Toward Compelling Customer Touchpoint Architecture

Abstract

Every business enterprise touches and is touched by customers in different ways at different touchpoints – points of human, product, service, communication, spatial, and/or electronic interaction collectively constituting the interface between an enterprise and its customers. Like any good architect conceiving of and giving shape to a building or a space, a business enterprise must conceive, design, and implement the complete set of touchpoints and manage exchanges across these touchpoints with the central goal of a compelling customer experience at every touchpoint over the course of the entire customer relationship cycle.

This paper addresses this central challenge in three stages. First, it makes the case for a holistic approach to the totality of customer touchpoints across all parts of the enterprise and all stages of the relationship cycle. Next, it offers a methodology for drawing up customer touchpoint blueprints. Finally, it suggests five critical requirements for compelling touchpoint architecture.

Keywords: Customer relationship management, customer experience cycle, customer touchpoints, customer service, customer-centric organization

JEL Classification: M39