Knowing how to use customer journey maps starts with your business objective. Decide what you want to achieve first, then match it to the right map type and use case. The uses fall into three buckets: improving your current customer experience, envisioning a future experience, and driving organizational change.

Many companies embark on customer journey mapping projects without having a clear idea of how they'll actually use the outputs. At the end of such efforts, the CX team has checked "journey mapping" off its to-do list, but is left wondering what to do next...

So before you wander aimlessly into customer journey land, first determine what your primary business objective is for creating a journey map. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Improve Your Current Customer Experience

With a current-state journey map, you can:

1. Identify pain points and prioritize fixes.

2. Identify opportunities for feedback or measurement.

3. Plan content and marketing communications.

With a current-state journey blueprint, you can:

4. Zero in on the root causes of customer pain.

Envision Your Future Customer Experience

With a future-state journey map, you can:

5. Share the vision for your corporate strategy.

6. Plan the rollout of a future product or service.

With a day-in-the-life journey map, you can:

7. Identify innovation opportunities.

With a future-state journey blueprint, you can:

8. Identify the infrastructure and capabilities needed to deliver on your vision.

Drive Organizational Change

With a current-state journey map , you can:

9. Align your organization around the customer POV.

10. Help employees and partners develop empathy for customers.

With a current-state journey blueprint, you can:

11. Help employees and partners discover their own roles in delivering a remarkable customer experience.