Why Your Customer Journey Map Isn't Driving Action (and How to Fix It)

In the quest to understand customers, businesses collect vast amounts of touchpoint data — but often miss a critical analytical step: connecting these touchpoints to customer behavior. 

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a method that could uncover “what changed behavior” in your customers?  Armed with this data, companies could shift where they invest resources in order to increase purchase intent (instead of spending budget in areas that don’t matter).

For example, a business might be curious if they should invest in upgrading their website, enhancing customer service, or improving the in-store experience.  But without understanding which touchpoints drive behavior, companies risk spending on the wrong things. 

According to Gartner, 30% of companies struggle to use their customer journey maps effectively. One key reason is that many maps stop at describing the journey, rather than analyzing its impact. Until businesses connect touchpoints to outcomes, they’ll continue to miss the insights that make customer data truly actionable. 

The power of using structural equation modeling in customer journey mapping

Effective customer journey mapping explores how different touchpoints shape customer perceptions and influence purchase decisions. And at Numerious, we help our clients uncover these answers using Structural Equation Modeling, or SEM.  

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) helps quantify and visualize the connections between touchpoints and purchase decisions. It reveals how moments of engagement — what someone did, how they interacted with your brand, and when — relate to what they think, feel, and ultimately do. In other words, an SEM shows not just if something mattered, but how it led to behavior change — by mapping what customers do, what they believe, and what they ultimately choose.

To execute an effective SEM, the business needs to start with a hypothesis about how different touchpoints connect to both the functional benefits (product reliability, ease of use) and emotional benefits (trust, confidence) that influence purchase decisions. For example, a company might hypothesize that their website's detailed spec sheets are driving conversion rates. 

From there, survey research is conducted to test these hypotheses, so that we can build an SEM that quantifies the relationship between each touchpoint and the resulting customer perceptions, emotions, and behaviors. The data-driven SEM might reveal that customer service interactions actually play a larger role in driving purchase intent than the detailed spec sheets. More specifically, it might spell out that these interactions boost perceptions of reliability, thus building trust, which then drives purchase intent.

This critical step turns every piece of customer data into actionable intelligence. By measuring the strength of each touchpoint-to-perception and perception-to-behavior, SEM identifies which touchpoints most strongly influence desired outcomes, allowing businesses to focus limited resources on interactions that truly matter.

Customer journey mapping case study

While we can’t tell you the brand or the product (hello NDA) — let’s imagine it’s a product recommended by healthcare professionals to parents navigating an important decision.

This healthcare company came to Numerious with a hunch: they believed product endorsements from healthcare professionals were driven by the quality of their ingredients and the supporting clinical trial data. That was their internal narrative.

But they were curious: what else might be influencing these recommendations?

Together, we mapped the full customer journey by interviewing healthcare professionals (HCPs).  We asked them to rate products they were aware of on:

• Functional attributes (like effectiveness and ease of use)

• Brand interactions (such as rep visits, conference presence, and sample availability)

• Emotional drivers (trust, confidence)

• Practical considerations (affordability, insurance coverage)

Then we used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to identify which of these factors were actually driving product recommendations.

To protect the confidentiality of the project, we’ll share two hypothetical outcomes — both of which demonstrate how SEM results can directly inform strategic decisions.

Possible Outcome #1 - Ingredients Matters Most

In this scenario, the original hypothesis holds true — ingredient quality is the strongest driver of recommendation.

Numerious’ Strategic recommendation:Double down on what’s working. Emphasize the quality of the ingredients and their specific advantages, alongside the supporting clinical trials data in your marketing materials. Ensure your salesforce leads with ingredient-first messaging to reinforce the product’s scientific edge.

Possible Outcome #2 - The Human Connection Comes First

In this version, ingredient quality still contributes to preference — but it’s not the main driver.

Instead, it’s the quality of personal interactions with field reps that matter most. These touchpoints build trust and confidence, which in turn lead to more frequent recommendations.

Numerious’ Strategic recommendation:Rebalance the go-to-market strategy. Invest in rep training and prioritize relationship-building. Support reps with materials that help foster conversations — not just repeat specs.

🎯 Why It Matters

Regardless of which outcome the SEM uncovered, the power is in knowing what actually drives behavior — and aligning your strategy accordingly.

When brands act on these insights, they can expect to see a meaningful lift in recommendation rates — driven not by guesswork, but by real-world data.

Converting customer insights into business results

Customer journey mapping requires more than data collection — it demands data interpretation. By building an SEM based on customer input, you unlock actionable insights that directly impact your bottom line.

Companies using this approach have seen increased conversion rates by investing in touchpoints that actually drive purchases. They've enhanced customer satisfaction through optimized experiences at critical moments, improved marketing ROI by focusing resources where they create the most value, and built stronger customer loyalty by addressing both functional and emotional needs.

For companies serious about understanding what drives customer decisions, it’s not just about individual touchpoints — it’s about how those moments work together to shape beliefs, emotions, and ultimately, action.

When you see the full picture, you create experiences that resonate on both practical and emotional levels, building relationships that competitors simply can't match.

Looking to extract more value from your survey data? Contact Numerious and uncover the customer journey connections your competitors are overlooking.