Customer journey mapping is everywhere—but too often, it falls flat. You’ve seen it: walls covered in sticky notes, customer emotions plotted like roller coasters… and then nothing changes.

The map gets made. The moment passes. And the real journey? Still broken.

So why does this happen—especially in companies that mean well and do the work?

Because most efforts fall into one of two traps:

They either create a flawed map…
Or they fail to operationalize it.

 Mapping Mistakes — Where Things Go Off the Rails Early

• Touchpoints ≠ Journeys—Listing interactions is not the same as mapping a journey. A true journey is from the customer’s point of view and has context, emotion, and intent.
• No cross-functional involvement – If journey mapping is done by CX or marketing alone, you’re only seeing part of the story. Ops, IT, sales, legal, warehouse, manufacturing, and frontline teams need to be at the table—or the map won’t reflect reality, and the fixes won’t get funded.
• Internal lens masquerading as customer view – Mapping based on assumptions instead of real customer insight leads to blind spots.

Execution Gaps — Why Maps Don’t Lead to Change

• Mapping for empathy, not execution—Yes, empathy is crucial, but it’s not enough. A good map should lead to decisions about what gets prioritized, what gets resourced, and who owns what.
• No business alignment – Journey maps often live in CX or innovation teams—but if finance, sales, product, or operations aren’t aligned, nothing gets implemented. If it’s not tied to business outcomes, it won’t last.
• No plan beyond the poster – Many journey mapping workshops end with a beautiful visual… and no next step. No action items, no accountability.

The IMPACT™ Method has successfully helped companies across numerous industries map and align the organization, not just on the customer journey but also on how to deliver greater value to the organization by removing pain points and designing future-state experiences.

IMPACT™ Method

• Immersion in internal data
• Map the end-to-end journey collaboratively
• Prioritize pain points and moments that matter
• Assess customer and employee perspectives
• Connect insights to business KPIs
• Take action on what matters most

The Result? Action, Not Assumptions.

Not just a map—but a blueprint for delivering real customer value and business impact.

Coming Next:

Part 2: Jumping Into Personas Too Early

Why starting with segments can lead you in the wrong direction—and what to do instead.

Let’s talk about how to turn your customer journey into a business advantage 🗣️