The A-Z of Customer Journey Mapping: Essential Terms for Beginners

When starting out with customer journey mapping, the terminology can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. That’s why I’ve put together this glossary - to accompany my playbook, Customer Journey Mapping for Business Growth. Whether you’re a beginner looking to get a grip on the basics or simply brushing up on your knowledge, this glossary is designed to help you understand the key terms used by professionals in the field.

We’ve kept the language clear and straightforward, so you’ll feel confident diving into the world of customer experience and journey mapping.

A

• Affinity Diagram: A visual tool used to organize ideas and data into groups based on natural relationships, often used in the early stages of journey mapping.

• Applied Behavioural Science: The application of behavioural theories and principles to understand and influence customer behaviour in various contexts.

B

• Backstage: The parts of the service that the customer does not see, including the internal processes, systems, and activities that support the delivery of the frontstage experience. This can include things like order processing, staff training, and technical infrastructure that enable the customer-facing interactions to happen smoothly.

C

• Channels: The various platforms or means through which customers interact with a business, such as online, in-store, mobile apps, or customer service.

• Churn: The rate at which customers stop doing business with a company, often an indicator of customer dissatisfaction or competitive pressure.

• Cognitive Biases: Systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgement, affecting decision-making processes in customer journeys.

• COM-B: A behavioural framework that stands for Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation, which influences Behaviour.

• Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, often used as a key metric in journeys.

• CSAT: Customer Satisfaction Score, a metric used to gauge customers' satisfaction with a product, service, or experience.

• CRM: Customer Relationship Management, a system for managing a company’s interactions with current and future customers.

• CX Management: The process of designing and reacting to customer interactions to meet or exceed customer expectations, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty.

• Customer Experience (CX): The overall perception and feeling a customer has about a brand based on all interactions throughout the customer journey.

D

• Data Points: Specific pieces of information or metrics collected at various stages of the customer journey to analyze and improve the experience.

• Design Thinking: A human-centred approach to innovation that integrates customer needs, technological possibilities, and business requirements.

E

• Empathy Map: A tool used to gain deeper insight into a customer’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours by capturing what they say, think, do, and feel.

• Engagement Rate: A metric that measures the level of interaction customers have with a brand, typically through likes, shares, comments, or other forms of engagement.

F

• Friction Points: Moments in the customer journey where customers experience difficulty or dissatisfaction, often targeted for improvement.

• Frontstage: The parts of the service that the customer sees and interacts with directly, such as the user interface or customer service representative.

H

• Handoff: The transfer of responsibility or information between different teams, departments, or systems within a service process, crucial in service blueprints.

I

• Insight: A deeper understanding derived from a collection of findings or creative assumptions based on multiple findings, rather than just a single finding. Read my blog post on Uncovering Real Insights

• Interaction Points: Specific moments where the customer interacts with the company, such as making a purchase or contacting customer service.

J

• Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD): A framework for understanding customer needs by focusing on the jobs they are trying to accomplish, helping to design better products and services.

• Journey Stages: The phases a customer goes through in the journey, typically including awareness, consideration, purchase, and post-purchase.

K

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Metrics used to measure the success and effectiveness of various stages of the customer journey or experience.

L

• Likert Scale: A psychometric scale commonly used in questionnaires to measure attitudes or opinions with a range of levels of agreement or disagreement.

• Line of Interaction: The point in a service blueprint where the customer interacts with the service, distinguishing between frontstage and backstage activities.

• Line of Visibility: The dividing line in a service blueprint that separates what the customer sees (frontstage) from what they do not see (backstage).

M

• Moments That Matter: Critical points in the customer journey that significantly impact the customer’s overall perception of the brand, replacing "Zero Moment of Truth."

N

• NPS: Net Promoter Score, a metric that measures customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a company to others.

P

• Pain Points: Specific problems or challenges that customers face at different stages of their journey, often targeted for improvement.

• Peak-End Rule: A psychological principle that suggests people judge experiences largely based on how they felt at the peak (most intense point) and at the end.

• Personas: Fictional characters created based on research to represent different customer types that interact with a brand, used to guide journey mapping.

• Propensity to Churn: The likelihood or probability that a customer will stop doing business with a company, often used to predict and prevent churn.

Q

• Qualitative Research: Research that explores customer behaviour, motivations, and attitudes through non-numerical data like interviews, focus groups, and observations.

• Quantitative Research: Research that collects and analyzes numerical data to identify patterns, correlations, and generalisations about customer behaviour.

R

• Red Routes: The most critical paths or steps in the customer journey that must be flawless to ensure a positive experience.

• Research Plan: A strategic document outlining the objectives, methods, and timelines for conducting research, often used to guide qualitative and quantitative studies.

S

• Service Blueprint: A detailed map that outlines the entire service process, including customer actions, frontstage interactions, backstage processes, and support systems.

• Silos: Isolated departments or teams within a company that do not share information or collaborate effectively, often identified as a barrier in journey mapping.

• Social Desirability Bias: A cognitive bias in which respondents give answers that they believe will be viewed favourably by others, potentially skewing customer feedback.

• Stage (of the journey): A specific phase or period in the customer journey, such as awareness, consideration, or purchase.

• Stakeholders: Individuals or groups who have an interest in the outcome of the customer journey or service design process.

• Swim lanes: A way to visualise and organise different roles, responsibilities, or processes within a journey map or service blueprint, often dividing actions by lanes.

T

• TheyDo: A collaborative platform for journey management that helps teams visualise, analyse, and optimise customer journeys across different teams.

• Time to Value: The time it takes for a customer to realise the true value or benefit of a product or service after purchase.

• Touchpoints: The specific interactions or points of contact between a customer and a brand throughout the customer journey.

• True Value: The customer's perception of the real value of a product or service, often linked to the realisation of why they needed it.

U

• UXPressia: A journey mapping tool that helps businesses create, analyse, and improve customer journeys, personas, and impact maps.

V

• Voice of the Customer (VoC): The process of capturing customers’ expectations, preferences, and experiences to better understand and meet their needs.

W

• Workflow: The sequence of steps or processes that must be completed to deliver a service or product, often visualised in a service blueprint.