce friction throughout the customer buying journey?

Make sure your objectives align with your business strategy. For example, if you are launching a new product line, your journey mapping should focus on driving product awareness.

2. Represent Customer Groups

Customer personas are profiles that represent key segments of your target audience. They help to tailor touchpoints to specific customer needs and behaviors. These are the 5 steps you can follow to create your customer persona: 

2.1 Collect Customer Feedback

• Surveys : Gather customer feedback using targeted questions about satisfaction, ease of use, and customer experience.
• Reviews : Encourage customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, or product pages so you can understand their sentiments on your offers and interactions.
• Customer Support Interactions : Analyze tickets, emails, and calls to identify common pain points.
• Social Media Monitoring : Monitor channels for mentions, comments, and feedback.
• Focus Groups : Organize discussions with your target customers to learn about their customer expectations.

A real-life example is Breaking Eighty , a website that reviews golf products. They use quizzes to engage visitors and collect their emails for personalized marketing pain-free (30-second quiz). As the prospects finish a quiz, they are prompted to sign up for the newsletter through email so they can learn about their interests and keep them informed with targeted content. 

2.2 Research Your Audience

Get into your customer’s shoes to find out your target customer’s preferences. Are they more likely to interact with digital touchpoints or offline ones? Tailor your journey map to reflect these preferences. Find out: 

• Demographic Data : Age, gender, income, location, and occupation.
• Psychographic Data : Values, interests, lifestyle choices, and attitudes.
• Behavioral Data : Buying history, browsing habits, and engagement with marketing content.
• Market Trends : Industry developments and consumer behaviors relevant to your brand.
• Competitor Analysis : How your potential customer interacts with competitors and industry benchmarks.

Use the 3 methods to find out about the customer information: 

• Review purchase history data from your CRM system
• Conduct surveys through platforms like SurveyMonkey
• Use Google Analytics and see the demographic, interest, and geo reports
• Analyze interactions and trends on social media platforms like Facebook Insights

2.3 Segment Your Audience

Divide your audience into distinct segments based on shared characteristics. You might segment by demographic factors (e.g., young professionals, retirees). Or you can segment on behavioral patterns (e.g., frequent buyers, occasional shoppers).

For example, if you’re a telemedicine provider, create segments for patients that need preventative care. Then, offer specialized treatments , therapy sessions , and medical alerts to your target segments. Present these options early in the journey to ensure maximum patient interaction.

2.4 Develop Persona Profiles

For each segment, create a detailed persona profile that includes: 

• A fictional name and brief background story to humanize the persona
• Demographics
• Psychographics
• Behavioral patterns
• Needs & pain points

2.5 Tailor Touchpoints

Use these personas to inform how you design touchpoints at each stage of the customer’s journey. For example, if a persona frequently engages with social media, focus on creating compelling social content.

Or if a persona frequently engages with social media like TikTok, create TikTok-specific content. Use dance trends or viral memes to make your content relatable. Showcase your products in action and use the TikTok Shop feature so your customers can directly purchase from your posts.

3. Define Your Mapping Stages & Touchpoints For A Smoother Journey

Ask yourself: Where is the person in the customer lifecycle? To map out the entire customer journey, start by defining the key stages. The stages reflect the different phases from initial awareness to post-purchase engagement. Then, identify and categorize the key touchpoints for each. This will tell you where customers interact with your brand at each stage : 

We’ll go through each stage together and share real-life examples that should give you many aha moments. If you have the financial resources, remember, you can always hire an experienced marketing assistant to take some weight off your shoulders, true to the motto: “Who, not how.”

3.1 Awareness

This stage marks the first interaction customers have with your brand. They get to know about your products or services through omnichannel marketing tactics . For example, online ads, social media posts, or word of mouth. The goal here is to capture attention and spark interest.

At this stage, consider SEO for your marketing needs if your target audience frequently uses search engines. Otherwise, you should use channels like social media and email marketing to engage and attract leads. 

Let’s consider the touchpoints for the awareness stage: 

• Online Ads: Display ads, social media ads, and search engine marketing campaigns.
• Social Media: Posts, stories, and influencer marketing.
• Content Marketing: Blog articles, videos, and other educational content.

3.2 Consideration

The consideration stage is where they explore and compare your offers to competitors. The goal is to provide enough product information to influence their decision-making process. 

Let’s find out the touchpoints for the consideration stage: 

• Product Pages: Detailed descriptions, images, and product specifications.
• Reviews: Customer reviews and testimonials that provide social proof.
• Comparison Charts : Side-by-side comparisons of your products or services against competitors. They highlight unique product features.

An excellent example is Australian Business For Sale which provides comprehensive product information to help users convert: 

• They display FAQs section on the homepage to give immediate answers to common queries.
• Their listings give detailed and transparent business information for a comprehensive comparison.
• Their buying guides help customers in the business purchasing process.

3.3 Decision

In this stage, customers decide whether to buy or take another desired action. Make sure the touchpoints are user-friendly so that your customers can easily complete the purchase: 

• Checkout Process: The steps customers take to finalize their purchase like adding items to the shopping cart, selecting payment options, and confirming the order.
• Pricing Information: Clear pricing details, discounts, and special offers to incentivize customers to complete their purchases.
• Customer Support: Chatbots, helplines, or email support to answer last-minute questions.

At this stage, give your customers incentives so they will choose you over your competitors. For example, this custom dog stickers ’ website gives a 10% discount on the first order when a customer signs up. They also make it very convenient for the users by just asking 2 questions.

3.4 Post-Purchase

This stage includes interactions like follow-up emails, customer support, and satisfaction surveys. The goal is to engage customers so that they buy again from you using: 

• Follow-Up Emails: Confirmation emails, tracking information, and post-purchase surveys that maintain engagement.
• Customer Support: Help with returns, exchanges, and issues to ensure satisfaction.
• Loyalty Programs: Rewards, discounts, and points systems that encourage repeat purchases.

3.5 Retention & Advocacy

This stage focuses on retaining customers and turning them into brand advocates. At this stage, you can form long-term relationships and encourage word-of-mouth referrals.

The touchpoints for the advocacy stage include: 

• Customer Communities: Online forums, social media groups, and events that foster engagement.
• Exclusive Offers: Discounts and deals for loyal customers, incentivizing repeat purchases.
• Referral Programs: Incentives that encourage customers to refer friends and family.

One excellent example is Pinch , a med spa company that built a loyal customer base. Pinch uses social media to feature customer stories and reviews to make them feel acknowledged and celebrated. This makes their customer base more loyal and promotes the brand to new potential customers.

Another great example is Aura , an Amazon repricer tool that established a community forum. Here, customers discuss online business strategies, share experiences, and provide feedback on the tool.

Using this strategy, Aura improves customer loyalty and encourages word-of-mouth recommendations as happy users often tell others about the tool.

To streamline the process, you can map touchpoints for each stage using Funnelytics . Let’s say you’re mapping touchpoints for the post-purchase stage. You’ll add elements like order confirmation emails, onboarding guides, and support follow-ups on the Funnelytics’ whiteboard. Then you’ll overlay performance data to identify drop-offs.

For instance, if customers aren’t engaging with your onboarding guides, Funnelytics can reveal that the guides are too lengthy. You can then shorten and simplify the guides to improve customer satisfaction.

4. Chart Customer Path: Create A Visual Representation

Use Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Lucidchart to create a flowchart or diagram. Or use specialized journey mapping tools like UXPressia or Miro. Then, outline the main journey stages. Make sure to arrange them logically from left to right or top to bottom.

Then list the corresponding touchpoints for each stage. Connect these stages and touchpoints with arrows or lines, showing the flow from one to the next. This helps visualize the customer’s progression and shows the paths they might take. Use this customer persona as a blueprint to guide your customer journey mapping process.

Finally, revisit and update the visual representation as needed.

If you’re pressed for time and cannot manually create customer journey maps, use Funnelytics . Its analytics-powered whiteboard lets you create visual maps of customer interactions. Using this tool, you can see how your customer journey progresses so you can improve accordingly.

You can also use a pre-structured customer journey map template to save time and effort. These templates provide a clear layout where you simply need to fill in details like touchpoints, metrics, and key interactions.

