Looking For Ways to Improve Sales and Customer Relationships?
Find Out Where Your Firm Stands in Today's Customer Touchpoint Management (CTM) Revolution by Taking the CTM Quiz
(San Rafael, CA) What could be more important than improving sales and your customer relationships? Today, there is a fast growing movement, a revolution, among organizations interested in improving their customer-centricity through a better understanding of customer interactions, or "touchpoints." Called "Customer Touchpoint Management" (CTM), the goal of this new movement is to improve customer experiences, and as a result, improve customer relationships. By improving customer relationships organizations improve market share, sales, and both customer and employee loyalty and advocacy.
But what exactly is a "touchpoint?" Touchpoints are all of the communication, human and physical interactions your customers experience during their relationship lifecycle with your organization. Whether an ad, Web site, sales person, store or office, Touchpoints are important because customers form perceptions of your organization and brand based on their cumulative touchpoint experiences.
Savvy organizations realize that customer relationships can no longer be considered exclusively the domains of sales and customer service. If the accuracy of invoices, or the professionalism of installers or cleanliness of your store or office is lacking, then the relationship can suffer no matter how well the salesperson or "owner" of the relationship performs. Savvy organizations know that they can best enhance relationships with customers by improving touchpoints across the entire enterprise.
In fact, improving your customer relationships can deliver powerful results to your organization. For example, through a comprehensive Customer Touchpoint Management (CTM) program developed to understand and improve key customer touchpoints, Avis gained market share in key travel markets and became a leader in customer loyalty and satisfaction as measured by Brand Keys and JD Powers.
So, where does your organization stand in the growing Customer Touchpoint Management movement? Take the following six-question CTM Revolution Quiz to find out if your firm is a CTM Observer, Follower, Leader or Visionary. If you want to see how your organization compares to others, take the quiz online at http://www.tpmetrics.com/tp_quiz.asp.
CTM Revolution Quiz (Circle your Yes/No answer)
Does your organization know?
1. All of its points of customer interaction (called touchpoints)? Yes No
2. Which touchpoints your customers highly value? Yes No
3. Your customers' views of the effectiveness of highly valued touchpoints? Yes No
4. Your customers' needs in each stage of their relationship with your company? Yes No
5. The most common sequence of touchpoints prospects encounter as they consider your offerings? Yes No
6. How your current customers classify themselves (for example: as dissatisfied, satisfied, loyal or advocate)? Yes No
Add up your "Yes" answers to find where your organization is positioned in the CTM revolution:
0: CTM Observer. While your firm may be doing well, there are opportunities for dramatic improvement in the customer-centricity of your organization. If your approach to better understanding and improving customer touchpoints has been to observe or monitor customer service trends in your industry, you may be finding it more and more difficult to compete. New clients and strong sales may be masking poor customer satisfaction and retention issues, which could lead to a serious problem down the road. You know that improving customer-centricity will help, but your organization may be having trouble getting its hands around just how to accomplish this ? you're not sure exactly where to start. Previous efforts to improve customer experiences have generated mixed results. As a consequence, staff are highly skeptical of new programs and their ability to truly effect change. A change of culture may be required to dramatically improve customer-centricity, and you probably need third party assistance to accomplish this.
1 - 2: CTM Follower. Your organization is making progress on improving customer experiences and is generating some positive feedback as a result. However, you are still following the Customer Touchpoint Management leadership of others. You appreciate that you are more customer-centric than some of your competitors, but worry that you have significant hurdles to overcome to catch up to the customer service leaders in your industry. You are proud of the improvements made to date and you want to continue the organization's positive momentum. You realize that you may need outside experts to help the firm get to the next level.
3 - 4: CTM Leader. A Customer Touchpoint Management revolution leader, your organization is benefiting from being ahead of the customer experience curve. You excel in comparison with the majority of your competitors. Your sales are increasing, and you have improved the retention of both customers and employees. Customers who advocate your offerings are helping to fill your sales pipeline and employees who advocate your company are helping to attract outstanding staff. You are committed to continuously improving touchpoint performance through a dynamic Customer Touchpoint Management plan, and have systems in place that enable your organization to surface and apply touchpoint best practices. Not satisfied, however, you continually look internally and externally for opportunities to improve customer touchpoints in order to improve your customer-centricity and to stay ahead of your competition.
