Emotional Journey Export from Smaply

Customer journey map examples: The ultimate industry collection

December 1, 2020

On this page, you get a collection of some useful customer journey map examples from different industries, such as airports, e-commerce, marketing, or telecommunication.

Our article curates a collection of diverse customer journey map examples from various industries, revealing the pivotal role of understanding user pathways. Delve into real-world scenarios that showcase the impact of journey mapping in anticipating needs, enhancing engagement, and streamlining interactions.

Whether you're a marketer, designer, or entrepreneur, these customer journey maps provide actionable insights to elevate your strategies and create tailored experiences. Explore the universal power of customer journey mapping as we bridge the gap between industries and illuminate the road to exceptional user satisfaction.

Navigate to your desired example

How to navigate and use this collection:

  • Choose the industry of your interest from the list; clicking the jumpmark will take you there.
  • Expand the example map for detailed insights
  • Read details about the structure and what we learn from this map. You will see: each of the example maps has its own characteristics because it always depends on the case, what kind of data/lanes is helpful to include.

Overview:

Healthcare – patient experience journey map example

First, let's turn our attention to the healthcare sector, unveiling a compelling customer journey map example that sheds light on the intricate interactions patients undergo. Explore how the principles of journey mapping can transform healthcare experiences into seamless, empathetic journeys

healthcare journey map example

View healthcare / patient experience journey map

How the healthcare journey map is structured: The patient’s emotional experience is in the focus of the healthcare journey map. Distinguishing between good, bad and neutral experiences is particularly easy through green, red and yellow squares, that you can see when opening the patient journey map example. The map highlights factors that impact the patient experience, e.g. staff, building, machines. It shows how engaged the patient is during the different steps and how he or she feels at that point of time, e.g. excited, confused or relieved.

What we learn from the healthcare journey map example: This journey map example highlights many negative feelings along the patient journey (highlighted in red), some of them also in moments of high engagement. Those are the moments that should be tackled first, the ones that should be approved to relieve the patient from the worst experiences. On this healthcare journey map we also see that the treatment itself is a very limited time and most experiences of the patient are before and after the actual treatment.


Consulting journey map example

Let's look at a customer journey mapping example that shows how an agency can use journey mapping to improve the coordination of a project with their clients. This will help you understand how consultants make clients happy by giving them what they need.

consulting example journey map

View consulting journey map

How the consulting journey map is structured: Consultants can make use of journey mapping in two ways: first, better understanding if they satisfy their own clients. Second, as a means of communication with their client and to pitch potential solutions to them.  

What we learn from the consulting journey map example: in this client journey example we see how a consultancy interacts with their client. The backstage lane shows what different parties interact along the process and how they collaborate.

Learn more about journey mapping in consulting

Government journey map example

Here's a a customer journey map example that highlights the different steps citizens go through when interacting with government processes. Get insights into how these maps can improve the way governments connect with people and make their experiences smoother

Government journey map example

View government journey map

How the government journey map is structured: In this government journey map you see how important it is to give context to a journey map: stage descriptions and additional files add valuable information to the steps. A crucial lane is the channel overview which shows the different ways of communication. Also, the map contains a small repository of documents so the service designer can understand what the different resources are that the person must receive – the first step towards more consistent communication.  

What we learn from the government journey map example: This customer journey map helps to understand how many different channels a citizen must use in the run of a relocation. For example, it also shows that the city’s official website is always connected to moments of negative emotions, which indicates that the website does not meet peoples’ expectations and might need a major update.


NGO journey map example

Let's delve into the realm of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), showcasing a customer journey map example that illustrates the various stages individuals experience while engaging with these impactful entities. Such a map can enhance the way NGOs create positive change by understanding and meeting the needs of their beneficiaries

View NGO journey map

How the NGO journey map is structured: This NGO journey map visualizes the experience of a volunteer for a children's home. This is a small repository with a high-level as well as a detailed journey map. It’s a zoom-in map and contains detailed information about the phases of onboarding to and volunteering at an organization. It’s also linked to the high-level map. The map analyzes challenges and lists potential opportunities of supporting the volunteer. A detailed backstage lane shows what role different stakeholders take, e.g. the supervisor at the social organization, or other employees.

