Touchpoint

Touchpoint (also touch point, contact point, customer contact, point of contact, brand touchpoint, and customer touchpoint) is the interface
* of a product,
* a service or
* a brandwith customers, non-customers, employees and other stakeholders – before, during and after a transaction respectively a purchase. This applies for business-to-business- as well as business-to-consumer-markets.

Application Area

A ROI oriented management aims at the augmentation and the optimisation of the impact and the cost-benefit ratio of the internal and external processes. Nowadays a single communication channel can seldom reach all target persons on a high impact level neither the customer relationship management, the buying and selling channels, distribution, service, internal and external communication, human resource management nor process optimisation programmes. Transactions are made over several divisions and over different touch points, which stretch over the whole value chain of a company. For example, transactions are made through classic advertising, intranet, call centres or through the sales staff at the point of sale. The precise measurement accompanied by a systematic management of the touchpoints lead to an impact oriented performance improvement of the brand management.

Touchpoint Analysis

The benefit of touchpoint analysis is that, while comprehending all relevant media and departments, it filters and measures all the relevant contact points from the target customer’s view. Touchpoint management allows companies to optimise all the interactions with the existing and potential customers, the internal communication and process management.

Example: touchpoints of a bank

A customer has vast possibilities to get in contact with a bank. Touchpoints in banking can include client service advisors, receipts, events, offerings, financial expert reports, website, intranet, IT-systems, research reports, sponsoring, Word of mouth, e-banking, regional office or contacts by phone with the client service advisors, etc.

Which touchpoints are relevant for success?

With bigger companies, during the inventory phase, often over hundred touchpoints can be identified. This circumstance brings one specific question into focus: Which of these are relevant for the company’s success? The meanings of several touchpoints and the resulting consequences for the brand management must be specifically analyzed and assessed. The contact points, which are relevant for the company’s success, depend considerably on the industry, the product, the service and the target segment. From the whole interface universe, the central touchpoints can be identified and assessed regarding their meaning and impact. With the help of touchpoint analysis companies should be able to evaluate their processes, measures and engagements holistically. Future assets and budgets can be ideally employed and therefore should accomplish a sustainable contribution to the success of the company.

Touchpoint Management

The touchpoint management can be seen as a multi disciplinary strategic approach, which concentrates on the optimisation of the performance in all internal and market orientated management divisions. Normally companies manage their touchpoints in different resorts like marketing, distribution, communication, service, public relations, investor relations or human resources. Due to specialisation, it evolves the challenge of developing the contact points in a 360 degree view, which would enable a consistent brand experienced over all interfaces and would simultaneously keep all the brand’s promises. For an efficient and consistent brand management and the build up of a distinctive brand experience, it is decisive to integrate the formal, content and time aspects of the communication activities.

Literature

* Accelerom (Ed.) (2008): "Touchpoint-Management." In: http://www.accelerom.com/fileadmin/pdf/Accelerom_Touchpoint_Management_e.pdf.
* Mueller, J., Spengler, C. (2008): Welcher Marken-Touchpoint zählt? In: Kaul, H., Steinmann, C. (Ed.): "Community Marketing." Schaeffer-Poeschel, 2008. ISBN 978-3-7910-2757-9.
* Spengler, C. (2008): "The competitive advantage of a brand typical client experience" In: Handelszeitung & The Wall Street Journal (33), http://www.accelerom.com/fileadmin/pdf/Accelerom_brandtypical_experience_2008.pdf.