How to move from journey theater to real business value
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If you've ever gotten lost in a journey mapping maze, you’re not alone. Many organizations invest months (and hefty budgets) in creating elaborate journey maps that look impressive but lead nowhere. But according to TheyDo's co-founder, Martin Palamarz, there's a much smarter way—the journey management approach, which turns journey maps into business impact.
No pain, no gain: Start with the problem, not the map
According to Palamarz, the most effective customer experience initiatives begin by asking sharp, strategic questions like:
Why has year-over-year customer churn jumped by 5%?
What’s driving a sudden dip in online conversions?
How can we cut customer acquisition costs by next quarter?
Starting with a clear business problem helps you identify exactly which data to collect—both quantitative metrics and qualitative insights. This approach narrows the journey scope and focuses your efforts on what’s most relevant, actionable, and strategically valuable.
The winning formula? Numbers + Emotion
While the numbers show you what’s going wrong, they rarely explain why. “You need both quantitative metrics and qualitative insights,” says Palamarz.
A sudden spike in cancellations might show up clearly in the data, but it’s in the voice of the customer that you’ll uncover the frustration, unmet expectations, or moments of confusion that caused it. “Numbers tell what; emotions explain why.” That’s where the real opportunity lies.
The small-start methodology: A snowball approach
In journey management, a leaner, faster, and more impactful approach to mapping is to start small and act fast. Here’s how:
Identify a focused business challenge with measurable objectives.
Zoom in on the journeys directly related to that issue.
Collect the right data—both hard numbers and human insights.
Merge insights across journeys, ideally using Journey AI to save time and effort.
Spot clear, actionable opportunities that solve the root cause.
Prioritize those opportunities based on feasibility and impact.
Rally cross-functional teams around top priorities.
Implement, measure, and iterate.
“This small-start methodology creates a virtuous cycle,” notes Palamarz. “As teams begin delivering results tied to real business pain points, stakeholder support snowballs.”
What success looks like: A telecom turnaround
One telecom company put this thinking into action.
Rather than attempting to map every phase of the customer lifecycle, they zoomed in on a critical area: renewal. With cancellations climbing 23%, they needed answers fast.
They paired call center data with customer interviews and found the missing piece: customers felt neglected in the months leading up to contract renewal.
By implementing preemptive service check-ins and support touchpoints, the company turned things around. Within three months, churn fell by 18%.
The lesson? Map what matters most (not everything!).
Moving the needle: From journey theater to business impact
Effective journey mapping isn't about the maps themselves. It's about turning focused insights into coordinated, impactful actions. Start small, aim for clarity, and align your efforts with specific business goals. You'll soon transform the mapping maze into strategic, streamlined beelines toward a better bottom line.
Want more valuable insights from the journey management experts at TheyDo?
Follow Martin Palamarz on LinkedIn and watch the ‘Journey Management Playbook’ series on YouTube with Tingting Lin in collaboration with Marc Fonteijn & Service Design Show.