5. Highlight Key Metrics To Track Progress

Highlight key metrics for each touchpoint to track progress effectively and pinpoint areas that need improving. The 5 steps will guide you on how to do it right: 

5.1 Assign Metrics To Touchpoints

For each stage, assign metrics that measure the corresponding touchpoints’ success. For example: 

• Awareness: Track impressions, click-through rates (CTR), and social media engagement to measure customer interest.
• Consideration: Monitor bounce rates, time spent on product pages, and content engagement to know how well your touchpoints guide customers.
• Decision: Check conversion rates, checkout abandonment rates, and customer service team interactions to evaluate how seamless the buying process is.
• Post-Purchase: Track satisfaction surveys, return rates, and support tickets to measure post-purchase experiences.
• Retention & Advocacy: Track repeat purchases, loyalty program participation, and referral rates to gauge customer loyalty and advocacy.

5.2 Visualize Metrics Clearly

Include these metrics near each touchpoint in the customer journey map. You can put them either as numbers, charts, or symbols so you get an at-a-glance view of each touchpoint’s performance.

For example, these are the key metrics you should track when a customer buys a digital product.

5.3 Analyze The Data

Review the metrics quarterly to understand how each touchpoint is performing:

• Set benchmarks based on past performance data or industry standards.
• Look at your current data in comparison to your benchmarks. 
• Then, identify touchpoints that are underperforming or exceeding expectations.
• Look for patterns or trends over time. Ask yourself: Are certain touchpoints consistently problematic? Is there a seasonal variation in performance?
• Prioritize areas that need urgent attention or have the most significant impact on customer experience.

5.4 Implement Changes & Track Progress

Based on the data, make necessary adjustments to touchpoints. For example, outline specific actions for each adjustment, like changing webpage layouts or improving call-to-action buttons.

At this stage, use tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Mixpanel to monitor the impact of these changes on key metrics (conversion rates or bounce rates).

The next step is to schedule review sessions to assess this data. Ask yourself: Are the adjustments improving your performance metrics? If not, reassess and tweak your approach.

As you apply the strategies, remember that each touchpoint is an opportunity to enhance customer satisfaction and boost sales. Ask yourself: How can I make each touchpoint more engaging for my customers?

If you need help visualizing the customer journey, consider using Funnelytics . Our tool offers an analytics-powered whiteboard that simplifies mapping. It helps to create visual representations of customer interactions so you can create a seamless UX, boosting satisfaction, loyalty, and conversions. 

Start your free trial today and create a journey that benefits both your customers and your brand.

I. What are the types of customer journey maps?

The 5 common types of customer journey maps are: 

• Current State Maps: Visualize actual customer experiences to pinpoint existing pain points. Use these for immediate improvement in customer interactions.
• Future State Maps: Outline desired future experiences and set improvement goals. You can use them for strategic planning and vision setting.
• Day-in-the-Life Maps: Show a customer’s daily activities and brand interactions. Use them to determine the optimal times your product or service can add value to their day.
• Service Blueprint: Detail both front-end interactions and back-end processes. Use them to align organizational efforts or to ensure seamless customer support.
• Empathy Maps: Show customers’ thoughts and feelings at different stages. Use them to deepen your team’s empathy and to tailor emotional responses.

II. How often should I update my customer journey map?

You should update your customer journey map at least annually. Similarly, update whenever significant changes occur in your business, market, or customer behavior. Updates ensure your map stays accurate and relevant to address emerging customer needs.

III. Who should be involved in the mapping process?

Marketing, sales, customer service, and product development should be involved in the mapping process. This collaboration lets you understand the customer experience from multiple perspectives. Ultimately, it becomes easier for you to spot and bridge gaps in the customer journey.

Moreover, you will better align with your goals when different departments contribute to the mapping process.

IV. How many customer journey maps do I need?

The number of customer journey maps you need depends on your customer base diversity and product offerings. Generally, one map per key persona or customer segment is effective. This approach ensures that your strategies are tailored to meet distinct customer needs.

V. Who uses customer journey maps? 

Marketing teams, product managers, UX designers, and customer service departments use customer journey maps. They help understand and improve the customer experience by: 

• Identifying customer pain points
• Visualizing the paths customers take
• Optimizing interactions across different stages of the customer lifecycle

VI. What is the customer journey map in design thinking?

In design thinking, a customer journey map visually represents a user’s interactions with a product or service over time. It highlights their needs, emotions, pain points, and satisfaction moments. This tool lets you understand and empathize with users which is a core principle of design thinking. When used effectively, it bridges gaps between design thinking and marketing.

Related resources

Sales Funnel vs. Customer Journey: What are the Differences?

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Customer Journey Map: Capturing Hearts & Minds of Your Clients

By ChartExpo Content Team

Imagine you’re embarking on a journey without a map. It sounds chaotic, right? Businesses can feel this when they don’t understand their customer’s journey. A customer journey map is your navigation tool, guiding you through every interaction a customer has with your brand.

Understanding your customer’s journey isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. You gain insight into your customer’s needs and behaviors by mapping out each step. This clarity helps you create better experiences and build stronger relationships.

Creating a customer journey map is like solving a puzzle. Each piece represents a different touchpoint, from first awareness to post-purchase engagement. When you fit these pieces together, you see the complete picture of your customer’s experience. This map isn’t static; it’s a living document that evolves with your customers’ changing needs.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to create a customer journey map that transforms your understanding of your customers. You’ll see how to identify key touchpoints, understand customer emotions, and leverage this information to improve your business. Get ready to turn confusion into clarity and build lasting connections with your customers.

Table of Contents:

Customer journey map introduction: charting the course of customer experience, the essence of customer journey maps, map storytelling: powerful charts for illustrating customer journey maps, the strategic advantage: benefits of customer journey mapping, from guesswork to certainty: the roi of customer journey mapping, laying the groundwork: preparing for your customer journey mapping project, choosing your path: types of customer journey map models, crafting your first customer journey map: a step-by-step guide, bringing your customer journey map to life: design tips and tricks, beyond the basics: advanced customer journey mapping techniques, turning insights into action: implementing customer journey map findings, customer journey mapping pitfalls: common mistakes and how to avoid them, overcoming challenges: troubleshooting your customer journey mapping process, from novice to navigator: building your customer journey mapping expertise, customer journey mapping for different industries: tailoring your approach, measuring success: kpis for your customer journey mapping initiative.

First…

What is a Customer Journey Map?: Your GPS for Business Success

Think of a customer journey map as a GPS for your business. It’s a visual representation of your customer’s experience from start to finish. This map outlines every interaction a customer has with your brand, from the first glance at your website to the final purchase and beyond. By understanding this journey, you can pinpoint where customers face challenges and where they experience joy, helping you improve their overall experience.

The Power Players: Who Reaps the Rewards of Journey Mapping?

Creating a customer journey map isn’t just for your marketing team. It benefits every part of your business. Customer service teams can use it to understand pain points and improve support. Product development can see where their products fit into the customer’s life. Even sales teams can leverage it to better address customer needs. The real winners are your customers, who get a smoother, more satisfying experience.

Perfect Timing: When to Deploy Your Customer Journey Strategy

Timing is everything. Launching a new product? Perfect time to map out the journey.

Noticing a dip in customer satisfaction ? A journey map can highlight issues.

Regularly revisiting and updating your map keeps your strategies fresh and relevant. It’s not a one-time task but a continuous process to ensure you’re always aligned with your customers’ needs.

From Boardroom to Frontline: Where User Journey Maps Make the Biggest Impact

Customer journey maps are versatile tools. In the boardroom, they guide strategic decisions, ensuring top-level goals align with customer needs.

On the frontline, they help customer service reps understand and address issues more effectively.

Marketing can craft more targeted campaigns, while sales teams can close deals faster by understanding the customer’s path. Every level of your organization can benefit from the insights provided by a well-crafted customer journey map.

Decoding the DNA of Customer Journey Mapping

The building blocks: key components that make your map tick.

Think of customer journey maps as blueprints of your customer’s experience. They break down every touchpoint, from the moment a customer first hears about your brand to the final purchase. These maps highlight what works and what doesn’t, revealing pain points and opportunities.

Key components include:

• Customer Personas : Profiles representing your key customer segments. These personas help you understand motivations, goals, and challenges.
• Touchpoints : Every interaction between your customer and your business, whether it’s through a website, a phone call, or a store visit.
• Emotional Journey : Tracking how customers feel at each stage of their journey helps identify moments of frustration or delight.
• Pain Points : Areas where customers experience difficulties or dissatisfaction. Knowing these helps in making necessary improvements.
• Goals and Actions : What customers aim to achieve and the actions they take to get there.

