How to Map your Customer Journey [Template]

What is a customer journey map?

A customer journey map is a visual map of every experience your customers have with you. It helps to tell the story of a customer's initial engagement into a long-term relationship. The goal is to make every interaction as good as it can possibly be.

Why map your customer journey?

Customer journey mapping gives you an opportunity to step into your customer’s shoes and see your business from their perspective. It is a way of identifying potential pain points, how you can improve the customer experience, define customer needs and ensure you are delivering at every step. The ultimate experience should be seamless and consistent.

The 4 Stages of the Customer Journey

There are 4 main stages to the customer journey at the vet practice. At each stage, there are a range of ways that customers can interact with your practice.

STAGE 1 - How did I find you?	Online Social media Word of mouth Traditional media e.g. newsletters
STAGE 2 - What is my experience when I make contact with you?	Website e.g. can I make an online appointment Education e.g. online resources, ease of accessibility to health information How can I contact the vet e.g. Phone, email, chatbots Phone e.g. How am I greeted? Convenience e.g. online forms, housecalls
STAGE 3 - What is my experience during the visit?	Do staff greet me by name? How do they interact with my pet? Do they know my pet’s name? Will they ask for paperwork to be completed? How long is the wait? Does the vet seem rushed? How well does the vet communicate with me? Is this going to be expensive? Will I have to come back?
STAGE 4 - What happens after I leave?	Post visit summaries Handouts Follow up phone call Word of mouth - Would I recommend to others? Testimonials - Would I leave an online review

How to get 5 star reviews every time

Sample customer journey map

	STAGE 1 - First Customer Enquiry	STAGE 2 - Booking Appointment	STAGE 3 - The Visit	STAGE 4 - The Follow up
Thinking	How much will it cost? How far away is it? How can I contact them? What are the reviews?	Can I just turn up? Can I book online? Can I cancel easily? How many forms will I need to complete?	How do I check-in? How long will I have to wait? How gentle will they be with my pet? Will I understand what was performed, expected outcomes, potential problems? Will I have a breakdown of costs?	What do I need to do? When do I need to visit next? What should I be looking out for? How soon will I see an improvement?
Feeling	Apprehensive - don’t want to spend too much money Annoyed - visiting the vet is inconvenient Skeptical - will the vet really help Reassured - vet gave me a good breakdown of Rx and $$ before visit last time	Frustrated - I don’t want to jump through too many hoops to see a vet Hopefully - I will get the appt I want Relieved - appointment was made easily	Surprised - Practice is clean and team are friendly Anxious - my pet does not like other pets Impatient - how long will this take? Relieved - the cost is as expected Clueless - I don’t understand what they did	Hopeful - my pet will be healthier Optimistic - my pet will get better Cautious - they will want to see me again for more money
Customer Experience	Website is overwhelming and not mobile friendly Broken links Straight-forward navigation	Online appointment asks for a lot of information or still requires a phone call Friendly team on the phone, but I had to wait too long	Phone ringing constantly and loudly No update on waiting time Knowledge only came after prompting No clear breakdown of what was done No reason to stay connected between visits	Need a reminder for routine care Social media is irrelevant Need written instructions to help with homecare Need vets to be more accessible
Opportunity	Mobile-friendly website Concise messaging Pet health information online Good online reviews	Identify if customer is new or returning for rapport Streamline appointment forms and processes Share digital forms prior to the visit for convenience Share “what to expect at the visit”	Provide waiting updates Electronic health summaries that highlight what was done and homecare Provide written estimates Provide status updates Separate dogs from cats in waiting room	Provide follow up calls Written summaries Keep in contact between visits

Download your customer journey template