What we learn from the NGO journey map example: The example of a journey map indicates a negative moment that results from a lack of information, concluding this could be solved by coaching, providing mental support and emergency contacts. Also it shows how positive experiences can be further improved.

E-commerce journey map example

Here's a user journey map example that reveals the stages customers undergo when using e-commerce platforms; journey maps play a role in improving the shopping experience and boosting user satisfaction.

e-commerce journey map example

View e-commerce journey map

How the e-commerce journey map is structured: This e-commerce journey map illustrates a journey example from gathering information to the use of a product that has been ordered online. It is a very clean journey map focussing on the different channels and backstage processes of two different personas.

What we learn from the e-commerce journey map: By comparing the experience of two personas, the user journey map shows that they use different channels of communication and hence have different information available to them – which has a clear impact on their satisfaction and dramatic scores. A lane with ideas for improvement keeps a note on the actions to take. The backstage lane shows how an external stakeholder – the post office – has a crucial impact on the experience of the customer.

Online shopping journey map example [including backstage processes]

User journey maps can be used as a in-depth exploration of online shopping, including the often-hidden backstage processes. This high-level customer journey map example that not only walks you through the shopper's experience but also unveils the intricate behind-the-scenes operations that contribute to a smooth and satisfying online retail journey.

Online shopping journey map example

View online shopping journey map

How the online shopping journey map is structured: In this user journey map example the focus lies on the activities happening backstage in an online shopping process. It is very similar to a service blueprint, the only component missing are the arrows between the lanes. Hence, this map has a stronger focus on processes and less on the experience itself, whilst still building upon the user journey.

What we learn from the online shopping journey map: This example user journey map shows what stakeholders are involved and what their tasks are. By doing so it makes very clear who the responsible parties are when it comes to working on a specific step of the customer journey. By distinguishing between different levels of interaction/visibility it also puts emphasis on the fact that the perception and knowledge of users and internal stakeholders vary significantly.


Employee experience journey map example

We delve into the world of employee engagement and learn how a journey map example highlights the different stages employees go through during their time with a company. Explore how these maps contribute to fostering a positive and enriching workplace, ultimately boosting productivity and employee contentment.

employee journey map example

View employee experience journey map

How the employee experience journey map is structured: This employee journey map example illustrates a regular morning of an employee at the office. It compares two different personas and visualizes interactions between team members.

What we learn from the employee journey map example: Even though the situations seem familiar to many of us, it takes a new perspective and highlights everyday happenings that impact the team spirit. Small moments like drinking coffee with others or being annoyed by irrelevant emails have a strong impact on the mood and hence can make or break the entire day.


Student experience journey map example

Step into the world of education – we unveil a customer journey map example that provides a closer look at the different phases students encounter during their educational pursuits. Journey maps can shed light on ways to improve learning settings, tackle obstacles, and cultivate a more impactful and gratifying student experience.

student journey map example

View student experience journey map

How the student journey map is structured: This is a simple way to illustrate both a current state and a future state journey map. It shows the devices that students need, the channels they have to use and the documents they need to get. Along the long process of investigation, evaluation, enrollment, course and follow-up

What we learn from the student journey map example: The journey map clearly shows the improvements that must be made in order to have a better future-state experience for students, for example making channels usable on different devices, updating information on different channels or giving more information during the investigation phase. Such a journey map can be used to draft an outline of a course.

Airline journey map example

Let's examine a customer journey map derived from the airline sector, providing valuable insights into the path passengers follow during their flights. Discover how these maps play a role in refining airline services and crafting smooth and enjoyable travel adventures.

airline journey map example

View airlines journey map

How this airport journey map is structured: This journey map shows a classic experience at an airport, from check-in to aboard. As countless things happen behind the scenes, this airport journey map focuses on backstage processes and their influence on customer or passenger experience. Satisfaction score and dramatic arc help evaluate the customers’ feelings. 

What we learn from the airport journey map example: This journey map has a clear goal of making the experience for the customer as short and smooth as possible, whereas many different activities happen backstage to enable that. This map offers high potential for innovation because it challenges moments that we take for granted: passport control and waiting for take-off are the moments that are the ones with the lowest satisfaction scores. Therefore it makes service designers start thinking about how we can improve this experience, even though they seem to be indispensable.

This is the project you also find in the Smaply free account.