Beyond the Buzzword: How Journey Maps Outshine Traditional Tools

Customer journey maps aren’t just another fancy term. They’re powerful tools that outperform traditional methods like surveys or sales reports. Why? Because they offer a visual, step-by-step look at the customer experience, making it easier to spot issues and opportunities. Unlike static reports, journey maps are dynamic and actionable. They tell the story of your customer’s interaction with your brand, offering insights that other tools miss.

The Art and Science of Customer Journey Map Visualization

Picture perfect: why visual maps captivate teams and drive action.

Visual maps are more than pretty pictures—they’re strategic tools. They turn complex data into clear, engaging visuals that teams can rally around. When everyone sees the customer’s journey laid out visually, it’s easier to understand where improvements are needed. These maps make abstract concepts tangible, helping teams align on customer-focused strategies.

From Chaos to Clarity: Transforming Complex Interactions into Clear Narratives

Customer interactions can be a tangled mess of data. Journey maps cut through the chaos, presenting a clear narrative of your customer’s experience. This clarity helps in identifying specific areas for improvement. It’s about turning a jumble of data into a coherent story that drives action.

Mind Over Matter: The Psychological Edge of Effective Journey Mapping

Journey maps do more than organize data—they tap into our psychological need for clarity and understanding. Visualizing the journey helps teams empathize with customers, fostering a deeper connection to their needs and frustrations. This psychological shift from data points to human experiences can transform how your team approaches customer service and experience design.

Customer Journey Maps: Visualizing the Flow of Customer Experiences

The power of flow: how flow diagrams illuminate customer movements.

Sankey Diagrams let you see how customers move through your processes. Each flowline represents a path your customers take. This helps you spot patterns and see where customers might drop off.

From Click to Convert: Mapping Acquisition Channels to Purchase Decisions

Track your customers from their first click to their final purchase. Sankey Diagrams can show you which channels bring in the most conversions. Use this insight to boost your marketing strategies.

Design Tips: Creating Clear and Compelling Journey Maps

To make your Sankey Diagrams effective, keep them simple. Use clear labels and distinct colors for each path. Avoid clutter to ensure your data is easy to understand.

Comparing Journeys Across Demographics

Segmentation in action: breaking down journeys by channel and customer type.

Clustered Stacked Bar Charts let you compare different customer segments. See how each group interacts with your channels and where they diverge. This can help you tailor your strategies to each segment.

Gender Journeys: Visualizing Awareness to Post-Purchase Paths

Look at how different genders navigate from awareness to purchase. Clustered Bar Charts can show you these paths clearly. This insight can guide you in creating more effective gender-specific campaigns.

Best Practices: Designing Informative and Accessible Charts

When designing these charts, keep your audience in mind. Use contrasting colors and clear labels. Ensure your charts are easy to read and interpret.

Tracking Customer Progression Through Key Stages

The narrowing path: using charts to visualize customer advancement.

Funnel Charts show you how customers progress through stages. This helps identify where customers drop off and where you might need improvements.

B2B Journey Blueprint: Mapping the Lead Nurturing Process

For B2B, mapping the lead nurturing process is crucial. Funnel Charts can highlight where leads get stuck. This helps you refine your approach and boost conversions.

Addressing Attrition: Identifying and Fixing Drop-Off Points

Pinpoint where customers are dropping off in your funnel. This allows you to address these issues directly. Improving these areas can significantly enhance your conversion rates.

Illuminating Customer Engagement Hot Spots

Interaction intensity: applying maps to website behavior analysis.

Heat Maps show where users interact most on your site. This visual tool helps you understand user behavior and optimize your site layout.

Scroll and Click Patterns: Visualizing User Engagement on Your Homepage

Track where users click and how far they scroll. This data helps you adjust your homepage to keep users engaged longer.

From Insight to Action: Interpreting and Leveraging Maps

Use Heat Map insights to make informed decisions. Adjust your design based on user behavior to improve the user experience.

Multi-Dimensional Analysis of Channel Performance

360-degree view: visualizing performance across multiple marketing channels.

Radar charts give a comprehensive view of your marketing channels. Compare metrics like conversion rates and ROI across different platforms.

Balancing Act: Comparing Metrics Like Conversion Rates and ROI

Use radar charts to see which channels perform best. This helps you allocate resources effectively.

Design Principles: Creating Clear and Insightful Charts

Ensure your radar charts are easy to read. Use clear labels and consistent scales. This makes comparing data straightforward.

Drilling Down into Customer Support Journeys

Layer by layer: hierarchical visualization of support interactions.

Sunburst charts break down support interactions. See how issues escalate and get resolved. This can highlight areas needing improvement.

From First Contact to Resolution: Mapping the Customer Support Experience

Track the entire support journey. Sunburst charts show each step, helping you improve the support process.

Visual Clarity: Designing Intuitive and Informative Charts

Keep your sunburst charts simple. Use distinct colors and clear labels to ensure your data is easily understood.

Dissecting the Conversion Funnel

Step by step: visualizing customer progression and drop-off.

Waterfall charts show the step-by-step progression of customers. Identify where drop-offs occur and address these points to improve retention.

From Visitor to Buyer: Mapping the E-commerce Conversion Journey

Track the journey from a visitor to a buyer. Waterfall charts can help you see where you lose customers and where you succeed.

Optimization Strategies: Using Chart Insights to Boost Conversion Rates

Use insights from your waterfall charts to optimize your funnel. Making small adjustments can lead to significant improvements in conversion rates.

Untangling Complex Multi-Channel Interactions

Web of connections: visualizing customer movement across touchpoints.

Chord diagrams show the connections between different touchpoints. This helps you see how channels interact and where to focus your efforts.

Omnichannel Orchestra: Mapping Interactions Across Digital and Physical Channels

Visualize how digital and physical channels work together. Chord diagrams can highlight key interactions and improve your omnichannel strategy.

Interpretation Guide: Making Sense of Complex Diagrams

Chord diagrams can be complex. Use clear legends and labels to help interpret the data. This ensures your insights are actionable.

You can do a customer journey map in your favorite spreadsheet. Follow the steps below to do a customer journey map.

Charts for Customer Journey Map in Microsoft Excel:

• Open your Excel Application.
• Install ChartExpo Add-in for Excel from Microsoft AppSource to create interactive visualizations.
• ChartExpo provides plenty of custom charts for customer journey maps.
• Select the Chart from the list of charts.
• Select your data
• Click on the “Create Chart from Selection” button.
• Customize your chart properties to add header, axis, legends, and other required information.

Charts for Customer Journey Map  in Google Sheets:

• Open your Google Sheets Application.
• Install ChartExpo Add-in for Google Sheets from Google Workspace Marketplace.
• Fill in the necessary fields.
• Click on the Create Chart button.
• Export your chart and share it with your audience.

Unite and Conquer: Aligning Your Organization Around the Customer

Breaking down silos: how journey maps foster cross-functional collaboration.

Customer journey maps break down barriers. They unite departments by showing the customer experience from start to finish. This shared view helps teams understand each other’s roles. Marketing sees where sales fit in, and support knows where product teams need improvement. Everyone’s on the same page, working toward the same goal: a better customer experience.

The Customer’s Voice: Amplifying User Needs Across Departments

Customer journey maps bring the customer’s voice into every meeting. When you visualize their path, you highlight their needs and pain points. This makes it easier for departments to prioritize projects that address real issues. It’s not just theory; it’s your customers’ lived experiences guiding your decisions.

Spotlight on Pain Points: Uncovering Hidden Opportunities for Growth

From frustration to delight: identifying and resolving customer hurdles.

Journey maps shine a light on frustrations your customers face. These maps let you see where they get stuck or frustrated. By identifying these hurdles, you can turn pain points into delight points. Fix what’s broken, simplify complex steps, and watch customer satisfaction soar.

The Domino Effect: How Small Improvements Lead to Big Wins

Small changes can have a big impact. Fixing one pain point often improves other areas. For example, speeding up the checkout process can boost sales and reduce support calls. Customer journey maps help you spot these opportunities. Small tweaks lead to significant gains, making your customers happier and your business stronger.

Decision-Making Supercharged: Harnessing Customer-Centric Insights

Data-driven empathy: balancing numbers with human experience.

