From Campsites to Clicks: How Washington State Parks is Elevating Customer Experience

What if the key to better government service was simply listening – closely, consistently, and with intention?

Across Washington’s breathtaking landscapes, millions of visitors interact with Washington State Parks each year. But behind every campsite reservation, park pass purchase, and trail visit is a deliberate effort to understand what customers are truly experiencing. In this Reflection Series interview, Business Development Program Manager Darleen Simkins shares how her agency has used journey mapping and real-time feedback to transform how Parks serves the public.

Journey mapping, a powerful customer experience tool, helps Parks step directly into the visitor’s shoes. From planning a trip online to arriving at a campsite, the process uncovers friction points, gaps in communication, and opportunities to create smoother, more welcoming experiences. Instead of guessing what visitors need, teams map their journeys and use that insight to guide improvements that are both practical and meaningful.

But collecting feedback is only half the story. Darleen emphasizes that automation is your friend; the faster customer insights reach frontline staff, the faster improvements can happen. Survey systems may not be perfect, but getting timely information into the hands of customer service leaders allows them to adapt in real time. After all, that’s where visitors meet the agency- at the front desk, on the phone, or at the park gate.

Perhaps most powerful, is the role visitors themselves play in shaping the future of Parks. Darleen tracks survey participation and discovered that park visitors have collectively invested the equivalent of more than two full-time staff positions simply by sharing their feedback. That generosity of time and insight fuels continuous improvement. It’s a reminder that customer experience isn’t a one-way effort- it’s a partnership.

As Washington State Parks continues refining its journey mapping practices and sharing its “how-to” approach across the enterprise, one message stands out: meaningful service begins with meaningful listening. And when agencies empower frontline staff with timely data and clear insight, better experiences follow- for visitors, employees, and communities alike.