Event experience journey map example

This example takes us into the world of event experiences, presenting how customer journey mapping can outline the different phases event attendees navigate. Discover how these maps contribute to improving event organization, enhancing attendee satisfaction, and fostering more memorable and seamless event interactions.

event experience journey map example

View event experience journey map

How this event experience journey map is structured: We collected feedback on the Service Experience Camp in Berlin in 2016. This journey map includes a storyboard with real-life photos, quotes from participants and satisfaction scores, backed up by a dramatic arc derived from the quotes. The journey map is in German.

What we learn from the event experience journey map: This journey map shows how many different sources of communication (channel overview), some of them even non-verbal (e.g., the venue itself) impact the experience of the event participants. Customer voices have a strong impact and make it very easy to empathize with participants.


Public transport journey map example

Here come some insights into a specific journey map focused on public transport, offering a closer look at the stages passengers go through during their journeys. Gain an understanding of how journey maps contribute to refining public transit services, optimizing user engagement, and ensuring smoother and more efficient travel for commuters.

public transport journey map example

View public transport journey map

How the public transport journey map is structured: This map is here to show you how to build hierarchies of journey maps: fields allowing for zoom-in and zoom-out are highlighted. It also includes KPIs so you can see how customer journey maps can be used beyond workshops and projects.

What we learn from the public transport journey map example: This customer journey map shows how much insecurity the passenger is experiencing along the journey – never having been at a city, or having used the local public transport results in strong ups and downs on the dramatic arc and levels out positive emotions about having finally arrived to the destination. A service designer might want to understand how to relieve the passenger from this insecurity so he or she can relax or maybe even enjoy the trip.


Telecommunications journey map example

In this section, we delve into a customer journey map specifically related to the telecommunications sector. This map outlines the different steps that customers experience when interacting with communication services, providing valuable insights into enhancing connectivity experiences and optimizing user satisfaction.

telecommunication example journey map

View telecommunications journey map

How the telecommunications journey map is structured: In this example of a customer journey map you can zoom into one of the steps to get from a high-level journey map to a detailed journey map. Satisfaction scores and dramatic arc together indicate the pain points of the journey, a channel lane, the impact of communication and backstage lane how many different stakeholders are in touch with the customer along the journey.

What we learn from the telecommunications journey map: The map shows that only two steps of a rather long journey actually are positive experiences, however many steps are of high engagement. This means the journey is pretty energy-consuming for the customer. Reasons are language issues and unsatisfying device setup by the provider which is not fixed timely.


Journey mapping in SaaS example

Let's focus on a customer journey map originating from the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) domain. This map offers a comprehensive view of the stages that users progress through when utilizing SaaS solutions, offering valuable insights into refining software experiences and ensuring optimal user engagement.

example journey map SaaS

View SaaS journey map

How the SaaS journey map is structured: This journey map provides us with insights on how to onboard users to a SaaS (=software as a service) solution. A lane for job stories gives context, a lane for pain points highlights the most important fixes to be made. The journey map also highlights how the participant feels along the journey and color-codes positive and negative feelings.

If you would like to read more about backgrounds, challenges and relevance read our article about journey mapping in SaaS.

What we learn from the SaaS journey map: The worst experience has been a means that was actually implemented to help people – a pop-up wizard that pops up again and again and turns out to be annoying. This shows that research is essential because only that way we can know how our activities are perceived.

Customer journey mapping in marketing example

We delve into a customer journey map that serves as a powerful tool for marketers in shaping their communication strategies. This map illuminates the intricate steps customers take during their engagement, providing insights crucial for tailoring messages that resonate, identifying key touchpoints, and ultimately cultivating more impactful and resonant brand-consumer interactions.

Marketing example journey map

View marketing journey map

How the marketing journey map is structured: This customer journey map illustrates four phases of a buying process: Problem recognition, information search, use and leave. A zoom-in map shows the experience on the website. Also essential for marketing is a channel overview and a look at the KPIs along the journey. 

Learn more about journey mapping in marketing by reading the whole article.

What we learn from the marketing journey map: With the time component on the KPI lane we can see how some values that indicate interaction improve (orders completed) and some decrease (retention rate). Knowing this quantitative data, together with qualitative insights (pain points of customers) the journey map helps us take action.

