A recent McKinsey study (link hat tip to Dion Hincliffe) highlights the importance, for brands, of focusing holistically on all the touch-points of the customer journey rather than on isolated interactions (which they call “moments”):
“Customers are increasingly using multiple channels to interact with companies in an effort to meet their needs. To resolve a billing issue, for example, customers will often start with their bill, turn to the internet, call in to a call center, revisit the web site to check for resolution, and finally confirm a resolution on their next statement. In fact, over 70percent of very satisfied customers build a favorable impression when their needs are met over three or more touchpoints. A Customer Journeys approach addresses this.
Additionally, Customer Journeys are consistently better predictors of value. They do a better job than the touchpoint approach of predicting a customer’s willingness to recommend the company to others or to renew their business. They also give more reliable insight about a customer’s likelihood to cancel/churn…”
The McKinsey research is worth a read: http://csi.mckinsey.com/knowledge_by_topic/consumer_and_shopper_insights/consumer_experience_journey