Channel by channel, our work results in a multitude of customer touchpoints and interactions. But customers are not bound by channels. They move across them by choice or necessity, experience channels simultaneously, and see them as part of one whole—our company.
Here we will use a simple framework to inventory what our customers interact with in each channel. We’ll examine the range of touchpoints we offer and how they relate to key stages of our customers’ journeys. We’ll share what we know is working or not working, and how we can work as a team to support our customers across channels and time.
Agenda
This workshop is designed to be completed in two to four hours, including a short break. Give yourself more time if you have a large group of participants (more than 20) or a larger number of channels and touchpoints. The times provided are based on a four-hour workshop.
TABLE 2.3 WORKSHOP AGENDA
| Activity | Description | Duration |
| Introductions | Facilitate participants getting to know one another beyond just names and titles. | 15 min |
| Review agenda and objectives | Share the activities for the day and what you want to accomplish by the end of the session. | 10 min |
| Review key concepts | Share definitions and examples of journeys, stages, and touchpoints. | 20 min |
| Agree to channels | List the major channels in which you operate for your selected journey. | 30 min |
| Define journey stages | Use an existing stage or create a hypothesis for the stages of the customer journey. | 40 min |
| Break | Recharge! | 15 min |
| Fill in touchpoints | Work as a team to fill in your inventory. | 20 min |
| Review and refine | Review and refine the inventory. Evaluate the performance of each touchpoint. | 75 min |
| Reflect and determine next steps | Reflect upon the workshop process and outcomes. Determine the next steps. | 15 min |
Roles
• Lead facilitator: Workshop host and main facilitator for session activities
• Co-facilitator(s): Help(s) set up, break down, and assist in activities
• Documentarian: Takes photographs of the session to help nonparticipants understand the collaborative process
Participants
• Owners of specific channels or stages of the customer journey
• Subject matter experts who know the ins and outs of a channel or key customer processes
• Researchers (from design, marketing, and customer insights)
• Designers
• Product managers
Artifacts
• Pictures or screenshots of touchpoints: If you have done some previous discovery, bring screenshots of digital touchpoints and pictures of physical environments. These can help jump-start your inventory, as well as provide examples of touchpoints.
• Example touchpoint inventory: It’s helpful for people to see an example of what they will be making together.
Materials
• Self-stick easel pad or butcher paper (to create a wall canvas)
• Painter’s tape (for hanging butcher paper)
• Sharpies
• Sticky notes
• Red (sad) and green (happy) emotion stickers
• Camera
TOUCHPOINT INVENTORY: AN IMPORTANT FOUNDATION
A touchpoint inventory activity invariably helps people understand the potential transformation that orchestrating experiences can bring. For the first time, they can see what the entire organization has created to acquire and serve customers in one view. This tends to create a mix of emotions in workshop participants. Surprise. Confusion. Curiosity. Then the light bulbs go off and heads begin to nod. It never fails. And now the pump is primed to collaborate on further codifying and improving touchpoints as a system.
Preparing for the Workshop
As with any workshop, preparation includes identifying the right participants, clearly communicating intended outcomes, and getting your artifacts and materials ready in advance. Doing some light discovery to ensure that you hit the ground running in your session can pay dividends as well. Here are some tips:
• If you are new to your organization or client, do some digging to identify the right attendees. Channel and product owners should attend, but also invite people who make tangible touchpoints or interact with customers via intangible touchpoints (e.g., call center representatives).
• Track down any existing frameworks or models related to channel operations or customer journeys. This will help you understand the structures that currently govern participants’ roles and work.
• Take some time to do your own exploration of your channels and touchpoints. This will give you better insight into whom to invite and how much time you will need to cover the breadth and depth of the customer experience. Take screenshots and take pictures of touchpoints.
Running the Workshop
To set up a workshop, use a few meters of butcher paper (or several sheets from a self-stick easel pad) to create a canvas on a wall. Build out your touchpoint inventory on this canvas, guiding participants through activities to define and fill in your framework (see Figure 2.14).
COURTESY OF CAPITAL ONE
FIGURE 2.14 Scene from a touchpoint inventory workshop.
To begin, have