One of the more memorable books in my library was published in the summer of 1987. It was written by the Jan Carlzon, CEO of SAS Group, owner of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines Ireland. I had been reading of him in the business press so I was anxious to read the book when he was first translated into English. The title? Moments of Truth.

Mr. Carlzon took over a company losing many millions of dollars each year. Within the first year of his leadership the company was first among European carriers in on-time punctuality. His days in the hospitality industry served him well and I greatly admired his work. I was 30 years-old. He was joining the ranks of others who mentored me through books and stories of his leadership.

The moments of truth Mr. Carlzon talked of were the moments when his airlines had contact with customers --- passengers. Every moment was important. Critical to success. He understood that and trained for it.

My 15 years or so of retail experience (at the time I read the book) connected immediately with Mr. Carlzon's philosophy and strategy. Touchpoints or moments of truth was critical in my industry. I realized it was crucial for any business in any industry.

The book gave language to my philosophy that I had been preaching for a number of years in my own work. Touchpoints needed to be all be magical if possible. Otherwise, they had to be consistently excellent. Predictable and replicated at the highest levels.

It's hard work, but I learned that happy employees and customer-friendly processes helped. I also learned that things slip when you neglect them. Or when you ease up the focus on them. Entropy occurs. It's natural. And it impacts everything including the service we render to prospects and customers.

Maintaining the strongest connection possible on the touchpoints of your business is crucial for your success. It's too easy to think we've got them all figured out and assume things are working as they should. Don't get complacent with it.

Step 1 - Catalog every single touchpoint inside your company.

Make note of every possible way people can interact with your company. Every email, phone, social media or live interaction should be accounted for. This should answer the question, "How can people contact us?" as well as, "How can we contact them?"

Step 2 - What systems are in place to ensure your company is responding promptly and appropriately?

This should be documented and not left to chance. For now, make sure you have what is currently happening --- or what is currently supposed to be happening.

Step 3 - Randomly test each touchpoint and measure the results.

Commission help from people to test your people and the systems currently in place. Have people call, email or send social media messages. See how well your people and your systems are currently performing. Do not use people inside your business. Do not alert people that you're doing this. Tell no one. Just do it.

Gather the information on each touchpoint. Just here you'll be tempted to jump in the big middle of people when you spot a failure. Resist knee-jerk reactions. In order to figure out the current status you need to finish the exercise of going through every single touchpoint multiple times. You don't want to let one incident fool you into thinking every incident happens the same way. Test each touchpoint as many times as you practically can. More is better. You'll see a pattern develop. It may be great. It may be poor. Don't disrupt things...yet. You must have a sense of reality first.

Step 4 - Time to huddle with your inner circle and make sure everybody is involved to improve the touchpoints.

Present your findings. Curb your emotions if the results were poor. This isn't the time to vent.