---
title: No Journey Map?
description: If your journey map isn’t driving growth, you’re not alone. Explore how better listening and alignment transform CX results.
---

[Now Keep Listening](https://nkl.thecrescentconsultancy.com/blog)

# [No Journey Map?](https://nkl.thecrescentconsultancy.com/blog/no-journey-map)

 Written by [Natalie K. Jackson](https://nkl.thecrescentconsultancy.com/blog/author/natalie-k-jackson) | April 9, 2026

 

I recently hosted a webinar “CX and EX as Growth Drivers” and asked the 80+ leaders who signed up what their biggest points of friction are. I gave them choices, but **more than 46% said alignment among teams *and* communication (informal/formal) are their points of friction.** Policies & Procedures was a close second with Technology as last. We know that these friction points go hand-in-hand but I appreciate that the leaders could so easily name that there’s a disconnect holding them back from growth. Growth through revenue, retention, and referrals.

They represented a diverse set of industries: finance, construction, nonprofits, services/consulting, etc. They ranged from coordinators to founders, with the bulk being managers and VPs. Company revenue ranged from a few hundred thousand to $20B.

No, this sample size is not mathematically significant, but to me, it was the ideal room to notice: this Listening Gap**™** is real, and organizations are clamoring for a way to tighten things up and smooth out the experience, as a key to unlock growth.

Per LSA Global, *highly aligned organizations grow revenue* ***58% faster*** *and are* ***72% more profitable*** *than misaligned peers.* *(LSA Global, analysis of 410 companies across 26 alignment variables and 15 performance outcomes)*. According to Gallup, *teams that communicate effectively are up to* ***25% more productive*** *and that productivity gain translates into higher profitability.*

Those who joined the webinar already know that CX/EX is a differentiator. **63% have some CX/EX elements in place** even if not fully consistent and enterprise-wide yet, so their CX/EX Maturity is either Emerging or Established (according to the Crescent Consultancy CX8 Maturity Model).

So, what do they have in place already?

- 29% cited having a brand promise (or a statement indicating this “contract with our customer”),
- 27% cited having a way to gather feedback from customers or employees, and
- 21% cited tracking some growth metrics like retention, referrals, and revenue.
- **Only 15% said they have an end-to-end journey map.**

Because 90 minutes was not enough time to unpack *every* foundational element and best practice to smooth out alignment across an established organization, I chose to focus on three things:

1. Do you have a brand promise, an experiential north star, or any **statement that indicates how you show up** for your customers \[and your employees\]?
2. Do you have **an end-to-end customer journey map**? And an employee journey map?
3. And, once you surface friction across the journey, **how do you prioritize** what to fix?

Given **85% of attendees do not have a journey map**, we spent quite a bit of time there, mostly defining the stages as organizations have common stages but with nuances.

For example, a leading PR firm cited that they have an “Innovation” stage in their customer journey. A regional nonprofit CEO shared they are currently focused on the employee journey, with an emphasis on hiring the right people and selecting the right volunteers.

Some say a journey map is a useless artifact and a one-and-done waste of time**. I firmly disagree, from lived experience.** **The act of mapping** the entire journey stage-by-stage will get your leaders and teams, cross-functionally, to empathize with your customers, from first awareness to referring you to others. **Slowing down and taking this time together gives us a common language and gets us out of our silos**.

When revisited, with updated data (yes, you should always have real data and voice of your customer as a part of the journey), it’s a powerful tool to surface where we need to focus.

Tip: Do not assign one person to go capture the journey. **This must be a shared activity**. Then, socialize, share insights, share what’s missing, share the action plan, and share when you will revisit it again with C-suite/Executives and teams who could not participate.

Tip: If able, hire a facilitator who is CCXP certified to guide you through with an expert, unbiased point of view.

A first step to moving towards better alignment, and better communication across your team or organization, is to **define the experience**, **define your journey stages, and listen across each journey stage** to help surface where to focus first. If you get a baseline and track how improvements perform, and track your growth metrics, **you are likely to see an uptick which will fuel momentum to keep going, to keep listening.**

For leaders, this isn’t about adding another initiative to an already full plate. It’s about moving towards shared clarity. **A clearly defined journey, grounded in listening for patterns and signals, gives leaders a way to align decisions, investments, and priorities across teams without guessing**. In environments where change is constant, that shared understanding becomes a stabilizing force and a catalyst for growth.

[View full post](https://nkl.thecrescentconsultancy.com/blog/no-journey-map)

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