Some time ago, I was asked by an executive from a leading information storage and management company to facilitate a workshop on the design of customer touchpoints. Given high-technology enterprises' reputation of focusing more on technology and product architecture than on the architecture of the customer-company interface, I welcomed the opportunity. This article is a result of my research and learning leading up to, during, and following the workshop. It posits three stages in developing

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... elling customer touchpoint architecture: 1. Adopting a holistic approach for the full spectrum of customer touchpoint modes spanning across all stages of the customer experience cycle. 2. Developing blueprints of desired touchpoint configurations. 3. Ensuring the customer touchpoint experience is compelling. Customer touchpoints: The need for a holistic perspective Working on this manuscript, I performed a Google search for the phrase 'customer touchpoints' and, Abstract Every business enterprise touches and is touched by customers in different ways at different touchpoints: points of human, product, service, communication, spatial, and/or electronic interaction collectively constituting the interface between an enterprise and its customers. Like any good architect conceiving of and giving shape to a building or a space, the enterprise must conceive, design, implement, and manage these touchpoints with the central goal of developing a compelling customer experience at all touchpoints over the course of the entire relationship cycle. This article addresses this central challenge in three stages. First, it makes the case for a holistic approach to the totality of touchpoints across all parts of the enterprise and all stages of the customer relationship cycle. Then, it offers a methodology for drawing up customer touchpoint blueprints. Finally, it suggests five critical requirements for compelling touchpoint architecture.