Customer journey map in Banking example

Progressing further, our focus shifts to a customer journey map specifically within the banking sector. This map offers a comprehensive view of the stages that clients go through when engaging with banking services, shedding light on the importance of understanding these stages to enhance service efficiency, streamline processes, and ensure a seamless and satisfactory banking journey.

journey map in the banking sector example

View banking journey map

How the banking journey map is structured: Here you can find an example journey map about banking. It visualizes the process of finding a new banking provider and using it. It shows emotional journey, dramatic arc, channels of communication and files used.

Find the entire article about journey mapping in banking here.

What we learn from the banking journey map: The journey map is a first step towards a repository and collects all files that the customer needs along the journey – especially in an environment where we see a high need / desire of information this is crucial to efficiently communicate with the customers and can prevent negative experiences, e.g. having to contact customer support because things don't work as expected.

Journey mapping in recruiting example

In the upcoming section, we'll delve into an employee journey map example from the realm of recruitment. This map outlines the key phases that candidates experience during the hiring process, offering valuable insights into streamlining procedures, optimizing candidate experiences, and ultimately fostering a more efficient and effective recruitment process that aligns with organizational goals.

 journey map example of the recruitment process

View recruiting journey map

How the recruiting journey map is structured: This journey map repository consists of two journey maps: The high-level journey visualizes the experience of a person being frustrated in her job and finding a job ad. The detailed journey map visualizes the experience of the applicant as well as the one of the recruiting manager. 

Read the whole article about journey mapping in recruiting here.

What we learn from the recruiting journey map example: The lack uncovers that a crucial step  – the application – is actually connected to a negative experience. To better understand the roots, it dives into the experiences and connects a detailed map which looks a it, step by step, and discloses the first improvements that are needed.


Customer journey example from tourism & travel

Our attention shifts to specific customer journey maps within the realm of tourism and travel. These maps provide a comprehensive view of the stages that travelers go through when planning, experiencing, and reflecting upon their journeys, offering insights into how businesses in this sector can enhance customer interactions and ensure memorable and seamless travel experiences.

Tourism journey map, example #1

tourism journey map example

View tourism journey map

How the tourism journey map is structured: This is a journey map in German language. It visualizes and compares the experience of two different personas during their holiday, during their planning and travel phase.. The emotional journey illustrates where and how much the satisfaction differs at specific points.

What we learn from the tourism journey map example: The map shows how the quality of a specific step – in this case, consulting at the travel agency – can strongly influence an experience. Also it makes clear that some personas need more information than others, and are more involved into the journey – e.g., one persona goes through more steps than the other. The map also shows the value of emotional journey mapping.

Journey mapping in tourism, example #2

Journey map visualizing the process of finding a destination for a vacation.

View tourism journey map

How the tourism journey map is structured: The high-level journey visualizes the overall experience they have, from the desire to go on a holiday to reflecting on the trip and looking at photos they took. The detailed journey map visualizes the pre travel experience: how they find Berlin as a potential destination, booking and preparing for the trip.

Read the whole article about journey mapping in tourism here.

What we learn from the tourism journey map example: This tourism journey map example is a small journey map repository, consisting of a high-level journey map and a zoomed-in, more detailed journey map. The high-level journey map includes a channel and a backstage lane for context and empathizing with the personas.

Wrapping it up

There are many attributes that make a journey map valuable. Therefore journey maps can vary a lot in what they look like. The objective of the map, the persona and also the industry that is the subject are attributes that make journey maps differ from one another. Depending on the case, the following example journey maps have different kinds of data underlying which is represented in various lanes.

Always keep in mind: there is no right or wrong.

Conclusion

As our exploration of diverse customer journey map examples comes to a close, we reflect on the invaluable insights gained across industries. These real-world case studies have unveiled the transformative potential of understanding user experiences. From retail to healthcare, technology to hospitality, we've witnessed the universal impact of empathetic journey mapping. By dissecting these pathways, we've learned to anticipate pain points, optimize touchpoints, and cultivate authentic connections.

Equipped with these learnings, we can elevate our strategies, designing experiences that resonate with customers on a profound level.

Let these examples stand as a testament to the enduring importance of putting the customer journey at the heart of every endeavor, propelling us toward a future where exceptional experiences define success.

And now, what's next?

Now as you're equipped with a load of insights and inspiration, it's time to start creating your own journey maps with Smaply!

It's free, forever.

Create your own journey map!