Understanding your customer experience is the key to improving it. This means that the investments we make in parallel with the increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty find their financial value. The best way to find out what your customers are doing, thinking and feeling when interacting with your company is to create a Customer Journey Map.
2. You can present a
great product on
time, with a big
smile. But
erratic touchpoints
like a misspelled
ad, billing errors, or
a useless website can
keep you from
missing your
customers.
Fortunately,
it is possible to
control these
touchpoints.
What are customer touchpoints?
Customer touchpoints are where your brand is in
contact with the customer from the very beginning to
the end of the process. For example, customers can find
your company online or through advertisements, see
reviews and reviews, visit your website, shop in your
store.
So what are the touchpoints, and how do they
enable you to make better business decisions?
Definition of touchpoint: Touchpoint encompasses
any time a potential or current customer comes into con-
tact with. Identifying touchpoints is the first step towards
mapping the customer journey and ensuring your cus-
tomers are satisfied at every step.
Finding Customer Touchpoints
Identify your customer touchpoints by listing all the
places and times your customers can connect with your
brand. We’ve listed some touchpoints here. However,
these may vary according to the field of activity of your
company.
Worried you’ll miss some touchpoints? Put yourself in
the customer’s shoes.
Finding all these touchpoints can be a little daunt-
ing at first, as your customers may have many different
experiences with your brand.
You are now the customer. So get a pen and
paper. Because when you put yourself in the
customer’s shoes, you will need to take notes.
Ask yourself these questions:
Where to go (and how to get there) when you?
As you move step–by–step through the customer jour-
ney, all the pieces become clear before your eyes.
You also do this when you ask customers to detail their
experience.
anumak.ai
3. What is touchpoint mapping?
Touchpoint mapping is the act of outlining every interaction a customer may have with your
brand. This process looks at every step of the buyer’s journey and identifies where customers
come into contact with or experience your brand.
Touchpoint mapping is essential because it allows your brand to visualize and improve ev-
ery experience a customer has with your business.
How can you use your map of touchpoints to bring customers together to drive growth?
You need to ensure that every touchpoint results in a good customer experience and that the
entire journey meets the customer’s expectations.
You can run customer feedback surveys or install customer experience management soft-
ware to see what’s working at every key touchpoint. But always be careful to observe the entire
customer journey to avoid overlooking the overall profile.
How to Start Touchpoint Mapping
Define Each Customer Touchpoint
To begin touchpoint mapping, start by describing every interaction your business has with
your customers. Then, it helps you look at experiences in these categories: Before, During, and
After Purchase.
While some touchpoints overlap, this classification helps you visualize and describe every
possible interaction.
Map the Touchpoints
Once you’ve identified where your customers interact with your brand, these experiences
are in chronological order. As you go through the touchpoint mapping process, consider the
steps that guide your customers through the purchasing process. Then, use these stages of a
retail buyer’s journey to show your outline.
anumak.ai
4. Step 1: Inform Customers of Your Brand: Customer becomes familiar with your brand and
products.
Step 2: Bring Customers Through the Door: The customer is familiar with your brand and
plans to visit your in–house location.
Step 3: Start the Sale: The customer is working on the purchasing process in your store.
Step 4: Keep Customers Returning: The customer has made a purchase and is thinking of
returning and buying from you again.
Don’t create a single buyer journey through this process. Instead, make at least 4–to five
different customer maps to consider all the different experiences your customers may have.
Improve Every Customer Touchpoint
After identifying each potential customer touchpoint, the next step is to improve engage-
ment. It would help if you looked at how you can provide the customer with the best possible
experience at that moment.
As you work to improve your customer touchpoints, focus on building your brand experienc-
es:
Relevant: The experience should fit the context of its channel and the interests of your target
audience. The customer expects and needs to find at this stage of the buyer’s journey.
Meaningful: The experience must provide significant and valuable value to the customer.
Attractive: The experience should touch the customer’s wishes and give them what they
desire.
Personal: The experience should be customizable to meet each client’s specific needs. This
can be accomplished through online interactions before their visit or through WiFi Marketing
while in your store.
anumak.ai
5. Set a Schedule to Review
Touchpoints for marketing and advertising don’t end when you create and implement your
new strategy. Your marketing channels and operational processes will continue to evolve and
change. Your customer mapping should do the same.
It would help keep reviewing and updating the touchpoint map as new avenues are creat-
ed, and unique marketing platforms are introduced. Make it an ongoing priority to use touch-
point mapping to create better customer experiences effectively.
Do not view this process as a one–time strategy. Instead, do some
preliminary work, and then plan to continue refining your touchpoint
mapping and executing it to get the best benefits and results.
Check Your Customer Touchpoints Now
If you want to start improving your touchpoint mapping, start by auditing your existing cus-
tomer touchpoints. Then, review your business and identify every item customers come across
during their visit.
Use our free Retail Customer Experience Audit to guide you through the process and ensure
you don’t miss any critical elements. It helps you identify everything that customers experience
from the moment they walk or drive to your business through the final exit process.
anumak.ai