Journey maps merge data with empathy. You get hard facts about customer behavior and emotional insights into their experiences. This balance helps you make informed decisions . You’re not just looking at numbers; you’re seeing the human side of the data. This holistic view leads to smarter, more empathetic strategies.

The Ripple Effect: How Journey Insights Influence Strategic Planning

The insights from journey maps go beyond customer service. They influence your entire strategy. Knowing where customers struggle can guide product development, marketing campaigns, and even company policies. When you align your strategy with customer needs, every decision becomes more impactful. Journey maps ensure your plans are grounded in real-world experiences.

Beyond Gut Feelings: Quantifying the Impact on Customer Loyalty

Happy customers, healthy bottom line: linking satisfaction to revenue.

Ever wonder how happy customers translate into revenue? It’s simple. Satisfied customers stick around. When they feel valued, they return and spend more. This loyalty isn’t based on gut feelings but on hard numbers. Journey maps help you see where customers experience joy or frustration. By improving these touchpoints, you create a loyal customer base. Loyalty leads to repeat business, and that means more revenue.

The Retention Revolution: How Journey Maps Reduce Churn

Churn is every business’s nightmare. Losing customers costs more than keeping them. Journey maps are your secret weapon against churn. They pinpoint where customers drop off and why. With this insight, you can fix issues before they escalate. Happy customers mean fewer leave, and your retention rates improve. This isn’t magic; it’s an informed strategy.

Efficiency Unleashed: Cutting Costs Through Streamlined Experiences

Waste not, want not: identifying and eliminating unnecessary touchpoints.

Journey maps reveal the clutter in your customer experience. Every unnecessary touchpoint is a waste of time and resources. By identifying and removing these, you streamline the process. This saves money and makes your customers’ lives easier. Efficiency means doing more with less, and journey maps show you how.

The Snowball Effect: Small Efficiencies That Add Up to Big Savings

Small changes can lead to big savings. Journey maps highlight minor inefficiencies that, when addressed, snowball into significant cost reductions. Whether it’s a quicker checkout process or reducing redundant steps, these tweaks add up. Over time, these savings contribute to a leaner, more efficient operation.

Success Stories: Businesses Transformed by the Power of Customer Journey Mapping

From struggling to soaring: real-world examples of journey map triumphs.

Journey mapping isn’t just theory—it’s proven. Take Company X, which was struggling with customer complaints. They mapped their customer journey and found key pain points. By addressing these, they transformed their customer experience. Complaints dropped, satisfaction soared, and revenue increased. Real-world success, thanks to journey mapping.

Lessons Learned: Key Takeaways from Journey Mapping Pioneers

Pioneers in journey mapping have a lot to teach. They’ve faced the challenges and reaped the rewards.

One key lesson? Always listen to your customers. Their feedback is gold.

Another? Continuously update your journey maps. Customer needs evolve, and so should your strategies. These lessons are your roadmap to success.

Assembling Your A-Team: The Dream Team Behind Successful Journey Maps

Roles and responsibilities: who does what in the mapping process.

Every successful journey map starts with a solid team. Your dream team needs a mix of skills and perspectives. Here’s a breakdown of who you need:

• Project Manager : Keeps everything on track and ensures deadlines are met.
• Customer Experience Specialist : Understands the customer’s journey and can highlight pain points.
• Data Analyst : Brings clarity through numbers and trends.
• Designer : Makes the map visually appealing and easy to understand.
• Stakeholders : Provide insights and feedback from different business areas.

Cross-Functional Harmony: Ensuring All Voices Are Heard

A journey map reflects multiple perspectives. Make sure you’re listening to everyone. Hold regular meetings where each team member can share insights. Encourage open communication. This way, your map will be a true representation of the customer’s experience.

The Data Treasure Hunt: Unearthing Insights for Your Customer Journey Map

Qualitative gold: tapping into customer stories and emotions.

Qualitative data is about stories and feelings. Interview customers. Conduct focus groups. Read through customer reviews and support tickets. Look for common themes and emotions. These stories add depth to your map and highlight real pain points and joys.

Quantitative Clarity: Leveraging Analytics to Support Your Map

Numbers don’t lie. Use analytics to understand customer behavior. Look at website traffic, sales data, and customer service logs. These metrics show where customers drop off, what they like, and where they struggle. Combine this with your qualitative data for a full picture.

The Perfect Blend: Combining Hard Data with Human Insights

Marry the stories with the numbers. Use qualitative insights to explain the “why” behind your quantitative data. For example, if analytics show a high drop-off rate at a certain step, use customer stories to uncover the reasons. This blend ensures your journey map is both accurate and empathetic.

Goal Setting for Success: Crafting Objectives That Drive Results

The smart approach: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound goals.

Set clear goals using the SMART framework:

• Specific : Define exactly what you want to achieve.
• Measurable : Ensure you can track progress.
• Achievable : Set realistic targets.
• Relevant : Align with your overall business objectives.
• Time-Bound : Set a deadline.

This approach keeps your project focused and accountable.

Aligning Mapping Goals with Business Objectives: Ensuring Strategic Fit

Your journey map should serve a larger purpose. Align it with your business goals. For instance, if your goal is to improve customer retention, focus on mapping the retention phase. Ensure each part of your journey map supports your business strategy. This alignment makes your journey map a powerful tool for driving results.

The Bird’s Eye View: Mastering End-to-End Customer Journeys

Capturing the full customer lifecycle: from awareness to advocacy.

Think of your customer journey as a map. Start with awareness. Your customers first hear about you. Then they move through interest, consideration, and decision. Finally, they become advocates. An end-to-end map captures this whole process. It shows how customers interact with your brand at every stage. Each touchpoint matters.

Connecting the Dots: Revealing Interdependencies Across Touchpoints

Each touchpoint isn’t alone. They’re all connected. One impacts the next. If a customer has a bad experience at one point, it can affect their entire journey. By mapping out these connections, you can see the bigger picture. This helps you identify weak spots and improve them. Understanding these interdependencies helps you create a seamless experience for your customers.

Zeroing In: The Power of Touchpoint-Focused Maps

Magnifying glass on moments of truth: deep dives into critical interactions.

Sometimes, a specific touchpoint makes or breaks the customer experience. Focused maps zoom in on these critical moments. This could be a website visit, a customer service call, or a product demo. By examining these interactions closely, you can improve them. These moments of truth are where you can turn a potential problem into a positive experience.

From Pain to Gain: Transforming Troublesome Touchpoints

Every journey has rough patches. Identifying and fixing these troublesome touchpoints is key. Look at where customers struggle. Maybe it’s a confusing website or a long wait time. Once you know the pain points, you can address them. Transform these negative experiences into positive ones. This improves customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The Emotional Landscape: Crafting Powerful User Experience Journey Maps

Beyond actions: capturing the hearts and minds of your customers.

A customer journey isn’t just about actions. It’s about emotions too. How do your customers feel at each stage? Happy? Frustrated? Understanding these emotions helps you connect with your customers on a deeper level. Emotional journey maps show you where you can improve your interactions to create positive feelings. This emotional connection builds stronger relationships with your customers.

The Empathy Engine: Using Experience Maps to Drive Customer-Centric Culture

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Experience maps help you see things from their perspective. They highlight emotional highs and lows throughout the journey. Use these maps to foster a customer-centric culture in your organization. When everyone understands the customer experience, they can work together to improve it. Empathy drives better service and stronger loyalty.

Know Your Audience: Pinpointing the Perfect Persona

Bringing characters to life: creating vivid customer profiles.

Start by identifying your audience. Create detailed customer profiles to understand their needs and behaviors. Use data and real stories to shape these profiles. Picture your ideal customer and list their key traits, preferences, and pain points. This step helps you design a journey map that resonates with your real audience.

The Segmentation Sweet Spot: Balancing Specificity and Scalability

Next, segment your audience. Too broad, and your map loses impact; too narrow, and it becomes unmanageable. Aim for a balance. Group customers with similar characteristics and needs. This way, your map remains useful and adaptable, providing clear insights into each segment’s journey.

Customer Journey Phases: Mapping the Customer’s Epic Quest

From awareness to advocacy: defining key milestones.

Outline the key stages of your customer journey. Common phases include awareness, consideration, purchase, retention, and advocacy. Define what success looks like at each stage. This roadmap helps you see where customers engage and where they drop off.

