In the banking industry in Bangladesh, touch points include mobile banking apps, ATM booths, customer service representatives, branch environments, call centers, SMS notifications, debit and credit cards, social media communication, and online complaint handling systems.

Each of these interactions plays a significant role in shaping the customer’s perception of the bank and determining whether the overall experience feels smooth, trustworthy, and efficient.

As a result, every interaction either strengthens or weakens the customer relationship. A single poor encounter with a frontline employee may outweigh millions of taka spent on advertising campaigns because customers tend to remember experiences more than promotions. They remember whether employees were respectful, whether problems were solved quickly, whether the process was smooth, and whether they felt valued. In reality, frontline employees often become the “face” of the organization in customers’ minds.

For example, a customer visiting a hospital may evaluate the receptionist’s attitude, the waiting time, the cleanliness of the environment, the ease of the payment process, the clarity of communication, and the quality of follow-up support. Each of these touch points contributes to the patient’s overall experience and determines whether they feel cared for and respected.

Similarly, a restaurant customer may remember the greeting behaviour of employees, the accuracy of the order, the responsiveness of staff members, the efficiency of the billing process, and how complaints were handled. In both cases, customer experience is not built through a single transaction but through multiple interconnected touch points that collectively shape satisfaction and loyalty.

Businesses in Bangladesh can improve customer satisfaction significantly by focusing on several important areas. Frontline employees require proper training in communication, emotional intelligence, conflict management, and customer psychology, rather than only technical skills. Employees should also have enough authority to solve customer problems quickly without excessive bureaucratic approval processes, which often frustrate customers and delay solutions.

At the same time, organizations must stop treating customer-facing positions as low-value jobs. Providing competitive compensation, recognition, and career development opportunities can substantially improve service quality and employee motivation. Since modern customers interact through both online and offline channels, companies must also ensure consistency across websites, apps, branches, and customer support systems so that customers receive a seamless experience regardless of the platform they use.

Finally, performance measurement systems should include customer experience indicators rather than focusing only on sales targets or operational efficiency. Organizations that actively evaluate customer satisfaction, responsiveness, and service quality are more likely to build long-term loyalty and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in Bangladesh’s evolving service economy.

Mohammad Nazmul Huq, is an Associate Professor and HOD (Marketing Discipline) at Department of Business Administration, Stamford University Bangladesh