Background
The Group Benefits (GB) organization had historically invested in member-focused research but lacked visibility into the corporate client journey—a critical gap, as clients are the decision-makers who select Manulife and shape long-term loyalty. Onboarding was identified as a pain-filled stage: complex handoffs, inconsistent communication, and inefficiencies frustrated both clients and internal teams.
This initiative aimed to define a holistic future state for onboarding, creating a centralized source of truth that would guide process improvements, reduce operational burden, and enhance client satisfaction.
My Role
I co-led this strategic initiative in partnership with the Director of Client Experiences, and with input from the AVP of Client Experiences. I shaped the research and engagement strategy, orchestrated internal and external interviews, and co-facilitated discovery workshops. Importantly, I directed the synthesis and storytelling of insights into a future state journey map that senior leadership used to inform a three-year corporate client experience roadmap.
I also collaborated with the B2B UX Design Lead, and mentored a UX Researcher on my team, modeling how to conduct enterprise-scale service mapping and build trusted stakeholder relationships—an investment in scaling our team’s strategic capability.
Challenges
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Compressed timeline: Leadership initially requested delivery within one month. I negotiated a more realistic two-month window and designed a tightly scoped plan that balanced rigour with speed.
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Client access: Account Executives were protective of their client relationships. I built trust by sharing interview guides, leading pre-interview alignment calls, and positioning research as an opportunity for partnership rather than critique. This unlocked direct client participation for the first time.
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Visioning barriers: Many internal teams struggled to imagine a radically different future state. I introduced facilitation techniques that reframed conversations around “aspirational journeys” rather than existing constraints, allowing teams to ideate beyond current systems.
Methods
I structured a multi-phase program:
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Internal interviews – Engaged Implementation, Underwriting, Plan Design Services, Plan Member Administration, and Distribution to capture systemic challenges.
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External interviews – Secured participation from three recently onboarded clients, supplemented by post-onboarding survey data.
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Collaborative workshops – Conducted two multi-team sessions to validate findings, co-create opportunities, and build ownership across groups.
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Journey mapping - visualized intersecting journeys across internal and external touchpoints, identifying gaps and opportunities
Data was synthesized into a future state onboarding journey map visualizing frontstage/backstage processes, team roles, and key opportunities.
Internal Stakeholder Interviews
18 interviews with internal stakeholders across 7 teams
External (Client) Interviews
3 interviews with external clients about their recent onboarding experience
Internal Workshops
2 internal workshops with stakeholders (approx. 11 participants in ea)
Journey Mapping
Mapping the onboarding journey across internal and external touchpoints
Key themes identified at internal workshop with onboarding stakeholders
Copyright 2025. Not to be used without permission.
Pain points identified at second internal workshop with onboarding stakeholders
Copyright 2025. Not to be used without permission.
Results
Analysis of all data sources were synthesized into a future state onboarding journey map that highlighted frontstage and backstage teams and responsibilities, along with processes (existing and aspirational) and actions to improve internal and external experiences.
Future state onboarding journey map
Copyright 2025. Not to be used without permission.
Impact
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Operational efficiency: Identified changes with the potential to reduce internal touchpoints by up to 70%, minimizing rework and accelerating turnaround times.
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Strategic roadmap: Findings directly informed the three-year roadmap for the Corporate Client Experience team.
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Practice expansion: Success led to additional requests for journey mapping across other business units (Individual Insurance, Banking).
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Organizational adoption: This project provided the foundation for co-developing an enterprise journey management practice, which secured VP-level sponsorship and is now being socialized across the company.
Opportunity Prioritization Matrix
Copyright 2025. Not to be used without permission.
Reflection
This project demonstrated how I was able to lead a team to translate complex ecosystems into actionable strategic frameworks under tight constraints. By fostering deep collaboration with business leaders and negotiating access to clients, I elevated research from “insight generation” to a catalyst for organizational change.
The future state map not only shaped immediate onboarding improvements but also shifted how GB leadership thinks about journey management—laying the groundwork for a sustainable, enterprise-wide practice.