Flexibility is Key: Adapting Stages to Your Unique Business Model

Every business is unique. Adapt these stages to fit your specific model. Maybe your journey has fewer steps or more touchpoints. Adjust the map to reflect your business realities. This flexibility ensures the map’s relevance and effectiveness.

Touchpoint Inventory: Cataloging Every Customer Interaction

Digital and physical: capturing the full spectrum of touchpoints.

List all customer interactions, both online and offline. From website visits to in-store experiences, each touchpoint matters. Capture these interactions to get a complete picture of the customer journey. This inventory helps identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Honest Assessment of Each Interaction

Evaluate each touchpoint. Identify what works well and what needs fixing. An honest assessment reveals pain points and highlights successes. This clarity guides improvements and enhances the customer experience.

The Emotional Rollercoaster: Adding Depth with Customer Sentiments

Peaks and valleys: charting emotional highs and lows.

Track customer emotions throughout their journey. Identify moments of joy and frustration. Use this emotional map to understand how customers feel at different stages. Addressing these emotional highs and lows can improve satisfaction and loyalty.

The Motivation Matrix: Understanding Drivers Behind Customer Actions

Dig into why customers act the way they do. What motivates them to move from one stage to the next? Understanding these drivers helps tailor your journey map. This insight can lead to more effective strategies and better customer engagement.

Behind the Scenes: Incorporating Internal Processes

The iceberg principle: revealing backstage actions that impact experiences.

Customer experiences often depend on hidden internal processes. Map these backstage actions alongside customer interactions. Revealing these connections shows how internal efforts impact customer outcomes. This transparency helps streamline operations and improve service.

Connecting Front and Back: Aligning Customer-Facing and Internal Activities

Ensure that customer-facing activities align with internal processes. This alignment creates a seamless experience for the customer. When front-end and back-end activities work together, customers enjoy a smoother journey.

Format Finesse: Choosing the Perfect Visual Structure

Linear, circular, or freeform: matching format to function.

Choosing the right structure for your customer journey map can make all the difference. Think about your data and the story you want to tell.

A linear map works well for straightforward processes, showing a clear path from start to finish.

Circular maps , on the other hand, highlight the ongoing nature of customer relationships, perfect for illustrating repeat engagements.

Freeform maps give you flexibility, great for complex journeys with many touchpoints. Pick a structure that best fits your narrative.

Scalability Secrets: Designing Maps That Grow with Your Business

Your business will evolve, and so will your customer journey map. Design it with scalability in mind. Use a modular approach where you can easily add new steps or branches without redesigning the entire map. Keep it flexible to accommodate growth and changes. This way, your map remains a useful tool as your business expands.

The Color Code: Using Hues to Enhance Understanding

Emotional palette: leveraging color psychology in your map.

Colors aren’t just for decoration—they influence emotions and understanding. Use warm colors like red and orange to highlight urgent issues or critical points in the journey. Cooler colors like blue and green can signify positive experiences or areas of satisfaction.

Choose colors that align with the emotions you want to evoke in each stage of the journey. This approach helps make your map not only visually appealing but also emotionally resonant.

Accessibility Matters: Ensuring Your Map is Clear for All Users

Make sure everyone can understand your map. Use high-contrast colors to ensure readability for those with visual impairments. Avoid relying solely on color to convey meaning; use patterns or labels too. Test your map’s accessibility using tools or by getting feedback from diverse users. An accessible map ensures your insights are clear to all stakeholders.

The Goldilocks Principle: Striking the Balance Between Detail and Clarity

Zoom in, zoom out: creating maps with multiple levels of detail.

A great customer journey map allows users to see the big picture and zoom in on specifics. Start with a high-level overview, then provide the option to dive into detailed steps. This multi-layered approach caters to different needs—executives might want the overview, while managers need the nitty-gritty. Use interactive elements if possible, making it easy to navigate between levels of detail.

The Art of Simplification: Communicating Complex Ideas Simply

Simplification is key to an effective customer journey map. Strip down your information to what’s essential. Avoid clutter—each element should serve a clear purpose. Use icons and symbols to replace lengthy text where possible. Clear labels and concise descriptions help communicate complex ideas without overwhelming the viewer. Remember, simplicity enhances understanding.

The Omnichannel Odyssey: Integrating Digital Customer Journey Mapping

Seamless transitions: mapping cross-channel customer movements.

Imagine your customer moving smoothly between your website, app, and physical store. Mapping these transitions helps you see where they might face friction. Start by tracking every touchpoint. Note where they switch from one channel to another. Is it easy? Any hiccups? Look for patterns. Use this data to streamline these transitions, ensuring a fluid customer experience across all channels.

Channel Synergy: Identifying Opportunities for Integrated Experiences

Find ways for your channels to support each other. Your app can enhance in-store experiences, and your website can provide follow-up after an in-store visit. Identify these synergy points. For instance, use online data to personalize in-store service. Or, offer app-based rewards for in-store purchases. This creates a cohesive journey that leverages each channel’s strengths.

Crystal Ball Mapping: Predicting and Shaping Future Journeys

Trend analysis: incorporating market and behavioral forecasts.

Predicting future customer journeys means staying ahead of trends. Analyze market data and customer behaviors. What’s the next big thing? How might it impact your customers’ expectations? Incorporate these insights into your maps. Predict shifts in preferences and adapt your strategies accordingly. This proactive approach keeps you prepared for changes in customer behavior.

Scenario Planning: Preparing for Multiple Customer Journey Futures

Prepare for different future scenarios. Imagine how various trends could play out. Create multiple journey maps based on these scenarios. What if a new technology changes buying habits? How would your customer journey look? Planning for different futures helps you stay agile. You’ll be ready to adapt quickly to any changes in the market.

Agile Journey Maps: Adapting to the Speed of Customer Change

Real-time responsiveness: incorporating live data into your maps.

Real-time data keeps your journey maps up-to-date. Use tools to gather live data on customer interactions. This shows you immediate changes in behavior. Adjust your maps based on this data. Spot new trends as they happen and respond quickly. This real-time responsiveness ensures your strategies remain relevant and effective.

The Living Document: Strategies for Continual Map Updates and Refinement

Your journey map isn’t static. Treat it as a living document. Regularly update it with new insights. Schedule routine reviews and adjustments. Encourage team input for diverse perspectives. This continual refinement keeps your map accurate and useful. It evolves with your customers, ensuring it always reflects their current journey.

The Priority Matrix: Focusing on High-Impact Opportunities

Effort vs. impact: plotting improvements for maximum roi.

Imagine you’re looking at a grid. On one side, you have effort, and on the other, impact. This is your priority matrix. Plot each potential improvement based on how much effort it takes versus the impact it will have. Your goal is to focus on actions that offer the highest return with the least effort.

Quick Wins and Long-Term Gains: Balancing Immediate and Strategic Actions

In this matrix, you’ll find some actions that are quick wins and others that are long-term gains. Quick wins are the low-hanging fruit—easy to implement and yielding immediate results. Long-term gains require more effort but have significant, lasting benefits. Balancing these helps you achieve both short-term and strategic goals.

From Map to Action Plan: Translating Insights into Initiatives

Smart goals revisited: setting actionable objectives based on map insights.

Now that you’ve identified key areas from your journey map, it’s time to set goals. Make them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This way, your objectives are clear and actionable, grounded in the insights from your journey map.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ensuring Buy-In and Execution Across Teams

Insights from your journey map impact multiple teams. Engage them early to ensure they understand the importance of these insights. Collaboration across departments ensures that everyone is on the same page and committed to executing the action plan effectively.

Measuring Success: Tracking the Impact of Journey-Driven Changes

Before and after: establishing baselines and tracking improvements.

To measure success, you need a baseline. Document the state of key metrics before implementing changes. Afterward, track these same metrics to see how they’ve improved. This before-and-after comparison helps you understand the real impact of your actions.

The Feedback Loop: Continuously Learning and Adjusting Based on Results

Once you’ve implemented changes, don’t stop there. Create a feedback loop to continuously learn and adjust. Collect feedback from your team and customers, analyze the results, and refine your approach. This ongoing process helps you stay responsive and effective.

The Inside-Out Trap: Mistaking Company Processes for Customer Experiences

Shifting perspective: techniques for truly seeing through customer eyes.