5 - 6: CTM Visionary. Your organization is the inspiration for the touchpoint revolution both within and outside of your industry. You have established benchmarks and best practices for developing and implementing a comprehensive Customer Touchpoint Management plan. You have developed a system of two-way communication that encourages ongoing and honest feedback from both customers and employees. Based on customer and staff input, you have established touchpoint standards and manage to those standards. Your customers consistently experience excellence in every touchpoint they encounter. Outstanding talent is clamoring to work for you and your competitors covet your employees. You are able to charge a premium for your products or services, and your corporate leaders are invited to speak about the customer-centricity of your organization. Happy to share your CTM story, you know that your success is based on an ingrained culture of relentlessly looking for better ways of understanding, improving and measuring your customer touchpoints in order to strengthen your position as a customer service leader, and to further distance yourself from your competitors.
We are in the early stages of the Customer Touchpoint Management revolution. If you find your organization positioned as a CTM Observer or Follower, it is not too late to learn from the Leaders and Visionaries and to apply the concepts of Customer Touchpoint Management to improving relationships with your customers. The benefits are powerful, creating happier customers, employees and owners.
About The Author
Hank Brigman is author of the upcoming book "Touchpoint Power!," and President and CEO of Touchpoint Metrics (www.tpmetric.com), the research consultancy that pioneered Touchpoint Mapping?. Based on their proprietary methodology, Touchpoint Metrics delivers data, insights and recommendations that serve as a foundation for Customer Touchpoint Management efforts. Hank can be reached directly at 415.258.8524 or via email at: hbrigman@tpmetrics.com.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Customer service is an essential component of any business. Clearly,... Read More
Those of us doing business over the internet have to... Read More
Looking for hi-fi computer peripherals? Finding it tough to decide... Read More
Last night I was at my computer and a Skype... Read More
Running a successful business takes a lot of energy and... Read More
First let us specifically define customer service. It is the... Read More
Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and... Read More
1. Hire people who have a service attitude. Some people... Read More
The relationship between customer satisfaction and success of a service... Read More
Winning Customer ExperiencesMuch research has been done on what the... Read More
It may come as a surprise to you to discover... Read More
Have you ever wondered why you often find a coupon... Read More
I call it the "wave and roll."You walk up to... Read More
In today's demanding economy, the first line of any business... Read More
Walmart was the first business to require all its employees... Read More
Different people call their Customers by different names. If they... Read More
Whether you are a seasoned small business professional, or you... Read More
The Reason Why Direct Internet Marketers Have To Work So... Read More
Do you remember the last time you went into a... Read More
"Hi this is Randy. Leave me a message after the... Read More
On a recent airline flight I was an upset... Read More
If there was a restaurant in your town that was... Read More
Have you ever called a company and been greeted with... Read More
I returned a rental car at an airport yesterday. As... Read More
One of my classes in management focused on the repeat... Read More
We all know the old adage, "The Customer is Always... Read More
Q: I just discovered that for the past six months... Read More
Looking For Ways to Improve Sales and Customer Relationships?Find Out... Read More
Good service is easy to spot and hard-to-find. Mediocre service... Read More
According to customer service studies by marketing gurus of the... Read More
If you were a customer on the telephone with a... Read More
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't... Read More
Quest for new clients shouldn't ignore those who pay the... Read More
You've been going 6-to-late; exhausted by running the supersonic treadmill... Read More
It may come as a surprise to you to discover... Read More
Resistance has to do with putting up blocks that prevent... Read More
It's The Little Things That Make or Break a Small... Read More
Have you seen that thing on TV where the gal... Read More
Given the choice of dealing with a positive, upbeat employee... Read More
The primary objective of a business is to get and... Read More
Service can be described as a "performance" of some kind... Read More
When was the last time you received a handwritten note... Read More
With Some Tips on How to RespondTt has probably happened... Read More
Are your company's call center services all that they could... Read More
Those of us in home based and small businesses are... Read More
I returned a rental car at an airport yesterday. As... Read More
Five minutes into the call I knew this client was... Read More
In 2002, there wasn't much interest for Kindness in business,... Read More
Customer service is increasingly seen as one of the most... Read More
Businesses like to brag in their advertising about quality of... Read More
Winning Customer ExperiencesMuch research has been done on what the... Read More
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Human Tech Tips --... Read More
You want customers. I want customers. We all want customers.... Read More
When you own a business, you may find yourself in... Read More
You have no doubt heard the saying that the customer... Read More
In the competitive world of the 20th century, we generally... Read More
However, in the world of business, this cliché may not... Read More
Do you remember the last time you went into a... Read More
Corporations in every sector are spending more than ever before... Read More
Some businesses have slow paying customers or past due balances... Read More
In this day of terrible customer service, it should come... Read More
In a mobile detail or mobile car wash business you... Read More
There is a widely accepted principle of human behavior that... Read More
Remember trading stamps? If you're over 40, chances are you... Read More
Landing a new client is like courting a potential spouse.... Read More
It should be a straightforward business scenario: making sure that... Read More
Customer Service |