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<\/a><\/p>\nIn this post, I\u2018ll explain what customer journey touchpoints are and the role they play on marketing and customer service teams. Then, I’ll wrap up with a list of touchpoint examples and proven techniques to use in your business.<\/p>\n
Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Customer touchpoints are typically recorded on a customer journey map<\/a> and there are templates<\/a> to help (thanks, HubSpot!).<\/p>\n The maps are put together in chronological order to demonstrate a typical customer’s experience with a business. This helps marketing and customer service teams identify touchpoints that cause friction so they can remove them and enhance the customer journey.<\/p>\n Here’s an example of what a customer touchpoint looks like on HubSpot’s customer journey map<\/a>:<\/p>\n While this is only a small section of a much larger document, it gives you a good idea of how useful touchpoints are to marketing and customer service teams.<\/strong><\/p>\n In the original document, the green dots represent customer interactions that are positive, and the red ones represent points of friction. Yellow dots are moments when customers have to make decisions, which leads to either a green or red dot.<\/p>\n With this layout, I can see an overall view of different touchpoints occurring within various stages of the customer journey. This makes it easier to spot areas of your business that you can improve to increase customer delight<\/a>.<\/p>\n Next, let\u2019s dive a little deeper into those many touchpoints and see what we find.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n I\u2018ve segmented this list to cover touchpoints that occur before, during, and after a purchase. Additionally, I\u2019ve added a section that’s specific to customer service teams.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n The customer experience begins at the first touchpoint with your brand. What are those most common initial touchpoints? Let’s look.<\/p>\n Social media fits into every section of this list, but its cost-effectiveness makes it most valuable for reaching your target audience and acquiring customers<\/a>. You can use social media to promote products, build relationships with clients, and enhance your brand’s overall reputation.<\/p>\n A good example? Me!<\/p>\n Most of the clients I\u2018ve gotten in my marketing career were solely because I posted and interacted on LinkedIn. Without social media, odds are that I wouldn\u2019t be writing for HubSpot today.<\/p>\n You can get the best out of any social media platform by sticking to the unspoken rule: become and remain a consistent publisher on your preferred platform.<\/p>\n Here\u2018s a real-life example of how a prospect reached out to me after seeing value on their first and second touchpoints (I\u2019ve marked them up in the email so you can see what I mean.)<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Understand that customers may lurk for months or years before they interact with your brand for the first time. Create content for this customer touchpoint with a long-term vision.<\/p>\n Have you ever noticed banner ads<\/a> displayed at the top or sidebar of a webpage? Those are touchpoints that take prospects back to your website. For some brands, like Poliform below, it’s an effective way to drive website traffic. Online advertising can be a very effective touchpoint when leveraged correctly.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: I recommend creating landing pages for these ads to get the most out of your marketing budget<\/a> and banner <\/span>ads. This lets you re-target prospects, as opposed to sending those prospects to your landing pages.<\/p>\n Digital marketing content includes the materials your company publishes online to promote its brand. These materials could be:<\/p>\n Beyond analyzing the impact of your marketing content<\/a>, it\u2018s vital to ensure the content you put out \u200care on-brand and helpful to customers. Speak to customer pain points while creating content marketing that\u2019s convincing and engaging.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Your digital marketing content sets customer expectations. A potential customer like me will assume that the quality of your marketing reflects the quality of your product.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n If you’re on a marketing or sales team, then you may have attended a conference this year where you stood in a booth to promote your company. These events are an excellent way to introduce your brand to customers who may not be aware of it.<\/p>\n One example is INBOUND<\/a>, where companies from around the world meet to discuss marketing, sales, customer service, and other business topics. It’s a great chance for business leaders to connect with new partners and discover strategies that can help their organizations grow. A core benefit of company events is that most attendees will be qualified leads for your business.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Approach events with a well thought-out plan for following up with leads who fit your ideal customer profile. Go in prepared and make a great first impression, then follow up.<\/p>\n When I’m making a purchase, I always opt for word-of-mouth referrals from people in my life or online. Why? A brand may lie in its advertising, but customers will always tell you what they really think of a product.<\/p>\n Like me, many customers say that their friends and family are their most trusted sources of referrals. Word-of-mouth referrals are even contagious: customers who were referred to your business make up to 57% more referrals<\/a> than non-referred customers.<\/p>\n This makes it imperative to positively engage your existing customers at every touchpoint. It’s not enough to just have a great product; if other touchpoints are negative, customers will still hesitate to refer your business. For example, do customers have a position touchpoint when they put in an inquiry with your customer support team?