When you map customer journeys, it’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on company processes instead of actual customer experiences. Start by stepping into your customers’ shoes. Use techniques like role-playing, where team members act as customers going through each stage of the journey. This helps you see things from their perspective.

Another effective method is shadowing real customers as they interact with your products or services. This firsthand observation can reveal hidden pain points and insights.

Reality Check: Validating Your Map with Actual Customer Feedback

Creating a journey map without validating it with real customers is a big mistake. To avoid this, regularly gather customer feedback. Use surveys, interviews, and focus groups to get direct input from your customers.

Ask open-ended questions to understand their experiences deeply. This feedback will highlight any discrepancies in your map and ensure it reflects reality. Also, consider using customer feedback tools that collect ongoing input, helping you keep your map current.

The Emotion Deficit: Why Feelings Matter in Journey Mapping

Beyond transactions: capturing the full spectrum of customer emotions.

Customer journeys are more than a series of transactions; they’re filled with emotions. Ignoring these emotions can lead to an incomplete map. Capture the emotional highs and lows your customers experience. Use emotional mapping techniques to identify key emotional touchpoints.

For example, you can ask customers to rate their emotions at different stages of their journey or use tools like empathy maps that visualize emotional experiences alongside functional interactions.

The Static Map Syndrome: Keeping Your Journey Maps Fresh and Relevant

Scheduled check-ups: establishing a routine for map reviews and updates.

Journey maps shouldn’t be static documents. Regular reviews and updates are essential to keep them relevant. Establish a routine for reviewing your maps, such as quarterly or bi-annually. During these reviews, involve cross-functional teams to get diverse perspectives. Look for changes in customer behavior, market trends, and internal processes that might impact the journey. This routine ensures your map evolves with your customers’ needs.

Flexibility by Design: Creating Maps That Adapt to Changing Customer Behaviors

Design your journey maps to be flexible from the start. Use digital tools that allow easy updates and modifications. Incorporate placeholders for new insights and data as they become available. Make your maps modular, so you can add or remove sections without redoing the entire map. This adaptability helps your journey maps stay current and useful, reflecting the dynamic nature of customer experiences.

Navigating Data Deserts: Strategies for Dealing with Information Gaps

Creative data gathering: alternative methods when traditional sources fall short.

You hit a wall, and there’s not enough data to complete your customer journey map. Instead of stopping, think outside the box. Talk to your team, run surveys or host focus groups. Dig into customer feedback, check social media, and use online forums. Sometimes, the best insights come from unexpected places.

Assumption Tracking: Marking and Validating Educated Guesses

In the absence of solid data, you’ll make assumptions. Mark these assumptions in your journey map. Use different colors or labels to highlight them. Validate these guesses through customer feedback or small-scale testing. This process ensures your map remains reliable and guides future data collection efforts.

Winning Hearts and Minds: Securing Stakeholder Buy-In

The journey map pitch: crafting compelling arguments for different audiences.

Convincing stakeholders can be tough. Tailor your pitch to your audience. For executives, focus on how the map aligns with business goals. For customer service teams, highlight improvements in customer experience. Use visuals, real-world examples, and clear benefits to make your case compelling.

Involvement Strategies: Keeping Stakeholders Engaged Throughout the Process

Stakeholder engagement is crucial from start to finish. Involve them early and often. Hold workshops, send updates, and gather feedback. Make them feel like part of the process. Their buy-in ensures smoother implementation and better outcomes.

Simplifying the Complex: Tackling Intricate Customer Journeys

The modular approach: breaking down complex journeys into manageable segments.

Complex journeys can be overwhelming. Break them down into smaller segments. Focus on key stages or specific touchpoints. This modular approach makes it easier to analyze and optimize each part without getting lost in the details.

Layer by Layer: Using Interactive Tools to Present Complex Data Clearly

Interactive tools can simplify complex data. Use layers to reveal information gradually. Start with a high-level overview, then allow users to drill down into details. This approach keeps your map clear and helps stakeholders understand the journey step by step.

The Journey Mapper’s Toolkit: Essential Skills for Mapping Success

Data analysis: turning raw information into actionable insights.

Data is your starting point. Collect customer feedback, website analytics, and sales data. This raw information is the foundation. Sort through it to find patterns. Look for common complaints, frequent touchpoints, and points of satisfaction. Use these insights to shape your journey map.

Storytelling: Crafting Compelling Narratives from Customer Journeys

Once you have your data, it’s time to tell a story. This isn’t about dry statistics. It’s about creating a narrative that captures the customer’s experience. Use real quotes from customer feedback. Describe a customer’s journey from their perspective. This makes your map relatable and impactful.

Design Thinking: Applying Creative Problem-Solving to Journey Challenges

Think like a designer. Approach problems creatively. Consider the customer’s emotions and needs at each touchpoint. Use empathy to understand their frustrations and joys. Brainstorm innovative solutions to improve their experience. Prototype these ideas and test them with real customers.

Continuous Improvement: Resources for Ongoing Learning

Industry events and workshops: staying current with journey mapping trends.

Attend conferences and workshops. These events are goldmines for the latest trends and techniques. Network with other professionals. Share experiences and learn from their successes and failures. Bring these fresh ideas back to your team.

Online Communities: Connecting with Fellow Practitioners for Shared Learning

Join online communities. Platforms like LinkedIn and Reddit have groups dedicated to journey mapping. Participate in discussions. Ask questions. Share your insights. These communities are great for continuous learning and support.

Cultivating a Journey-Centric Culture: Spreading the Mapping Mindset

Internal evangelism: strategies for promoting journey mapping across teams.

Promote journey mapping within your organization. Show your colleagues the value of understanding the customer journey. Use workshops and presentations to explain your findings. Highlight how journey mapping can solve common problems and improve customer satisfaction.

Training Programs: Developing In-House Journey Mapping Capabilities

Create training programs for your team. Teach them the basics of journey mapping. Use real examples from your business to make it relevant. Encourage them to apply these skills in their roles. This builds a journey-centric culture and empowers your team to improve customer experiences.

Retail Revelations: Mapping the Customer Journey in E-commerce

Blending online and offline: capturing the modern retail experience.

Shopping has changed. Today, you can’t separate online and offline. Imagine a customer browsing your website, and then visiting your store. How do you track this journey? Start with a combined map. Show how they move between online and offline. Note touchpoints: social media, website visits, in-store interactions. Use this map to see patterns. Adjust your strategies based on these insights.

Personalization Potential: Using Journey Maps to Customize the Shopping Experience

Customers crave personalization. They want to feel special. Journey maps help you see their preferences. Use these maps to tailor offers and messages. Segment your audience based on their journey. Offer them what they need before they ask. It boosts loyalty and satisfaction.

Healthcare Pathways: Navigating the Patient Experience Journey

Beyond treatment: mapping emotional and physical aspects of care.

Healthcare isn’t just about treatment. Patients go through emotional and physical journeys. Capture both in your maps. Note feelings at each stage: anxiety before surgery, and relief after recovery. This helps you provide better care. Addressing both aspects improves patient satisfaction.

Continuity of Care: Using Journey Maps to Improve Patient Outcomes

Continuity is key in healthcare. Patients need seamless transitions between stages of care. Map these transitions. Identify gaps where patients might feel lost. Use this map to streamline processes. Ensure they always know the next step. This enhances trust and improves outcomes.

Customer Journey B2B: Unraveling Complex Decision-Making Processes

The stakeholder web: mapping influences in corporate buying journeys.

B2B journeys are complex. Many stakeholders are involved. Map out all influencers. Note their concerns and interests. This helps you address each stakeholder’s needs. Tailor your pitch to resonate with everyone. It makes your proposal stronger.

Long-Term Relationships: Using Journey Maps to Foster Client Loyalty

B2B isn’t about one-time sales. It’s about long-term relationships. Map the entire customer lifecycle. Highlight key touchpoints: initial contact, product delivery, and ongoing support. Use this map to nurture relationships. Keep clients engaged and loyal.

Financial Services Roadmap: Building Trust and Long-Term Value

Life stage mapping: aligning financial products with customer journeys.

Financial needs change with life stages. Map these stages: early career, family planning, retirement. Align your products with these stages. Offer relevant advice and services. This builds trust and adds value to their journey.

The Trust Factor: Using Journey Maps to Enhance Financial Relationships

Trust is vital in financial services. Map customer interactions to find trust-building moments. Highlight where you can offer support and advice. Use these moments to strengthen relationships. Trust leads to loyalty and long-term success.

