What are the different types of customer journey maps?

Customer journey maps are visual tools that help you understand how your customers interact with your brand, product, or service. They can help you identify pain points, opportunities, and insights to improve customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty. But not all customer journey maps are the same. Depending on your goals, scope, and data sources, you can choose from different types of customer journey maps to suit your needs. In this article, we will explore four common types of customer journey maps and how to use them effectively.

1 Current state map

A current state map shows the existing customer journey, from the first touchpoint to the last. It captures the customer's actions, emotions, thoughts, and needs at each stage, as well as the channels, touchpoints, and interactions they use. A current state map can help you understand the current reality of your customer experience, identify gaps, issues, and friction points, and measure key performance indicators. To create a current state map, you need to collect and analyze data from various sources, such as surveys, interviews, analytics, feedback, and observation.

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Sandro Ribeiro

GM | SVP | VP | Visionary Global Leader | Business Model Innovation & Digital Transformation | Strategic Planning & Execution I Multi-cultural Leadership | Fluent in English, Portuguese, & Spanish.
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Why it is Important: They provide a baseline understanding of the customer's existing experience with your brand, helping to identify pain points, bottlenecks, and areas for immediate improvement.

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2 Future state map

A future state map shows the desired or ideal customer journey, based on your vision, goals, and strategies. It illustrates the customer's actions, emotions, thoughts, and needs at each stage, as well as the channels, touchpoints, and interactions they would use. A future state map can help you envision and communicate the future state of your customer experience, align your team and stakeholders, and prioritize and plan your actions and initiatives. To create a future state map, you need to define your objectives, personas, and scenarios, and use creativity, empathy, and logic to design the best possible journey.

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Sandro Ribeiro

GM | SVP | VP | Visionary Global Leader | Business Model Innovation & Digital Transformation | Strategic Planning & Execution I Multi-cultural Leadership | Fluent in English, Portuguese, & Spanish.
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Why it is important: These maps are crucial for strategic planning, allowing businesses to envision and plan for an enhanced customer experience that aligns with future business goals and evolving market trends.

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3 Service blueprint

A service blueprint is an extension of a customer journey map that also shows the behind-the-scenes processes, systems, and resources that enable the customer journey. It maps the customer's actions, emotions, thoughts, and needs at each stage, as well as the frontstage and backstage activities, actors, and artifacts that support them. A service blueprint can help you understand and optimize the service delivery, align your internal and external teams, and identify and solve operational problems and inefficiencies. To create a service blueprint, you need to map the customer journey first, and then add the layers of service components below it.

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Sandro Ribeiro

GM | SVP | VP | Visionary Global Leader | Business Model Innovation & Digital Transformation | Strategic Planning & Execution I Multi-cultural Leadership | Fluent in English, Portuguese, & Spanish.
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Why it is important: Essential for operational effectiveness, these maps connect the customer experience with internal processes, revealing how back-end operations impact the customer journey and identifying opportunities for streamlining and optimization

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4 Experience map

An experience map is a high-level overview of a customer's journey across multiple touchpoints, channels, products, or services. It focuses on the customer's goals, motivations, and emotions throughout the journey, rather than the specific details of each interaction. An experience map can help you understand the big picture of your customer experience, discover patterns and themes, and generate insights and opportunities. To create an experience map, you need to synthesize data from multiple sources and perspectives, and use storytelling and visualization to convey the key findings and implications.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Sandro Ribeiro

GM | SVP | VP | Visionary Global Leader | Business Model Innovation & Digital Transformation | Strategic Planning & Execution I Multi-cultural Leadership | Fluent in English, Portuguese, & Spanish.
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All types of an existing and possible customer journey maps under my view. 1.Current State Journey Maps 2. Future State Journey Maps 3.Day in the Life Journey Maps 4.Service Blueprint 5.Micro-Journey Maps 6.Emotional Journey Maps 7.Persona-Based Journey Maps 8.Competitive Journey Maps 9.Omnichannel Journey Maps 10.Touchpoint Maps 11. Customer Lifecycle Maps

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What are the different types of customer journey maps?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Current state map

2 Future state map

3 Service blueprint

4 Experience map

5 Here’s what else to consider

Market Research

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What are the different types of customer journey maps?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Current state map

2 Future state map

3 Service blueprint

4 Experience map

5 Here’s what else to consider

Market Research

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