The Canadian Marketing Association's Canadian Marketing Blog featured a thoughtful article this week recommending that all businesses should do a "touch point audit" on an annual basis to ensure that they are providing their clients or customers with the best possible experience. The article is authored by SalesFertilizer.com's founder, Shelley McQuade. Essentially, McQuade argues that professionals get wrapped up in their day-to-day business, time goes by, and they take their touch points for granted.
McQuade recommends the following process of a touch point audit:
First, establish your positioning. Sit down and decide what message you want to convey. Then document it. Next, pull together samples in the three key categories [communications and media - advertising through invoicing; environment or space; and the people delivering the goods] and run them through your "positioning" filter. Are they on target or wandering off in a different direction? Prioritize and identify your biggest "touch point" offenders and plan to change them ASAP. You should set a three-month goal to get all of your offenders in line.
I think making it a priority to reexamine your touch points each year in order to ensure that you're doing all you can to serve your customers or clients in the best possible way is great advice.
