Customer Journey Map Examples: 5 Worked Templates by Industry

The difference between a useful customer journey map and a generic one is specificity. As McKinsey's research on customer journeys confirms, a map that lists "Awareness, Consideration, Purchase" with no touchpoints, no emotional data, and no pain point metrics is a diagram, not a diagnostic tool.

This guide provides five complete customer journey map examples -- filled in with realistic touchpoints, emotions, pain points, and improvement opportunities -- across B2B SaaS, e-commerce, healthcare, financial services, and hospitality. After mapping customer journeys across 80+ CX transformation and go-to-market engagements, we have found that teams learn faster from worked examples than from blank templates. Each example below identifies the "moments of truth" that separate customer loyalty from churn. For the methodology behind building these maps from scratch, see our guide on customer journey mapping. For the broader framework toolkit, see the Strategic Frameworks Guide.

Choosing the Right Customer Journey Map Format#

Before diving into examples, it helps to understand which format fits which situation. Not every journey map looks the same.

The five examples below use the linear format because it is the most common starting point. Once you have a linear map, you can extend it into a service blueprint or circular model as the analysis matures.

Customer Journey Map Examples by Industry#

Each example includes the full journey stages, key touchpoints, customer emotions, pain points, and improvement opportunities. For a blank version to fill in with your own data, use the Customer Journey Map Template.

Example 1: B2B SaaS Onboarding (Project Management Platform)#

Context: A Series B project management tool with $22M ARR. The company has strong acquisition metrics but loses 34% of new users within the first 14 days. This map focuses on the post-signup onboarding journey.

Moment of truth: The first workflow stage. Users who complete their first project task within 48 hours retain at 78% after 90 days. Users who do not drop to 24%. Every improvement to this single stage has more ROI than optimizing all other stages combined.

Example 2: E-Commerce Purchase Journey (Premium Skincare Brand)#

Context: A DTC skincare brand with $8.4M annual revenue selling through their website and Amazon. Average order value is $67. Customer acquisition cost has risen 42% in 18 months, making retention critical.

Moment of truth: The usage and results stage. The customer's experience during weeks 2-4 determines whether they become a repeat buyer or a one-time purchaser. Support data shows customers who receive application guidance within the first 3 days repurchase at 2.1x the rate of those who do not.

Example 3: Healthcare Patient Experience (Orthopedic Surgery)#

Context: A regional healthcare system with 4 hospitals tracking patient satisfaction for elective orthopedic procedures. HCAHPS scores are in the 62nd percentile -- above average but below the 75th percentile target tied to value-based reimbursement bonuses.

Moment of truth: Discharge. The transition from hospital to home is where HCAHPS scores diverge most dramatically. Patients who receive a follow-up call within 24 hours of discharge rate their overall experience 18 points higher than those who do not. This single touchpoint has the strongest correlation with the system's reimbursement-linked satisfaction targets.

Example 4: Financial Services (Mortgage Application)#

Context: A mid-size bank processing 3,200 mortgage applications annually. Net Promoter Score for the mortgage process is 12 -- well below the 34 industry average. The journey from application to closing averages 47 days versus the 38-day target.

Moment of truth: The processing and underwriting stage. The silence between application and first update is where NPS collapses. Customer interviews reveal the primary emotion is not frustration with speed -- it is anxiety from uncertainty. Borrowers who receive proactive updates (even "no news yet, still on track") score 22 NPS points higher than those left waiting. The fix costs almost nothing to implement.

Example 5: Restaurant & Hospitality (Fine Dining)#

Context: A 120-seat fine dining restaurant in a major metro area. Average check is $142 per person. Yelp rating is 4.1 stars with consistent complaints about pacing and reservation friction despite strong food quality scores.

Moment of truth: Bill and departure. Fine dining guests tolerate a slow start (it feels luxurious), but a slow ending feels disrespectful of their time. The 11-minute average check wait erases goodwill built over a 2-hour meal. Restaurants that reduce check-to-departure time to under 5 minutes see a 0.3-star average improvement on review platforms.

Identifying Moments of Truth Across Customer Journey Map Examples#

Every example above contains a single stage where the experience disproportionately determines the overall outcome. These moments of truth share three characteristics:

High emotional stakes. As Forrester's CX research has demonstrated, the customer is vulnerable, uncertain, or making a decision they cannot easily reverse. The SaaS user deciding whether the product is worth learning. The mortgage applicant waiting in silence. The patient leaving the hospital.

Measurable divergence. At these stages, the data splits cleanly between customers who continue and those who leave. The 48-hour activation window in SaaS. The 24-hour post-discharge call in healthcare. The check wait time in hospitality. If you can measure the split, you can prove the investment case for fixing it.

Disproportionate ROI. Improving a moment of truth typically costs less and delivers more than spreading improvement budget across all stages equally. The financial services example -- adding automated status updates -- requires minimal technical investment but addresses the primary driver of a 22-point NPS gap.

To identify moments of truth in your own journey map, look for stages where:

• Drop-off or churn rates spike
• Support ticket volume concentrates
• NPS or satisfaction scores diverge most from adjacent stages
• Customer verbatims use emotional language ("frustrated," "confused," "abandoned")

For frameworks on prioritizing which pain points to address first, stakeholder mapping helps align organizational decision-makers around the improvement roadmap.

From Customer Journey Map Examples to Your Own Map#

These five examples demonstrate that journey maps are only as useful as the specificity they contain. Generic stages produce generic insights. Filled-in touchpoints with measurable pain points produce actionable improvement backlogs.

Key principles from these examples:

• Every pain point needs a number. "Slow checkout" is an observation. "28% cart abandonment at the registration step" is a business case.
• Emotions are data, not decoration. The emotional layer reveals why customers leave, not just where. Anxiety during silence is different from frustration with speed -- and the fix is different too.
• One moment of truth matters more than five incremental improvements. In every example above, a single stage drives the majority of the outcome variance. Find yours before optimizing everything equally.
• The map is a living document. Customer behavior shifts, competitors change the baseline, and new channels emerge. Revisit quarterly.

For the methodology behind building these maps in a workshop setting, see our full guide on customer journey mapping. For a ready-to-use starting point, the Customer Journey Map Template provides a structured layout you can customize in PowerPoint. And for adjacent frameworks that complement journey mapping -- especially stakeholder mapping and business model canvas examples -- see our Strategic Frameworks Guide.