Many companies claim to put customers first. Yet when teams and technology don’t work together, customers get bounced between departments, forced to repeat themselves, and often leave without answers. The result: frustration, lost trust, and profitable customers choosing competitors.
In this episode of Doing CX Right, Stacy Sherman and Bill Staikos break down customer journey orchestration—what it is, why it matters, and how it helps organizations keep the customers who drive sustainable growth. They pinpoint where breakdowns happen and share practical strategies to prevent them.
Together, they stress that orchestrating journeys is more than mapping touchpoints. It means bringing teams, systems, and workflows into sync so every interaction feels consistent, helpful, and meaningful. They explain why looking only at single touchpoints or metrics misses the bigger picture. And they argue that escalations are not isolated complaints but red flags pointing to deeper systemic issues.
Key Questions Explored:
- How do companies identify the points in a customer journey where money is lost or friction exists?
- What role does journey mapping play in connecting customer behavior to measurable business results?
- How can organizations combine human and AI experiences without losing customer focus?
- Who needs to own customer experience within a company, and how should cross-functional teams be structured?
- What forward-looking strategies will shape customer experiences by 2030?
Valuable Insights Shared:
Doing CX Right means focusing on outcomes that matter both to customers and the business. Every interaction is part of a larger journey, and success is measured not by surveys alone but by whether customers achieve their goals and the company realizes tangible value.
Customer Experience Topics Discussed:
[00:07:30] Map the customer journey from what they see to what happens behind the scenes.
[00:08:00] Pay attention to customer emotions, especially during risky or important transactions.
[00:08:50] Combine app behavior, surveys, and transaction data to track the journey over time.
[00:12:10] Focus on journeys that bring in the most revenue first.
[00:12:50] Show measurable results to get executive support.
[00:16:30] Identify where the company loses money and remove friction to keep customers.
[00:18:00] Make sure employees have the tools and training to deliver great experiences.
[00:19:40] Validate internal journey mapping with real customer feedback.
[00:21:00] Focus on peak and end moments to create positive emotional experiences.
[00:30:00] Start with business goals and use journey tools to improve revenue and retention.
Actionable Takeaways About Doing Customer eXperience Right:
- Fix the parts of the customer journey that make your company the most money. Identify where people get stuck or give up, and make those steps easier first.
- Map both the visible customer experience and back-end processes to understand full friction points.
- Bring together cross-functional teams, including operations, legal, finance, and marketing, to execute journey improvements.
- Validate assumptions with real customer data where possible, combining digital behavior, surveys, and transactional data.
- Use AI to automate routine tasks while preserving human judgment and empathy for high-impact interactions.
- Invest in journey orchestration platforms and integrated data to track improvements and ROI.
Companies/Examples Mentioned:
- Apple: Multi-channel purchase journeys for high-revenue products like the iPhone.
- McDonald’s and Walmart: Organizational structures where chief customer officers oversee cross-functional customer experience teams.
Leadership Advice:
Bill emphasizes self-awareness and professional care:
“If you want to be a leader first, you have to love yourself. Only then can you lead your team effectively and create experiences customers value.”
Looking Ahead: Customer eXperience Predictions:
- By 2030, user interfaces will be less visible. Experiences will manifest in real time through wearables, personal agents, and contextual data.
- CX engineers will be critical in designing and orchestrating human and AI-driven journeys.
- Defining the customer, including AI agents acting on behalf of humans, will require new frameworks for legal, risk, and compliance.
Final Thought:
Stacy and Bill’s advice underscores the power of action over theory: focus on where the money flows, fix friction, and enhance the Emotional Highs™ of your customer journeys. Measurable improvements in revenue, retention, and loyalty come from combining real customer insight with data-driven journey mapping. The key takeaway: every improvement must create a tangible, positive impact for both the customer and the business.
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About Bill Staikos:
With more than 25 years in financial services & technology, and a primary focus on driving customer and employee experience excellence, Bill is a recognized client advocate with proven expertise in envisioning and executing holistic customer-centric strategies, leveraging AI and analytics to drive business outcomes at scale. Connect with Bill on LinkedIn and website.
About Stacy Sherman:
Stacy Sherman is a professional speaker, advisor, and founder of Doing CX Right® consultancy, helping companies build unbreakable loyalty across customers, employees, and partners for lasting retention and growth. With 25 years at top companies, a Marketing MBA, and certifications in Journey Mapping and UX, she provides a proven, research-backed framework that drives real business impact. A trusted, award-winning CX leader, Stacy is recognized as a Top Global CX Guru and ICMI Top 25 Influencer (2021-2025). She continues to shape the future of CX through LinkedIn Learning courses, workshops, best-selling books, and her award-winning podcast, equipping professionals with the strategies to deliver measurable results, competitive advantage, and enriched experiences.
Need help? Schedule time.
Ways I Can Help You:
- Make it Simple – Break down journey mapping in an easy-to-understand way.
- Show You Where to Start – Identify the right customer journey to focus on.
- Find Customer Pain Points – Spot what’s frustrating customers and losing business.
- Turn Insights into Action – Use the journey map to drive real improvements.
- Align Your Team – Get everyone on the same page to fix what matters most.
Change Management Employee Retention Leadership Development Workplace Culture Customer Experience Customer Service voice of customer artificial intelligence community customer loyalty CX
