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Last updated: 28 September 2009
Customer journey mapping is the process of tracking and describing all the experiences that customers have as they encounter a service or set of services, taking into account not only what happens to them, but also their responses to their experiences. Used well, it can reveal opportunities for improvement and innovation in that experience, acting as a strategic tool to ensure every interaction with the customer is as positive as it can be.
A key aim of the Transformational Government Strategy is better customer focus in the design and delivery of public services. As David Varney put it:
"Deep insight into customer needs, behaviours and motivations, plus the ability for citizens and businesses to have better information on the services on offer, are all important for the design of public services that support the Government's desired policy outcomes.."
(Service Transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer by Sir David Varney, Dec 2006)
Understanding the customer in this way is a relatively new challenge for the public sector. Customer Journey Mapping is a key strategic tool that can help to meet this challenge. With the introduction in CSR 07 of a cross-government Service Transformation Agreement, departments, agencies and local government need to show how they are improving customers' experiences of services. Customer Journey Mapping helps organisations to develop a deep understanding of their customers and is part of a wider set of tools, including customer satisfaction measurement, which provide insight into customer needs, behaviours and motivations.
It is in this context that a range of journey mapping guidance materials have now been produced.
In putting the guidance together, we have reviewed and drawn upon best practice and consulted widely in government amongst those who are already using journey mapping. This consultation process revealed that:
Learning has also come from leading-edge companies in the private sector, and we have included in the guidance many good examples of how journey mapping is being used in both sectors.
In putting the guidance together, we have identified three types of journey mapping.
Customer experience mapping is a qualitative approach, focused on emotional insights about a customer, in order to tell his or her story with passion and narrative. It's a powerful way of engaging both staff and customers.
Mapping the system, or process mapping maps the steps in a process and identifies where to act to make the experience as easy, pleasant and efficient as possible.
Measuring the experience is a form of mapping that allows us to determine how well an experience is delivered. It can quantify the effect of changes and contribute to business cases.
The approaches work best of all in combination. Mapping the experience brings the story to life and engages your audience. Comparing this with current processes helps identify priority actions. Adding quantification to this tells you how many people are affected, at what cost. Building these layers of understanding maximises the value of the approach.
Journey Mapping can deliver a better customer experience and bring about greater efficiencies. More satisfied customers are cheaper to serve and easier to deal with. Good customer understanding is also good business.
CSR 07 clearly sets out the need to understand how citizens and businesses experience government services, not only in terms of immediate service delivery but in the context of their wider journey to access a particular service and others which may be closely related. Customer journey mapping is a key tool that will enable you to take a truly customer focused approach to improving your services and a wide range of materials and resources have been produced to help you to make best use of it.
The Customer Insight Forum is the best starting point for more information, and can help you access the other resources listed on the left.
You can contact the Customer Insight Forum by emailing customerinsight@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk or by telephoning 020 7276 3182.