Hospitality Horizons: Crafting Memorable Guest Experiences

From booking to checkout: mapping the end-to-end guest journey.

Guests remember their entire experience, from booking to checkout. Map each touchpoint: website booking, check-in, stay, checkout. Identify areas for improvement. Make the entire journey seamless and enjoyable. Happy guests return and spread the word.

Surprise and Delight: Identifying Opportunities for Exceptional Service

Surprises make stays memorable. Use journey maps to find moments where you can add a special touch. A complimentary drink, a personalized note, an unexpected upgrade. These small gestures create big impressions. Guests feel valued and appreciated.

Satisfaction Metrics: Gauging the Impact on Customer Happiness

Nps, csat, and beyond choosing the right satisfaction metrics.

You need to know if your customers are happy. Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) are your go-to tools. NPS tells you if customers will recommend your business. CSAT measures their happiness with your products or services. Pick the one that fits your goals. Both help you understand customer feelings.

Longitudinal Analysis: Tracking Changes in Satisfaction Over Time

Track customer happiness over time. Don’t rely on one-time feedback. Regular check-ins give you a bigger picture. See how satisfaction changes with different strategies. This way, you know what works and what doesn’t.

Operational Efficiency: Quantifying Internal Improvements

Time and cost savings: measuring the streamlining effect of journey insights.

Your journey map should save you time and money. Look at your processes before and after using the map. Are things faster? Are costs down? These are key indicators that your map is working.

Employee Satisfaction: How Journey Maps Improve the Internal Experience

Happy employees mean better service. Use your journey map to improve their experience too. Check employee satisfaction scores . See if they rise after implementing journey insights. Happy teams lead to happy customers.

The Bottom Line: Connecting Journey Improvements to Revenue

Conversion rate optimization: linking journey enhancements to sales.

Your journey map should boost sales. Track conversion rates before and after improvements. Did more visitors become buyers? This shows the direct impact of your map on revenue.

Customer Lifetime Value: Measuring the Long-Term Impact of Journey Focus

A good journey map increases customer loyalty. Measure Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). Are customers spending more over time? Are they sticking around longer? This metric shows the long-term benefits of a well-mapped journey.

Customer Journey Map FAQs

Why should you use a customer journey map.

Customer Journey Maps help you understand how customers interact with your business. They highlight areas where you excel and pinpoint where improvements are needed. By visualizing this journey, you can make informed decisions that enhance the customer experience, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

How Does a Customer Journey Map Compare to Other Charts?

While other charts show data, a Customer Journey Map tells a story. It’s more comprehensive than a simple graph or pie chart, providing context and emotional insight. Use it when you need to understand the customer experience deeply rather than just analyzing raw data.

Can a Customer Journey Map Improve Customer Retention?

Yes, by identifying and fixing pain points, you can improve customer satisfaction and retention. A better customer experience often leads to increased loyalty and repeat business.

Can Small Businesses Benefit from Customer Journey Maps?

Absolutely. Small businesses can use journey maps to understand their customers better, improve their services, and compete more effectively. Even with limited resources, mapping the customer journey can provide valuable insights.

What’s the Difference Between a Customer Journey Map and a Sales Funnel?

A Customer Journey Map focuses on the entire customer experience, including emotions and interactions. A Sales Funnel, on the other hand, focuses on the sales process and how customers move through different stages of making a purchase.

How Do You Measure the Success of a Customer Journey Map?

Success can be measured by improvements in customer satisfaction, reduced churn rates, increased sales, and positive feedback. Regularly track these metrics to see how effective your CJM is in driving positive changes.

Wrap Up: Wrapping Up Your Customer Journey Map

The journey mapping compass: key points to remember.

Customer journey maps shine a light on your customers’ experiences. They reveal pain points, highlight opportunities, and guide improvements. Keep these key ideas in mind:

• Focus on emotions: Capture how customers feel at each stage.
• Use data: Back up your map with solid research and analytics.
• Collaborate: Involve teams across your organization for diverse insights.
• Update regularly: Customer journeys change. Keep your map current.
• Act on insights: Use your map to drive real improvements.

Your First Step: Start Mapping Today

Ready to create your first customer journey map? Here’s how to begin:

• Pick a specific customer segment and journey to focus on.
• Gather existing customer data from surveys, support logs, and analytics.
• Interview customers to understand their experiences firsthand.
• Sketch out the basic stages of the journey.
• Add details: touchpoints, emotions, and pain points.

Don’t aim for perfection. Your first map won’t be complete, but it’ll give you a starting point to build on.

The Road Ahead: Journey Improvement Never Ends

Creating a customer journey map isn’t a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process of learning and improving. Here’s how to keep moving forward:

• Set up regular reviews of your journey map.
• Collect continuous feedback from customers and employees.
• Test new ideas to address the pain points you’ve identified.
• Measure the impact of changes you make.
• Share successes and learnings across your organization.

Remember, every small improvement adds up. Keep refining your understanding of your customers’ journeys, and you’ll create better experiences that drive loyalty and growth.

Your customers’ journeys are unique. By mapping them out, you gain the insights needed to make their experiences smoother, more enjoyable, and more successful. So grab that pen, gather your team, and start mapping. Your customers will thank you for it.

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10 Customer Persona Tools & Templates

Buyer personas are one of the best ways to gain powerful insights into your audience. While your personas aren’t modeled after any one customer, they are useful cross-sections of the traits that make up different demographics in your audience.

When they’re done well, your personas help you hone your messaging, find gaps in your content offerings, and strategically approach pain points your customers grapple with.

While you could build all of your personas in a Google doc and share it around, they often get lost in the shuffle and not properly shared with the rest of your team, other departments, freelancers, and agencies.

On the other hand, hiring a professional market research firm to create a “persona book” for your company seems great in theory, but it comes at great expense and gets pricier when you need to update your personas or build new ones. This is especially true for startups and growing companies, which might re-evaluate their target markets many times within their first few years.

Luckily for you, the number of free templates and tools to build personas has greatly improved in the past couple of years. The benefit of using a tool or a template to craft your persona is that they allow for easy organization and coordination that can simplify the process of building personas.

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Here’s a list of the ten best tools and templates available that we’ve test driven:

1. Bootstrapped Customer Persona Template (Content Harmony)

Site: contentharmony.com/blog/bootstrapped-customer-persona-validation/

Our free customer persona template is easy to understand and gives you a compact, two-page snapshot of what a typical customer might look like, so that’s a good place to start.

We help you fully realize who your audience is and how you might appeal to their wants and needs by breaking our persona template down into eight sections:

• Photo – Including a photo humanizes your persona and helps your team picture a human being whose problems need to be solved.
• Backstory – Plug CRM data into your persona to flesh out their interests and hobbies.
• Psychographic Attitudes – Here you list typical buy habits and preferences. Try to find some patterns in your marketing and web analytics.
• Demographic Identifiers – Competitive audience research and CRM data will help you hone in on your target market. Demographic identifiers are great for targeted email campaigns.
• Goals & Motivations – List what makes your persona prioritizes. List any personal and professional objectives you’ve uncovered during your research.
• Roadblocks – Draw on quotes from your customer support tickets and any FAQs you see frequently to figure out what stops your audience from achieving their goals.
• Sales Objections – These are your persona’s pain points. Here you list why a sale might fall through.
• Quote – Your quote sums up your persona in one bite-size example. Consult your sales team and revisit sales emails to figure out what statement best reflects your persona.

For more information on our Customer Persona Template and to download it free, check out our Bootstrapped Guide to Validating Your Customer Personas .

2. McorpCX Persona

Site: persona.mcorpcx.com

Looking to up your persona game? McorpCX’s Persona does away with static personas by giving you a highly interactive platform. With this program you can map personas to specific projects, organize your qualitative research data under each persona tab, and export your personas into PDF form for easy accessibility later on.

They have a free trial option to try out the tool, after which plans start at $99 per month.

Site: akoonu.com

If you’re willing to invest in Akoonu, this software has some of the best functionality on the market. Not only does Akoonu let you create beautiful customer personas, but it also fully integrate with your MA/CRM software. It also includes CRM Journey Map data, messaging and branding style guides, automated content inventories and more.

Even the free version of Akoonu is packed with features which make collaboration, dashboard administration, and audience targeting a cinch. Their extensive research library and support features don’t hurt either.

