More than once lately I’ve been asked, “What exactly is a Touch Point in a Customer Journey?” Although it’s natural for me to use that phrase, I need to explain it for those who need some more clarity.
I’ll start by sharing a funny moment with one of my sons. We were taking our dog for a walk together, enjoying the outdoor exercise and sharing random thoughts.
(Which we’ve been doing a LOT of lately of course, but I digress..)
During our verbal ramblings, he came out with some stunningly mature questions, and one of which was, “Hey Mum, what does it ACTUALLY mean to be famous?” I replied that it means that many people know you for something.
He then asked me, “So does it mean that 1,000 people know you? Or 10,000 people? Or 100,000?” I explained that it was a LOT and it could be 10,000 people – so you could be famous just to that group of people.
He thought about this for a moment and said, “Well if you’re famous to 10,000 people you might as well be famous to 100,000 people right? That would be so much better!”
He paused then added –
“But that’s a lot of people to talk to; I’m not sure if I want to be THAT famous!”
At that point, I explained that the ‘knowing’ was only one-way and that the famous person doesn’t have to know any of the people who know them! He seemed content with this answer, before replying,
“It would be so much better though if they actually connected. Especially if the famous person was famous for a really powerful reason to help a lot of people!”
Touché, son!
I shared that short story with you to highlight something important.
That just because someone knows you, doesn’t mean that:
- They are going to benefit from knowing you.
- They are going to receive anything from you.
- That you know them.
- They have reached a ‘Touch Point’ with you.
All the points above are merely assumptions and possibilities.
When we talk about the Customer Journey and creating one for our prospects and customers, we often assume that just because someone knows us and has some level of understanding of us that they have everything they need to know about us.
This assumption is far from accurate and is only PART of the first stage of the Customer Journey.
The Awareness phase is the first stage where we create campaigns that reach people’s level of awareness about us, our business, or about what we are striving to achieve.
You do not know what information they have about you, because there is no way to track that! You can only assume. ( I don’t recommend you even try doing because there will be a minefield of gaps in your data and it will cause you serious confusion!)
The ‘Touch Point’ comes AFTER the awareness phase when someone reaches out and literally ‘touches’ you or your business.
You need the Awareness phase to draw someone to you and to create the space for them to be intrigued, interested and entertained!
Then they will move towards you (or your business) in some way and create a Touch Point at the moment they ‘touch’ your business.
This could be any of these:
- – Make a phone call
- – Enter your store
- – Fill in a form on your website
- – Send you a Facebook message
- – Send you a LinkedIn direct message
These are considered the ‘First Touch Points’ in your Customer Journey, that you need to have identified and mapped out so that you can ensure the experience someone has at each touch point is a seamless and consistent one.
Other Touch Points that exist throughout the customer journey are:
- – Online meeting
- – Phone call
- – Face-to-face meeting
- – Receiving something from you by a delivery person
- – Receiving an email
- – Receiving a notification
- – Receiving a message
So you can see that there are lots of different types of Touch Points and they are all important for the Customer Journey.
The Touch Points are all critical moments in your prospects and customers journey with you because they are all experiences that leave an impression or mark on them.
We often forget the ‘human’ side of business, and that we are always doing business with people… who have feelings and emotions, which can primarily be dictated and managed by us!
If you look at each of your Touch Points and seek to create moments of lasting memories and positive emotions, you’ll be well on your way to creating a Customer Journey that’s enviable and everlasting.
So, hopefully you can see the value and importance of your Touch Points, and that without paying close attention to them you could be leaving your customers feeling disappointed, or even empty.
It’s time to put some care into our Customer Journeys and create Touch Points that leave people feeling uplifted, understood and valued. When you do that, you’ll naturally create a buzz around your business that is talked about and shared amongst others…
Who knows, in time you may even be famous 🙂
