Build a better HR brand by managing your touchpoints

Touchpoints define your brand

What is a touchpoint?   A touchpoint is occurs each and every time your brand comes into contact with a customer, an employee,  or a vendor.

When combined, these interactions combine to form the aggregate impressions of your business that  is typically referred to as your brand.     Companies with great brands work diligently at managing these touchpoints and use them create a significant brand advantage with their customers, and even their employees.  Brands known for doing this exceptionally well include Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Kraft, and PepsiCo.

Research shows that the typical brand can experience anywhere from 30-100 daily touchpoints.   Examples of touchpoints in the retail business, or in the restaurant industry would include things such as advertising,  store location and design, customer service, and item availability, amongst many others.  You can see the full spectrum in the graph below which depicts the Brand Touchpoint Wheel.  The concept of the brand touchpoint wheel was developed in 2002 by Scott Davis and Michael Dunn.

From Drop Box

Image source: Integrated MarComm

Touchpoints in Human Resources

Even though the names of the functional interactions inside human resources may be different, the concepts of the Brand Touchpoint Wheel can easily be applied to the candidate/employee experience .  It is not difficult to think of an HR model for touchpoints like the one above.   I am just thinking off the top of my head, but it might consist of three slices, just like the model above:

• Pre-employment experience
• On-boarding experience
• Post hire experience

The surrounding factors are similar as well:

• recruiter contacts
• website
• recruting ads
• interview experience
• interview follow-up and response
• offer
• compensation and benefit package
• training

Of course, there would be more, but you get the idea.    Companies that practice great HR are already doing this kind of thing, even if the model is not defined in this manner.   By carefully managing and prioritizing key touchpoints, companies like those previously cited such as Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Kraft, and PepsiCo create the same kind of employment / employee brand that they enjoy with consumers and customers.  If your company is looking for a way to gain competitive advantage in human resources, consider doing an analysis of your HR touchpoints, and start to manage those that are key with strategic care.   It will be noticed!

Here is the secret sauce

If you want to fully maximize your efforts, make sure you add the human touch.  There was a lot of discussion at TRU USA about the alarming lack of human contact that takes place as part of the recruiting process.   Most companies make little or no effort to manage key touchpoints like acknowledging receipt of a resume, or providing feedback about when a position is filled.   Some utilize auto-responders in their ATS to help with this, but the really good companies reach out in person.   This helps to build goodwill with candidates, and differentiates you from many competitors.

To quote David Armano, writing about the changing nature of the Web,  “what we’re really craving is more humanity itself”.    The same thing holds true in the changing world of human resources.

From Drop Box

Image  source:  Critical Mass

And that is the formula for building a better HR brand, including the secret sauce:

1. Analyze your HR touchpoints using the model above
2. Focus on those you deem will yield the most value
3. Manage them diligently
4. Remember the human touch

Acknowledged by many, accomplished by few.  Go do it , and make your business better!

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Tagged as: Advertising, Business, Consulting, customer service, David Armano, Employment, Human Resources, Southwest Airlines, touchpoints