Customer service does not begin and end with a sale. Your customer service is defined by all of the interactions you have with your customer before, during and after the sale. To improve your level of customer service you need to review all of these interactions or ‘touch points’.
Customer touch points are your brand’s points of customer contact, from start to finish. For example, customers may find your business online or in an ad, see ratings and reviews, visit your website, shop at your retail store, or contact your customer service team.
In the table below are some of the customer touch points you may have. Take time to review your interactions with your customers across all of these touch points. Firstly – do you have an interaction and secondly – is it adequate / great or need improvement?
Use the table below to assess your touch points and then create strategies to improve them.
Possible Customer Touch Points | ||
Pre-Sale | Purchase | Post Sale |
Social media | Store / Office / Website | Billing |
Ratings and Reviews | Website | Transactional emails |
Testimonials | Catalogues | Marketing emails |
Word of Mouth | Promotions | Service and support teams |
Community Involvement/ Donations | Staff / sales team/ distributors / retailers | Online help centre |
Advertising | Phone System/ email | Follow-ups |
Marketing / PR | Point of Sale / Merchandising | Thank you cards / responses |