<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: A good product alone isn’t enough to earn high customer satisfaction and coveted word-of-mouth referrals. Positive touchpoints are required at every level, from social media to chatbots and customer service and beyond.<\/p>\n I\u2018m a curious customer: This drives me to seek out reviews before making a purchase. A couple of one-star reviews don\u2019t bother me. However, three is too many. It turns out I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n According to Susie Ippolito<\/a>, a former community manager for HubSpot’s Trends, customer trust drops by 67%<\/a> when reviews drop from just four stars to three.<\/p>\n Conversely, trust spikes to 95% at the five-star level. The bottom line? Work hard to increase customer satisfaction and earn great reviews for your business on third-party websites.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Incentive repeat customers to leave reviews, and then display them prominently in your marketing materials.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n A customer is preparing to make a purchase \u2014 celebrate! This is what all previous touchpoints have been about. But customer contact is more important now than ever before. Here are six touchpoint examples in the purchase phase of the customer journey.<\/p>\n Your sales interactions are the most direct point of contact with customers. These conversations, which take place virtually with sales reps and in your stores, have an immediate impact on the customer’s purchase decision.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Have a thorough customer service rep onboarding process and maintain high standards.<\/p>\n I feel exasperated when I want to buy a product, land on the pricing page, and all I see is \u201crequest a quote,\u201d \u201cschedule a demo,\u201d or something similar. This is a turn-off; word on the street is that many people feel the same.<\/p>\n If you have a pricing page for your product, be transparent and put up the pricing. If you have no intention of displaying your price, make that clear on the homepage and avoid surprising customers with the extra step of reaching out for a quote or demo.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Make your language as clear as possible to avoid customer frustration.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Whether they’re online or in hard copy, catalogs are an excellent medium for showcasing your product line. An image of the product, coupled with an enticing description, gives the customer everything they need to know before making a purchase.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Analyze your customer’s buyer objections, then speak to these concerns in your catalog. Aim for clarity and ease of use to maximize this customer touchpoint.<\/p>\n Ecommerce is an effective way to acquire customers and close deals because websites can be accessed globally, making it possible for an SMB in one location to provide products and services to a customer on the other side of the world.<\/p>\n Understanding the touchpoints within ecommerce can dramatically improve the customer experience for SaaS<\/a> and other online companies. Such touchpoints during a purchase include:<\/p>\n Optimizing each of these touchpoints is crucial for winning the sale.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Customers ask themselves if a website is secure enough before making a purchase online. Reassure users by offering clear product information (sizes, dimensions, etc.) as well as store policy (return policy, customer support email, etc.). Anticipate their questions.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In today\u2018s digital age, product reviews are no longer just a pre-purchase touchpoint. Customers now have smart devices that can call up product reviews while they\u2019re shopping in your stores or making a decision online.<\/p>\n Additionally, some online retailers include reviews on the listing page, allowing users to see what other customers think without navigating away from the page.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Engage with all written product reviews, thanking customers for providing feedback and showing how much you value their insights. With this approach, even negative reviews can turn into a positive touchpoint. The example below of an Airbnb host responding to a critical guest review is a great example of maximizing this touchpoint opportunity.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n This is the last touchpoint your customers will reach before making a purchase. That’s because this is where your sales rep makes their case for why the customer needs your product. For all businesses, this is a momentous step in the customer journey.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Focus on speed and convenience at the point of sale. Offer multiple forms of payment and have trained associates handling these final sales to answer any questions about adoption that could sabotage the sale.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n How do customers interact with your brand after they’ve made a purchase? Understanding this will help you identify customer touchpoints that impact your revenue most. Here are common touchpoint ideas.<\/p>\n One effective way to build customer rapport is by following up with a thank you letter. This can be an email, or, if possible, a handwritten note that thanks customers for their business. It’s a great way to show customers you care and develop a long-term relationship with them.<\/p>\n If you’re not sure how to start sending customer thank you letters, check out our guide on writing thank you letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Show gratitude to every customer at every tier of your business. A handwritten thank-you might be overkill for customers who make a small purchase on your website, but a smaller token of gratitude like an email or discount code for the next purchase will help your company be remembered.