Running a business can be difficult at times, which is why striving for better should always be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
This is particularly true when it comes to the customer. If you keep working to make things better for them, the better the business will perform. You only have to look at the numbers to see that brands with better customer experience are the ones that come out on top.
One thing you really need to look into is channels, touchpoints and how they’re both different.
What is a channel?
These are essential, planned points of interaction or the place where an interaction takes place between the customer and the brand. Therefore, these are things such as physical mail like letters and flyers, advertising, whether that be on TV or on the side of a building or vehicle and online, including email, your website and social media profiles.
In other words, they are ways the customer can access and interact with you.
What is a touchpoint?
On the other hand, a touchpoint is an interaction that could alter the way a customer feels about your product, brand, business or service.
But, while a channel is quite a rigid thing, when it comes to a touchpoint, it’s important to remember that some of them are out of your control. Therefore you need to understand them, so you can improve marketing and other areas of the business to help get all touchpoints under control, and therefore, helping to improve the customer experience.
Understanding touchpoints
Firstly, you need to understand where they are taking place and what’s making them interact. Because, without understanding this, it’ll be impossible to make improvements and see if they work.
From intelligent call tracking to social media monitoring tools, there are various forms of software out there to help you. These all work in different areas of communication too, so you can cover all aspects where there’ll be touchpoints with your business.
However, there are those touchpoints that are out of your control. This could include anything from a bad review to someone posting negative comments about you online. While they may be out of your control, this doesn’t mean you can’t take charge of these interactions.
From proactively interacting with these people, and gaining their feedback there and then, while also trying to resolve an issue will show that you care as a brand, while also helping to improve these touchpoints. You’ll also be able to whittle out the real issues mentioned and those just trying to tarnish your name.
By acknowledging the difference, and implementing quick changes before bringing in tools for long terms gains, you’ll soon be on the right track to improve customer relations and your business.
