Customer journey map template
A customer journey map shows what it's like to buy from you, stage by stage, from the customer's side: what they do, where they come into contact with you, what they think and feel, where it goes wrong and what you could change. This free Word template sets the map out as a grid, with the stages across the top and a row for each of those, plus sections for the moments that matter most and the actions you'll take.
Running a company of 30 to 200 people? Documents like this are now worth money.
Use it when customers drop out between enquiry and order, when complaints cluster around one stage, or before you redesign a service. One map covers one type of customer on one journey; most companies start with their most valuable customers' first purchase.
What's in the template
Customer journey map
| Customer type | e.g. first-time buyer, trade account, renewing client |
|---|---|
| Journey | From [first contact] to [outcome], e.g. from first search to first repeat order |
| What the customer is trying to achieve | |
| Evidence used | Complaints, reviews, survey comments, call notes, sales data, interviews |
| Mapped by, and date |
1. The map
Rename the stages to fit your business. Fill each row from evidence, in the customer's own words where you can. Score feelings from -2 (very negative) to +2 (very positive).
| Stage | Aware | Compare | Buy | Receive | Use | Return or recommend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What the customer does | ||||||
| Touchpoints (where they meet us) | ||||||
| What they think and feel | ||||||
| Feeling score | ||||||
| Pain points | ||||||
| Opportunities |
2. Moments that matter
The two or three points where customers are most likely to give up, complain or decide to come back.
| Moment | Stage | Why it matters | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
3. Actions
| Opportunity | Action | Owner | Due | How we'll know it worked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
4. Review
| Re-map after | e.g. once the actions above have run for three months |
|---|---|
| Map owner |
How to map a customer journey
- Pick one customer type and one journey, with a clear start and end. "A household moving locally, from first search to the day after the move" can be mapped; "our customers" can't.
- Collect evidence before anyone meets: complaints, review comments, survey answers, call notes, reasons for lost quotes, and the points where enquiries go quiet. A short customer feedback form is a quick way to get more of it.
- Go through the journey yourself. Search for what you sell, use your website on a phone, ring the main number and ask for a quote. Note every wait and every point where you weren't sure what would happen next.
- Fill in the actions row first, in order and in the customer's words: "asks three firms for a price", not "lead generation".
- Add every touchpoint, including those you don't control, such as review sites, comparison sites and what a friend says.
- Score feelings from evidence. A -2 should point to complaints or comments, not a hunch around the table.
- Circle the two or three lowest points and turn them into actions with owners and dates, then re-map once the changes have had time to work.
Example: a fictional removals company
Part of the map for a fictional 40-person removals firm, covering households moving within its region. The evidence came from a year of online reviews, notes on 30 lost quotes and a log of calls to the office on moving days.
| Stage | Quote | Book | Moving day | After the move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What they do | Asks three firms for a price | Pays a deposit and picks a date | Waits at the old house for the crew | Unpacks and finds a scratched table |
| Touchpoints | Website form, video survey | Quote email, phone call | Phone, the crew | Email, claim form |
| Thinking and feeling | "Why does a price take three days?" | Relieved it's sorted | "Are they even coming?" | "Will anyone deal with this?" |
| Score | -1 | +2 | -2 | -1 |
| Pain point | Quote sent three days after the survey | None found | Arrival window of 8am to 1pm, with no updates | Claims handled by post |
| Opportunity | Price standard moves during the video survey | Leave as it is | Text the evening before with crew names and a two-hour window, and again when they set off | Online claim form, with a decision in five working days |
Moving-day morning was the lowest point and caused most of the calls, so it was fixed first. The firm also added a question about arrival times to its customer survey and tracks the answers in its survey results workbook, to see whether the change works.
Journey map, process map or service blueprint?
| Customer journey map | Process map | Service blueprint | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point of view | The customer's | The company's | Both, one above the other |
| Shows | Actions, touchpoints, feelings, pain points | Steps, decisions and handoffs between roles | Each customer action and the front-line and back-office work behind it |
| Best for | Finding where the experience breaks | Fixing how the work flows | Redesigning a service from end to end |
They work well together. Once the journey map shows where customers struggle, a process map of the work behind that stage usually shows why.
Common mistakes
- Mapping the journey you designed rather than the one customers actually take.
- One map for every customer. A trade account and a first-time household buyer have different journeys; average them and you'll fix neither.
- Starting at your first contact. Many decisions are made earlier, on review sites and in conversations you never see.
- Internal language, such as "qualification" or "fulfilment", which hides what the customer is doing.
- A wall chart and no actions. The map is only worth the two or three changes it leads to.
Frequently asked questions
What are the stages of a customer journey?
There's no fixed set. A common outline runs from awareness through comparison, purchase, delivery and use to loyalty, which is roughly where the template starts. Rename the stages in your customers' terms; the removals example uses quote, book, moving day and after the move.
How many journey maps do we need?
Start with one, for the customer type and journey that matter most to revenue. Add another only when a different kind of customer clearly has a different experience, such as trade and retail buyers.
Who should be involved in mapping?
People who see customers at different stages: sales, customer service, the people who deliver the work, and finance if billing is part of the journey. Bring customer evidence, or invite two or three customers to talk you through what happened.