When I worked in branding, the idea behind customer touchpoints was, as far as I could tell, the more the merrier. Last week I had visited a chichi lingerie store to get fitted for a bra, and I bought some things. (you didn't realize this was a sex blog, did you?) Yesterday I received a fancy thank-you card, with a long handwritten note from the woman who helped me, and her card attached.
Did I appreciate this customer touchpoint? No. I felt annoyed that I had wasted my time dealing with it (I had opened it thinking that there might be a coupon inside), and my first thought wasn't "how nice," but "oh, hello ethos-inspiring customer touchpoint." I realize that you're not supposed to give your address if you don't want stuff sent to you, but it got me thinking about unwanted customer touchpoints - I can't be the first person who absentmindedly forked over their address but didn't want to receive things.
I wonder if anyone behind a brand ever thinks "what our customers want is to be left alone." Likely not today, with the branding=storytelling paradigm. The brand is you. You are the brand. Being left alone by the brand would make your life less rich, less full, less you.
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interestingly enough... I'm working on a project right now that deals with increased customer touchpoints. people are always talking about how this project provides the opportunity to turn every possible/potential/probably interaction into "an opportunity to strengthen and grow customer relationships" and I just keep thinking, "do customers really want that?" as a customer, I don't think I do, just like I don't want personalized, customizable info on my websites the way web people keep telling me I do.
anyway, I heard this story on marketplace last night and it made me think that it's just too much. I thought about emailing the story to other people on my project but then I worried that they might want to implement this technology and I didn't want brand LeeAnn to be responsible for that.
I love that a bra fitting would lead to donttouchpoints. Akin to this, my lady-parts doctor sent me a Christmas card. Merry Christmas, vagina. You were not used in the initial development of Christ, but played a huge part later. Guess what I don't want to think of, even when I'm there? The lady-parts doctor. The less customer touchpoints involved in that process, the better.
Ohhh this post went downhill quick.
When you said touchpoints and then started talking about a woman helping fit you for a bra my mind reported straight to the gutter...
Please fictionalize and repost.
Perhaps she sends you that note on her own volition and then some sort of cinemax scene only with better acting.
You will have a million hits by sunrise.
BTW, I gave an interview on some sort of radio show today. I don't know if it was a radio show or a stream or what really. Who knows.
Also, am I the only guy on this blog?
hmm.. i have to admit, when i got a card from the nice girl (and i'm not just being demeaning; she was quite young) who sold me my chichi furniture this summer, i felt rather delighted. and then proceeded to keep the card because i felt guilty about throwing it away when she went to the effort of sending it. in fact, quite possibly i still have it, 8 months later, and it still makes me feel guilty. actually, nevermind: maybe i agree, after all. donttouchme, consumerism!
Karitas - this is because I am crochety and you are sunshine incarnate.
Shannon - we need to collaborate on a new line of greeting cards ASAP.
LeeAnn - I wonder if we (and those like us) are some new strain of consumer?
Some things just don't need touchpoints. I mean, I WRITE our touchpoints, which then arrive in the mail, and I tell Matt not to throw them out until I get my clippings...and they still go straight in the garbage.
Most customer interactions are not relationships and trying to make them more intimate just makes them kind of creepy and intrusive.
On the other hand, we send out quarterly postcards for the nurse hotline...and I know calls spike every quarter.
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