If companies want to be successful, they need to know what customers expect from products and services. The points of contact that arise between companies and consumers are called touchpoints. In the age of digitalization, new touchpoints are constantly growing - and with them the opportunities for companies to be closer to their customers. Touchpoint management is concerned with identifying these touchpoints and providing them with good content.
At the third slashTalk organized by doubleSlash Net-Business GmbH last week, around 80 interested parties came to Friedrichshafen to discuss the topic of touchpoint management in expert dialogues. The day before, customers met for an exclusive Best Practice Day on the topic of efficient marketing and innovation.
Focus on professional exchange
Inspired by high-calibre keynote speeches, the focus of this expert dialogue is on personal exchange between the participants. "Our guests responded excellently to the modern format of the slashTalk and actively helped shape the program with practical contributions," says Oliver Belikan, Managing Director at doubleSlash, with satisfaction.
In her introductory and very entertaining presentation, bestselling author Anne Schüller, an expert in customer-oriented marketing, reported on her experience that many companies lose potential customers even before they make a purchase because they do not know or use their touchpoints. "And once you're a customer, you're second class. Everyone knows this from their mobile phone contract," says Schüller. All too often, companies make the mistake of focusing too much on new customers - and lose sight of their existing customers in the process. However, loyal customers are essential for a company, Schüller continues.
Lifetouchpoints you can touch
Companies can take advantage of new technologies when using their touchpoints. The customer journey, i.e. the customer's journey before, during and after the purchase, offers numerous interfaces where companies can offer the customer good service.
Stefan Hövel, Managing Director of Innovagon, therefore described touchpoint management in his presentation as the reduction of complexity through technology. Examples of technologies that enable new touchpoints were found in the live touchpoints on display - the brand new BMWi3 and a 3D printer. "The BMWi concept is the first time a premium manufacturer in the automotive industry has tackled the topic of e-mobility," says Reiner Eenhuis, Managing Director of Autohaus Unterberger.
By networking the vehicle with various touchpoints, the car becomes a communication tool between the manufacturer, the dealer and the customer. Thanks to this service, the buying experience does not end immediately after the purchase. The customer is accompanied and can, for example, access vehicle-relevant data from outside or be informed about critical events.
New business models are also being created by 3D printing. This type of printer can be used to create exact copies of three-dimensional objects. Peter Nietfeld, Managing Director of ncd nietfeld GmbH, presented one of the latest professional models at slashTalk 2013. This opens up revolutionary possibilities for the healthcare industry, but also in the fields of mechanical engineering and electronics. The startup Stilnest.com uses 3D printing creatively in jewelry production. "Designers can use this technology to realize their ideas immediately.
The products are produced on demand, preventing surpluses and eliminating the need for advance financing," says Julian Leitloff, Managing Director of Stilnest.com. Of course, this technical progress also harbors risks. Marketing managers must ask themselves at an early stage what impact 3D printing will have on patents, plagiarism and infringements of rights for their own product range.
Identify your own touchpoints
The ways in which you can identify your own touchpoints and how these can then be used to create added value for the customer provided the experts at the slashTalk with new ideas and a lively exchange.
"I am delighted that we always manage to offer responsible managers from corporations and well-known brands an interesting program. The participants responded excellently to the special format of the business camp and once again actively contributed to the familiar atmosphere," says Andreas Strobel, Managing Director of doubleSlash Net-Business GmbH. The successful format will be continued next year. Interested parties can make a note of October 9.
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