Closing the loop: Turning journey maps into business results

In today’s CX landscape, journey maps are everywhere—on office walls, in digital whiteboards and powerpoints—yet many organizations still struggle to turn them into real business results. In fact, Forrester’s 2023 State Of VoC And CX Measurement Practices Survey reveals that 60% of CX leaders have difficulty demonstrating impact.

The reality is, journey maps alone don’t drive change. While they offer a clear, horizontal view of customer interactions across touchpoints, they remain a design exercise unless tied to actionable business results. The real challenge lies in moving beyond the map to execution. 

The true value of a journey is unlocked when those ‘aha moments’ are translated into action items. This is where Journey Management comes in— ‘closing the loop’ by turning journey insights into actions that address key challenges and improve KPIs.

Mapping is just the start

Getting things done with journey maps, especially in large enterprises, is easier said than done. To make a real impact, you need to go beyond endless designing and move towards execution, with a laser focus on showing results that matter to the business. 

This shift requires more than just good intentions—it calls for structured leadership to drive results. This is where the Journey Owner plays a crucial role. By taking ownership of turning insights into action, they ensure that journey maps drive real business outcomes.

Two approaches to driving journey-led business transformation

The Journey Owner oversees specific journeys within the business and bridges efforts across teams. This can be achieved through two complementary approaches, depending on the maturity and mandate of the Journey Owner. The more strategically Journey Owners are positioned, the greater its ability to drive impactful change. For newer owners, or in cases where there's hesitation to fully embrace Journey Management, starting with a team-initiated approach may be more effective.

Journey-initiated approach

In this approach, the journey framework takes center stage, guiding all actions and priorities. Teams use it to identify gaps and opportunities that will have the most significant impact on business outcomes. Here, the Journey Owner is tasked with driving initiatives, tracking progress, and consistently demonstrating the impact. Their role might involve working closely with other departments to assign ownership of actions and align journey-driven improvements with existing roadmaps and programs. 

In this case, the Triple Diamond workflow is followed from left to right, and the journey is used to track progress. 

Example: 

Journey Owners at an airline mapped out six priority journeys for 2024, focusing on enhancing the guest experience. They researched these journeys to identify key opportunities and collaborated with other teams to ensure these opportunities were integrated into their roadmaps. As solutions were implemented, early improvements in customer metrics began to surface.

Project-initiated approach

This approach leverages the fact that various teams across an organization are already working on projects that can enhance the customer journey. The Journey Owner's role is to ensure these efforts align with the broader journey framework, helping teams focus on solving the right problems and contributing to overall business goals.

In this case, the Triple Diamond Workflow is reversed. The Journey Owner connects the third diamond with the second and the first.

Example: 

For example, the core journey management team at a financial institution started by mapping customer pain points through research. They identified several strategic opportunities relevant across multiple journeys. Instead of creating new solutions, they connected with various business teams to understand how existing initiatives could contribute to these opportunities. By integrating these projects into the journey framework and maintaining their original ownership, they linked journey-driven insights with ongoing efforts across the organization, creating a more cohesive approach to transformation.

Showing the impact on metrics

To ensure that Journey Management is successfully adopted across the organization, it’s essential to ‘close the loop’ by translating journey insights into real actions that directly address identified challenges and linking those actions to business outcomes. This focus illustrates true impact—how challenges were met and solutions improved key KPIs.

In many organizations, accountability for solution delivery tends to be under-emphasized. Once a solution is prioritized and delivered, teams often shift their attention to the next project. Hardly ever is there a moment of reflection on whether the features or initiatives they so desperately wanted actually provided the anticipated value. That’s where linking solutions to metrics becomes crucial. Although performance is influenced by numerous factors, focusing on this connection sparks essential conversations and emphasizes the importance of closing the loop and reflecting on outcomes.

TheyDo is built on the Triple Diamond framework, guiding organizations through a structured workflow from gathering research and insights to identifying opportunities and delivering solutions. But the process doesn’t stop there. The ultimate goal is to track how these implemented solutions—whether it’s a new email campaign or an enhanced product feature—drive meaningful changes in KPIs. 

By linking solutions directly to metrics within TheyDo, organizations gain clear visibility into how each action impacts overall business performance. This allows CX leaders to confidently showcase their impact and demonstrate how their efforts directly contribute to the company’s overall goals.

Driving real impact sets you apart

In a competitive business landscape, the ability to tie customer journey efforts directly to results will set successful organizations apart. Don’t let your journey maps gather dust—make them the engine of real, measurable impact.

Key takeaways:

• Journey maps must drive action: While creating journey maps is an essential step, it isn’t enough. They only have value when used to inspire and drive change.

• Demonstrate impact on metrics: To prove the value of Journey Management, it’s crucial to show the tangible impact on key business metrics. TheyDo helps close this loop, ensuring that each action taken directly connects to measurable improvements in performance.