Touchpoint Insights, November 2011:

Insights and Influence in 140 Characters or Less…

In a recent blog post, I posed a question we suggest our clients ask themselves on an ongoing basis: “Why can’t our ____________ be smarter?” This is because today’s increasingly connected and impatient customers demand embedded intelligence and seamless customer experiences at ever escalating rates.

As importantly, being smarter about the ways you interact with customers can drive revenue, reduce costs, and raise barriers to competition. As evidenced by the increasing popularity of my Tweets that touch on this subject, it seems like you’re thinking about it too.

Oh yeah, and while you’re contemplating? Here's wishing you a fun and healthy sprint during the impending holiday rush. (Which you can avoid entirely by joining the estimated 15 percent of shoppers doing this year's holiday shopping from their mobile devices...)

1.) Reading: “Manufacturing's New #Innovation Labs.” http://ow.ly/7PyL6
Much as distributed and open research models are replacing the Xerox PARCs of old, so must companies rethink and remodel their internal organizations. But never fear, the hub model is on its way to help keep you integrated. (Tweet Score: 135)

2.) Is your company at risk of being stuck in the “Land of Stupid”? http://ow.ly/7fK0R
The future is now, even more so with Siri and Kinect. It's not magic: it’s real and it's going to kill companies that don't keep up. (Tweet Score: 82)

3.) Reading: “Using Storyboards and Sentiment Charts to Quantify Customer Experience” http://ow.ly/7mV6b
Any quest to get smarter, starts with businesses understanding (or helping clients understand) their customers. Here's a new spin on an old-school technique (at least here at MCorp) of mapping customer experiences. (Tweet Score: 64)

4.) In this age of high-tech, human interaction is still a critical touchpoint. http://ow.ly/7gOPW
At this hotel chain, the human brain is the ultimate app. Scan, compute, customize, serve. (Tweet Score: 61)

5.) Starbucks #QR Codes Offer Rich Blend of Info. http://ow.ly/7b5Bo
A QR code that actually does something to increase customer engagement, shows that Starbucks is getting some skin in the game. (Tweet Score: 59)

6.) Reading: “Why Flexible Displays May Transform the #CustomerExperience” http://ow.ly/7oSVA
This goes way beyond bendy...a flexible tablet breakthrough may give companies the chance to be smarter than ever...or push them into oblivion. (Tweet Score: 59)

7.) “Mommy, why won’t the TV answer me?” http://ow.ly/7fJB2
“But that’s stupid, Mommy. How do things know what you want if they can't talk and they can't hear?” Out of the mouths of babes...maybe you need a five-year-old on your Board. (Tweet Score: 56)

8.) Reading: “Rebranding CRM as customer experience management: The road to ruin?” http://ow.ly/7udLP
Thank you Colin Shaw! E does not equal R when it comes to the erroneous interchanging of “CRM” and “CEM.” Only by looking at consumers holistically will you have a prayer of staying one step ahead of what they want and expect. (Tweet Score: 54)

9.) Taking online dating to the next level... http://ow.ly/7n0bR
Online dating is glacial? To 20-somethings, apparently so. The latest dating apps knock it down to: profile, text, locate, go. It's just a short step to having QR codes stamped on our foreheads (Tweet Score: 52)

10.) Growing, or Not, in an Age of Permanent Volatility http://ow.ly/7mZcp
Mmmm, “static pie&rdquo ...my favorite. To snag a piece of your own, organizations are going to have to innovate like hell, because that pie's not getting any bigger in the foreseeable future. (Tweet Score: 51)