<\/p>\n Product feedback surveys are sent after a purchase, and they evaluate the customer’s experience with your product or service. If the customer leaves a negative review, the company can reach out to learn more about the issue. They then relay this information to the product development team, who makes enhancements to the next version of the product.<\/p>\n Beyond making customers know that you care, these customer feedback surveys might help you retain customers who are five times harder to get, according to customer acquisition studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: When asking for feedback, showcase how the brand has used previous customer feedback. This incentivizes customers to share thoughtful ideas for improving your product.<\/p>\n Customer needs<\/a> don’t go away after a purchase is made. In fact, some customers have additional<\/em> needs once they start to use your product.<\/p>\n This presents an opportunity for you to upsell or cross-sell<\/a> customers on additional or premium items in your store. See an example of this in the image below.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Customize your cross-sell offers to each purchase. This will maximize conversion and expand customers’ understanding of your brand offerings as it relates to their interests.<\/p>\n Billing is often an overlooked touchpoint on this list. That\u2018s because it happens after a purchase occurs and has no direct influence on the customer\u2018s decision to buy your product. However, it\u2018s still a vital step in the customer\u2019s journey because a negative experience can result in an immediate instance of churn if not addressed properly.<\/p>\n Worst part is, identifying churn as a result of billing challenges may be hard. That’s where conducting regular surveys<\/a> help in optimizing your billing process.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Review your billing process and look for improvement opportunities. Sit next to a member of your team who hasn’t used the customer billing portal and have them work through it. Look for opportunities to improve the process or offer positive reinforcement to customers.<\/p>\n Renewals are crucial to your revenue model if you’re a subscription-based business. You need customers to renew their subscriptions to maintain steady growth for your business. This makes it important that you remove as much friction as possible from your renewal process. After all, it should be effortless for an existing customer to stay a customer after their contract is up.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Show the customer that you\u2018re thinking of their needs by making certain predictable steps easy to access. For example, how does a customer update their payment information or cancel? You can anticipate this question, and it shouldn\u2019t require customers to speak with your customer support team.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Speaking of customer service … This is your most valuable customer touchpoint. Here are five examples and ways to optimize these interactions.<\/p>\n Customer support channels are any platforms that service agents use to communicate with customers. This includes:<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: The list of support channels goes on and on. Businesses need to invest in omnichannel support if they want to create a convenient experience for all customers. Optimize this by choosing a product like HubSpot Service Hub<\/a> that combines multi-channel communication into one convenient interface so no touchpoint is lost.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n A customer has a lot of direct contact with a company when in the wooing process. But what about after they purchase? Who’s there to help them succeed? This is where a customer success program<\/a> comes in.<\/p>\n Customer success programs have various touchpoints. When a customer success department recognizes a potential problem, it contacts customers to notify them of the issue or offer a solution. This demonstrates a commitment to the customer’s goals, which builds additional rapport over time.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Improve customer success through both self-service avenues (like knowledge banks and AI chatbots) and direct contact with your success team. Some customers prefer a hands-on approach, and others will prefer to find the answers themselves \u2014 this aids both types of customers.<\/p>\n The battle is not won after you win a new customer. You have to onboard your customer to truly win them. Customer onboarding<\/a> is a popular touchpoint for service teams because many customers abandon products shortly after buying them.<\/p>\n Why does this happen? Either customers:<\/p>\n Both result in churn, making it essential for companies to invest in effective onboarding programs.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Onboard customers to your product as quickly as possible. Have your customer success team make immediate contact with new customers and equip them with materials to help them start using the product immediately.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Loyalty programs strengthen your relationship with customers and turn them into lifelong advocates. By incentivizing people with exclusive rewards and discounts, they’ll be more likely to share positive reviews about your business.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Make the enrollment process as frictionless as possible to incentivize signups. Consider having multiple types of loyalty rewards to reward customers with something valuable to them.<\/p>\n When customers are in a hurry or only have a quick question for your support team, they don’t want to spend 20 minutes waiting on hold for a rep. Instead, you can offer self-service<\/a> resources that feature troubleshooting steps customers can take on their own. That way, they’re not dependent on your service team for answers and can find solutions on their own time, making your product more convenient and easier to use.<\/p>\n Optimizing this touchpoint<\/strong>: Use AI to enhance your blog or knowledge base. This interactive approach to self-service will make this touchpoint more helpful for customers.