This article will help you quickly compare and evaluate the best customer journey mapping tools and other experience mappings, customer mapping, and user journey mapping software.
So, you need to make a user journey map. You can use a simple flowchart to map out user journeys, but there are dozens more slick and sophisticated tools available. They include useful features like:
- Diagramming tools and templates that speed up the customer journey mapping process
- Collaboration and sharing tools to present user journey maps
- User persona generators and the ability to build, save, and customize user personas
- Customer feedback tools to help you modify your UX maps over time
I’ll highlight a few of the best tools, and I’ll answer common questions about customer journey mapping and the tools used in the process.
The Best Customer Journey Mapping Tools List
Here’s a shortlist of the best journey mapping tools:
Customer Journey Mapping FAQ
Learn more about journey mapping basics below.
What is customer journey mapping?
Customer journey mapping is the process of stepping into your customers’ shoes to understand customer personas, needs, goals, attitudes, and pain points.
What is the purpose of customer journey mapping?
The goal of customer journey mapping is to improve the customer experience and guide their interaction or transaction with your service or product by delivering what they need at every stage. It’s also often known as experience mapping.
What is a customer journey map?
A customer journey map is a visual representation showing a customer’s experience with your brand from start to finish. Journey maps can be very simple, but they can quickly evolve into complex flows with different entry points, exit points, goals, touchpoints, persona types, and types of interactions they have with your brand.
Customer journey maps can go by many other names, including customer experience map, user experience map or UX map, and persona map.
Customer Journey Mapping Software Comparison Criteria
What are we looking for when we select customer mapping tools for review? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): Is it clean and attractive? Do the journey maps update in real-time for collaborating users? Is customer data presented in a friendly, accessible way? Are there interfaces for users to quickly and accurately gain insight about the personas/maps?
- Usability: Is it easy to learn and master? Does the company offer good tech support, user support, tutorials, and training? Does the tool provide easy customer journey map template options to speed up the process?
- Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools? Any pre-built integrations? Customer journey mapping will require a lot of user feedback, so can the tool connect to popular collaboration platforms like Slack and Google Suite?
- Value for $: How appropriate is the price for the features, capabilities, and use cases? Is pricing transparent and flexible? Do pricing plans accommodate numerous customer’s journey diagrams?
Customer Journey Mapping Feature List
- Lead-nurturing path templates
- Major and minor customer touchpoints
- Onstage/offstage map points
- New customer base development
- Templates for user path shape
- Emotions and motivations
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Overviews Of The Journey Mapping Software
Here’s a brief description of each of the journey mapping that are featured on this top 10 list.
1. A Whiteboard – Best for low-tech offices who don’t use SaaS
Pros
- Low cost
- Easy installation
- Easy to use and understand
Cons
- Must manually record/save charts elsewhere
- Data is only saved temporarily.
2. PowerPoint – Best for easy adoption
Pros
- Customizable templates
- Easy to use
- Supports offline presenting
- Supports animations
Cons
- Difficult to convert file type
- No real-time collaboration
3. Microsoft Visio – Best mapping tool for simple flowchart mapping
Pros
- Interactive elements (links, actions)
- Great to write UML diagrams
- Connects to a wide range of data sources
- Drag-and-drop visuals
Cons
- Element movements can be finicky
- No MacOS support
4. InDesign – Best software for complex graphical design
Pros
- Endlessly flexible and customizable
- Plenty of professional-looking templates
- Flexible export options
- Graphically pleasing results
Cons
- High learning curve
- No real-time collaboration
5. Smaply – Best for drag-and-drop interface simplicity
Pros
- Integrates with most CRM systems
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Marketing automation add-on
Cons
- Interface could use a modern refresh
- Learning curve for advanced features
6. Canvanizer – Best free customer journey mapping tool
Pros
- Free to use
- Anyone with the link can access
- Paid plans have 40+ templates
- Mobile editing and camera use
Cons
- No attribution modeling
- PDF & PNG export only on the pain plan
7. Gliffy – Best customer journey map tool for wireframing
Pros
- Helpful prompts and menus
- Great for simple diagrams
- Free version available
- Wide variety of shapes and icons
Cons
- Slows down with larger charts
- Some limitations to connector placements
8. LucidChart – Best online customer journey mapping software (real-time collaboration)
Pros
- Numerous libraries and templates
- Web app works offline
- Easy to use
- Great sharing/collaboration features
Cons
- Pricing structure is a little complicated
- Low object limit on free version
9. Omnigraffle – Best journey mapping tool for MacOS
Pros
- Line routing for signal flow diagrams
- Large, comprehensive stencil library
- Magnet positions and routing algorithms.
- Many import and export options
Cons
- Not as collaborative as other mapping tools
- Object libraries could be more fleshed out
10. Touchpoint Dashboard – Best enterprise customer journey mapping tool
Pros
- Create your own journey mapping templates
- Drag and drop touchpoints
- Can rank touchpoints by priority
- Touchpoints support images, audio, and video
Cons
- No behavioral or predictive analytics.
- No attribution modeling
- Few online resources for support and community
Other Customer Experience Mapping Tools
Here are a few more website mapping tools to define your customer journeys:
- Journifica – Best for incorporating user research questions/answers
- Baghera – Best smart persona mapping with psychological profiles
- SuiteCX – Bets software for quick CX assessment to identify pain points
- Transformation.ai – Best customer journey mapping tool for cloning, mapping, and reusing touchpoints
- Simplify – Best for collating a broad assortment of customer satisfaction feedback
- Woopra – Best software for journey analytics reporting and web analytics
- NICE Satmetrix – Best AI-driven customer journey mapping software
- CloudCherry – Best software for mapping micro-journeys (social media interaction, for example)
- UXPressia CJM – Best software for high-quality map exports with custom branding
- CFN Insight – Best for their customer engagement Score Card tool
- Kitewheel Customer Journey Hub – Best software for integrating customer journey maps with marketing and sales
- Medallia – Best employee experience (EX) mapping software
- Amperity – Best software for breaking down heavily siloed customer data
- Optimove – Best AI bot for parsing large amounts of campaign data
- Salesforce Pardot – Best B2B customer journey mapping software
- Custellence – Best tool for mapping empathy curve lanes
Customer Journey Map Service Providers
Customer journey mapping, especially at an enterprise level, can quickly grow to be very complex. This is why this undertaking is sometimes outsourced to a specialized user experience company that manages customer journey mapping. Here are a few examples of customer journey mapping service providers:
- McorpCX – Customer research and journey mapping paired with CX learning modules
- Appnovation – Devise bespoke touch point strategies and optimise content messaging
- Vertic – Customer experience agency with marketing-as-a-service (MaaS) products
- TCXA – Strategy, brand, technology, and marketing tools with a main focus on CX
- PH1 – Audits, journey mapping, persona development, and Design Thinking workshops
- Customer Experience Group – 4 cooperative agencies covering all major aspects of CX
What’s Your Favorite User Journey Mapping Tool?
Have you tried out any of the customer experience journey tools listed above? What tool works best to imagine customer needs? Let the CX Lead community in on your thoughts: What do you think works best, and why? Comment below!