Akoonu’s slogan claims that it “delivers value across all of marketing and sales,” and with the integration options plus the modules for audience, brand, and planning management, they’re one of the better full-featured options out there.

4. Xtensio (Fake Crow)

Site: xtensio.com/user-persona/

Xtensio’s received some upgrades since the last time I checked out this tool. This robust platform goes way beyond your typical persona creator, because it now includes support for a variety of documents such as:

• Persona Creator
• Persona Comparison Chart
• Team Agenda
• Content Strategy Calendar
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Business Model Canvas
• Lean Canvas Creator (For UVP Analysis)
• Startup Page Builder
• Press Release Newsfeed
• Fundraising Summary

SMBs should find full value in the free version of Xtensio, which lets you create up to 5 personas and gives you access to all of the software’s tools and modules. Or, if you want to upgrade to Xtensio Plus, you can create any number of folios, enjoy unlimited exports of your personas, and remove the Xtensio branding from your documents.

Xtensio is pretty packed full of features, but may suffer from some UX problems. For example, Dan Richardson from UXorbust found that headlines reverted to body-text formatting when he tried to edit them, and that other formatting options are “fairly far removed from the canvas and not always visible.|

While you can create nicely fleshed out customer personas using this tool, you may need to experiment before you learn the ins-and-outs of Xtensio’s formatting quirks.

5. Make My Persona (HubSpot)

Site: https://www.hubspot.com/make-my-persona

HubSpot’s step-by-step guide is similar to ours. This tool walks you through nineteen questions that help you flesh out a facsimile of your flesh-and-blood customers. The result is a customer snapshot that you can fall back on when you need to target different segments of your audience.

This tool is especially valuable for HubSpot customers, because you can use your personas in conjunction with other HubSpot software to track buyer habits through the sales funnel .

Or, if you don’t love the constraints of Make My Persona’s 19 questions, you can create your own personas using HubSpot’s free template . This template breaks personas down into four sections (Who, What, Why, and How) and includes space for you to start brainstorming solutions that overcome their common objections.

You can also use templates like this to create “negative personas” (i.e. representations of the audience you don’t want as customers).

6. Persona Topic Matrix (Inflow)

Site: goinflow.com/persona-topic-matrix/

Inflow’s Persona Topic Matrix is a free tool meant to help you analyze segment-based content gaps. While this tool doesn’t leave very much room for the “persona” part of a buyer persona, it’s great for organizing your existing and upcoming content along the buyer’s journey. If you want a tool that points out your strengths and weaknesses and helps you retarget your content marketing, this is the one for you.

Note that while this tool slides nicely into the topic of persona development, you need to have pre-existing personas to use it effectively. This tool aids your persona research and content strategy, but it won’t develop your personas for you.

7. UserForge

Site: userforge.com

UserForge is another free tool, that’s beautifully designed—if a little stark. UserForge lets you create very simple customer personas which are limited to:

Like Xtensio and PersonaDrive, UserForge is another tool that makes collaboration between a team easy. There are also rumors that UserForge 2.0 is on the horizon . We’ll have to wait and see if that adds more functionality to this tool.

8. Up Close & Persona

Site: upcloseandpersona.com

Up Close & Persona is a straightforward little tool that asks you a series of questions to create buyer personas. These questions are organized into three categories: Company Definition, Problem/Solution, and Buyer Definition.

This tool’s a little simplistic and some of the questions are less helpful than others (e.g. after asking what problem your customers face, one of the questions is “What is the solution?”). Still, if you’re looking for a simple form to get team members or investors on the same page, this might do the trick.

9. Personapp

Site: personapp.io

As with Up Close & Persona, Personapp is a very lightweight tool. The draw of this tool is that you can set up a simple persona in no time at all, and it includes options for easy sharing across your entire company.

Personapp doesn’t give you much direction, but it is a handy tool if you’re willing to enter all of the data yourself.

10. Buyer Persona Templates (Buyer Persona Institute)

Site: buyerpersona.com/buyer-persona-template

Adele Revella’s free buyer persona templates draw on her “5 Rings of Buying Insight.” Essentially, it breaks your buyer personas down by their:

• Priority initiatives
• Success factors
• Perceived barriers
• Buyer’s journey
• Decision criteria

These templates are more jargon-heavy than the other options I’ve listed here, but it still offers valuable insights into why your customers make the decisions they do.

How to Use Your Buyer Personas

Now that you have the tools you need, it’s time to put your buyer personas to work. The best way to do this is by creating a content map and considering it alongside your buyer’s journey. Then you can ask yourself:

• What are my customers needs and how can I better solve them?
• Does my content cover every stage of the buyer’s journey?
• Am I creating content that appeals to different demographics of my audience?
• Can I personalize or retarget my content to reach my target demographic?
• How can I hone my messaging to avoid negative personas?

Remember: to truly see any return for the time you’ve invested, your buyer personas must be informed by data-driven research.

By accurately representing your current audience, you can fine-tune your content marketing approach. Customer personas are an asset that you can tweak whenever your content offerings or demographic changes and consult for years to come.

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Kane Jamison

Kane is the founder of Content Harmony, a content marketing platform that helps you build better content briefs. Schedule a demo to chat with him personally about your team's content workflow.

Website: https://www.kanejamison.com

Twitter: @kanejamison

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Customer Journey Map

What is a customer journey map.

A customer journey map is a visual representation or diagram that illustrates a customer’s step-by-step experience with a brand, product, or service across various touchpoints and interactions. It provides a holistic view of the customer’s interactions from initial awareness to post-purchase support and loyalty stages.

Purposes Of A Customer Journey Map

• Understanding Customer Experience: Gain insights into how customers perceive and interact with the brand at various journey stages.
• Identifying Gaps and Opportunities: Highlight areas where the customer experience can be improved, or new engagement and conversion opportunities exist.
• Aligning Strategies: Align marketing, sales, customer service, and other departments around a unified understanding of the customer journey to deliver a seamless experience.
• Improving Customer Retention and Loyalty: Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty by addressing pain points and delivering personalized experiences based on customer behaviors and preferences.

Creating A Customer Journey Map

• Research and Data Collection: Gather data from customer interviews, surveys, analytics, and feedback to understand real customer experiences.
• Define Personas: Develop customer personas to represent different segments of your target audience and their specific needs and behaviors.
• Map the Journey: Plan each journey stage, touchpoints, customer actions, emotions, and channel interactions.
• Validate and Iterate: Share the journey map with stakeholders and validate it against real-world customer interactions. Continuously refine and update the map based on feedback and new insights.

By effectively creating and using a customer journey map, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of their customers’ needs and behaviors, optimize the customer experience, and ultimately drive engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.

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Review drafts, request revisions, and approve for posting.

Paying Creators

Handle payments securely.

Managing Creators

Discover your Creator team and collaborate in real time.

Become a Glewee Creator, authenticate your socials.

Finding Campaigns

Discover Brand deals from your phone.

Creating Content

Meet deliverables, follow guidelines, and get inspired.

Posting Content

Promote your favorite Brands across social media.

Getting Paid

Manage payments through your Glewee Wallet.

Adding Portfolio Content

Show your best work and tell Brands what you do best.

Get the insights you need to navigate influencer marketing and the Creator Economy.

Read about Glewee in the news.

Explore our social media glossary

Your Brand’s winning formula.

Get your Brand into shape.

Nail your influencer marketing.

Turn heads on social media.

Promote your Brand to the fullest.

Cook up Brand-boosting campaigns.

Case Studies

Explore influencer marketing success stories here.

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Glewee's Guide to Creator Marketing

Basics of CJM for newbies

Customer Journey Mapping is a powerful technique that helps you visualize the journey of users when they interact with products and services. You take all data you can possibly gather and then you lay it out on a map to see if there are any gaps in user experience.

UXPressia Customer Journey Map Online lets you take your journey mapping to a whole new level. It offers a flexible CJM editor with dozens of sections where you can reflect any journey no matter how complicated it is. You can create a map in a few minutes, export it to PDF, PPTX, CSV or PNG, share with anyone you want, the list goes on.

No need for designers - you can do it all by yourself fast and easy!

To learn more about CJM, why and when you should use it, read this section on our blog. For a step-by-step guide on creating your first customer journey map check out this article or download our CJM guide .

UXPressia pre-recorded demo

Want to learn more about the platform's functionality and see how to build journey maps and personas?