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n All of these touchpoints are essential for creating and analyzing your customer’s journey<\/a>. But how do you use them in your business? I’ll explain that below.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n By using customer touchpoints, you’ll exponentially improve the customer experience<\/a>. But not all touchpoints will make sense for your company. For instance, if you\u2018re a SaaS business, you might not have an online catalog. And if you\u2019re running the business on your own, your customer likely won’t run into a sales team.<\/p>\n To create a custom customer touchpoint map, I recommend the following steps.<\/p>\n First and foremost, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and envision the steps they take as they make a purchase decision. Where do they look first? How do they reach a purchase decision? And what do they do if they run into problems using the product?<\/p>\n Let’s take a look at an example customer journey below.<\/p>\n After, match each of these customer actions to a certain touchpoint. Here’s what that looks like:<\/p>\n Now that you have a rough idea of the resources and information your customer will need during their journey, it’s time to decide which ones are easiest to implement based on your company size and budget.<\/p>\n If you sell a complicated product but run a one-person business, investing in a full-scale service desk<\/a> with knowledge bases and ticketing features might not be feasible. But you could start by adding free live chat<\/a>.<\/p>\n The key here is to find an alternative that\u2018s easy to adopt for you and your team and scalable as your business grows. You don\u2019t want to be boxed in after your customer touchpoint strategy yields positive results.<\/p>\n Deciding on the touchpoints is one thing; translating them into actionable tasks is another. You\u2018ve decided what\u2019s feasible, and now it’s time to turn it into action.<\/p>\n Here’s what that can look like for the example referenced above.<\/p>\n First Touchpoint Tasks<\/strong><\/p>\n Second Touchpoint Tasks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nCustomer Touchpoint Examples Before a Purchase<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Social Media<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-2-20250408-3399515.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n2. Online Advertisements<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"banner](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-3-20250408-6727673.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n3. Digital Marketing Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"example](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-4-20250408-9650324.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n4. Company Events<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"studio](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-5-20250408-9187918.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n5. Word of Mouth<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. Third-Party Reviews<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-6-20250408-3597016.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nCustomer Touchpoint Examples During a Purchase<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. Conversations with Company Representatives<\/strong><\/h3>\n
8. Pricing Page<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"pricing](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-7-20250408-9133203.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n9. Product Catalogs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"lego](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-8-20250408-6944144.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n10. Ecommerce<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-9-20250408-8669107.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n11. Product Reviews<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"x=positive](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-10-20250408-9215423.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n12. Point of Sale<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Customer Touchpoints Example After a Purchase<\/strong><\/h2>\n
13. Thank You Letters<\/strong><\/h3>\n
14. Product Feedback Surveys<\/strong><\/h3>\n
15. Upselling\/Cross-Selling Emails<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"launch](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-11-20250408-8019301.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n16. Billing Actions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
17. Subscription Renewals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Customer Touchpoint Examples in Customer Service<\/strong><\/h2>\n
18. Customer Support Channels<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"hubspot](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-12-20250408-3500351.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n19. Customer Success Programs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
20. Customer Onboarding<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"wise](\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/customer-touchpoints-13-20250408-4091980-1.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n21. Customer Loyalty Programs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
22. Self-Service Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"canva](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/customer-touchpoints-14-20250408-1385211.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nHow to Use Customer Touchpoints in Your Business<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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2. Decide what’s feasible based on your company size and budget.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Establish touchpoint tasks.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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