Why every touchpoint matters
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop delivered by Nigel Greenwood of Simply Customer.
For 30+ years, it has always baffled me why businesses spend so much time, money and effort chasing new business opportunities using great marketing and sales, rather than delivering better service levels to their existing clients.
From the work I did in Total Quality Management in the early 90s, I remember a Tom Peters quote along the lines of “If you do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it, you will be in the top 1%.”
It feels to me that many still want to operate with their competitors in the 99% zone, rather than stand out from the crowd.
From my experience of chatting through this process with many clients, there are either touchpoints not being used or ones they have are inconsistently followed.
Nigel suggested that customers buy for three main reasons:
price
product
service
If you compete on price alone, you risk becoming part of a beauty parade - compared side by side with everyone else, with the cheapest option often winning. That is usually a dangerous race to the bottom.
Product matters too. Customers have to want or need what you offer. If the product does not solve a problem, create value or feel relevant, even the best sales process will struggle.
But service is where businesses like yours can truly stand out.
Every customer journey is made up of touchpoints: the moments when someone interacts with your business from them first discovering you, right through to buying. That could be your website, a phone call, an email, a proposal, onboarding, delivery or aftercare - there are hundreds to choose from. Each and every touchpoint shapes how the customer feels about you and your business.
Nigel broke the entire customer journey down from awareness through to exit.
He articulated six steps to delivering outstanding service levels.
Make it easy to do business with you - can prospects get hold of you? Are you easy to work with? Do you take the pressure away?
Set expectations clearly - tell clients what will happen, when it will happen and what they can expect next
Keep your promises - reliability builds trust, and trust drives repeat business. Do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it
Communicate - be proactive, clear and consistent. If there is a delay, change or issue, talk to your customer. Don’t leave them in the dark or chasing you
Treat clients as individuals, not numbers - don’t offer a cookie cutter approach. Tailor what you offer, add a personal, thoughtful approach that is a memorable one
If something goes wrong, acknowledge it and put it right - clients won’t leave because you mess up, they'll leave if they think you don’t care. Problems are not always fatal, but how you handle them can define the relationship
Price may get attention, product may create interest, but touchpoints and service level creates differentiation and loyalty.
The businesses that win are the ones that understand every touchpoint is a chance to prove they care.
Here’s my five point customer journey checklist:
Map every touchpoint - identify each stage where a customer interacts with your business, from enquiry to aftercare and ensure they are followed consistently
Remove friction - make it easy to ask questions, buy, get support and resolve issues
Set clear expectations - explain what happens next, when it will happen and who is responsible
Communicate early - don’t wait for customers to chase you, update them before they need to ask
Review what went wrong - when issues happen, fix them quickly and ensure you learn to improve the customer journey
Every 1-2-1 client I have, works tirelessly on understanding and improving their customer journey. It’s what builds your brand and your reputation to help win more clients, sell more to your existing clients and retain the ones you have.
If you want to stand out from the crowd to win more new business, maximise your client spend and improve your retention, let’s chat about what is getting in the way.