ISS 2020 Vision Future of Service Management | Page 59

These are encounters that can influence the users’ perception of the service and brand.
However, they can be managed or unmanaged experiences that the user chooses. On
the one hand, managed touch points are the ones where service providers can control or
heavily influence the interaction with the brand, such as service desks, call centres, service
employees, marketing content, etc. On the other hand, unmanaged touch points represent
user interactions with the brand that occur outside of the organization, such as third party
providers, partner interactions, blogs, social media, word of mouth, etc.
Users experience businesses and brands through end-to-end journeys and not only through
single touch points. As a result, individual touch points may perform well even if the overall
service experience is poor (see figure 24). As one subject-matter expert put it, “your brand is
the sum of all touch points and, sometimes, one touch point can ruin everything.” 71 Research
indicates that 25% of users will defect after one bad experience. 72
Agent 90%
Call Center 85%
Web 85%
Journey
Satisfaction
60%
Support 90%
Figure 24: User satisfaction across touch points and end-to-end journey (Source: McKinsey Digital Labs,
2016)
As the service market becomes more commoditized, “more service organizations will be able
to effectively compete. Thus, the differentiation lies in the Service Management model and a
service provider’s ability to execute.” 73 This involves managing user expectations and fulfilling
their perception of excellent service, but above all, understanding the user – “competition
in the future will be centred on understanding the user journey and providing the necessary
support facilities or mechanisms.” 74 Service is a strategic decision; if you understand what
users want then you can become a leading service business. 74 Taking these strategic decisions
and shifting the focus from touch point to journey requires service providers to observe,
shape and perform. 72
71 Bechmann, S. ISS 2020 Vision: Future of Service Management, 2016.
72 McKinsey & Company, The CEO Guide to Customer Experience, McKinsey Quarterly, 2016.
73 Andersen, M., and Ankerstjerne, P., Service Management 3.0 – The Next Generation of Service, ISS White Paper, ISS World
Services, 2014.
74 Grönroos, C., ISS 2020 Vision: Future of Service Management, 2016.
57