Mapping customer experiences: An examination of touch points and opportunities for enhancement

The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the customer experience concept within the context of a food and wine festival. Drawing on service design literature, this paper uses customer journey mapping as a tool to examine key touchpoints and the subsequent opportunities for enhancement of customer experience. This is particularly important, as customer experience has become a key factor for businesses to build customer satisfaction and loyalty, yet relatively limited research has sought to measure the in-situ momentary experiences of customers. The paper presents a customer journey map applied to a recent food and wine event. The touchpoints identified in the study are incorporated into a customer journey mapping approach to illustrate the service processes and identify opportunities for creating enhanced customer experiences. Implications of the customer journey mapping approach are reported.