When did "high touch" join the corporate buzz-speak lexicon?

[Orrex]

As in “we believe in having high touch with our customers.”

And can we execute the ghastly brute who coined it?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. I think it's short for high touch rate

I assume you know what it actually means

True it's a little weird-sounding, esp just as 'high touch'.

[Orrex]

2. I can see its relevance in a massage parlor, I guess

But in a customer service call center it seems somehow out of place.

I’ve long been suspicious of trendy corporate slogans so, and this one comes across as particularly smarmy.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. There's a lot of ways companies may come into some kind of contact with customers these days

Phone, mail, website, email, twitter, facebook, etc etc.

So 'touches' is a generic term for the overall concept of 'interaction' with the customer (pre and post purchase).

[Orrex]

5. I'm sure you're right, and that only makes it more smarmy

In the case at hand, the term is used to justify the mandatory return of non-customer-facing employees to the office, after working from home due to the pandemic.

This makes no sense, because the customer never actually sees the phone agent, so the high touching occurs regardless of whether the employee is chained in a cube or comfortable at home.

[Paladin]

4. Thanks to Urban Dictionary for the useful secondary meaning of the term:

Pure bullshit behavior, as a means of disguising slacking off.

[LastDemocratInSC]

6. The first time I heard the term was 1986.

[mopinko]

7. it's an old political term. voter touches.

[Orrex]

10. In what context?

[LastDemocratInSC]

11. The context was a juxtaposition of "high tech" and "high touch"

This was from a person I worked with who had been to a conference. I think she picked up the term at the meeting. I thought the term was very fluffy and irrelevant.

[Blue Owl]

8. Someone with a mustache definitely came up with that one

[mitch96]

9. I swear these companies must have a department to "invent" these new words and phrases

Like when did "Legacy" replace OLD.. I suppose "high touch" sounds better than "hit rate"..
YMMV
m

[Wounded Bear]

12. I think we used to call that 2nd Base...

[Coventina]

14. Bad touch!!

[Harker]

13. How... robust. n/t