Are your customers loyal or lazy?
“I don’t know whether I’m loyal, or lazy,” tweeted a friend of mine last week as his eye doctor ran more than 30 minutes behind. He seemed as frustrated with himself for not finding another provider, as he was with his doctor for wasting his time. Granted, there may have been a patient emergency or an unforeseen situation with that caused the delay; yet, others with appointments were expected to endure without being alerted to the problem and given the option to reschedule. While this particular situation is most prevalent with professional appointments, we all know of similar situations that occur in our own businesses and organizations.
Customer loyalty, like friendship, is built on a mutual understanding and acceptance of one another. At minimum, the relationship between the customer and the organization requires:
> Honesty
> Integrity
> Consideration
> Empathy
> Respect
> Humor (maybe not required, but certainly helpful)
While the customer easily gives these qualities, organizations with which they purport to have a relationship often do not reciprocate. From an organization’s perspective, a customer relationship is all too often built only on revenue generated. Specifically, the value of that relationship is measured on the number of purchases made and the size of those purchases. When a customer recognizes that their loyalty is measured only by these factors, such as with supermarket loyalty programs, they become fickle about the relationship. Laziness creeps in and whoever has the best sale prices or is closest to home gains the customer’s favor. When this happens, the relationship becomes a commodity for the customer, as it is already for the organization.
To prevent customer laziness, organizations need to think of customers more as friends, than as dollar signs. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and ask yourself the same questions you might ask about your friendships, for example:
Do my customers…
1. Feel like they’re “my only customer” whenever we get together?
2. Talk about our relationship in a positive light with their other friends?
3. Tell me when I’ve done something wrong and give me an opportunity to make it right?
4. Share their lives and stories with me because they know I care about them and the relationship?
5. Count on me to deliver whenever they’re in need?
6. Desire to spend more time with me and take every opportunity to do so—wherever I may be?
7. Show passion about our relationship (brand)?
8. Believe that every action I take is in their best interests?
9. Feel that they’re desired?
10. See tangible and long-term value our relationship?
If you can truthfully answer yes to most of these questions, your customer relationships—and long-term customer loyalty—are in good shape. If not, you have some work to do.
Do keep in mind social media tools make it very easy to build and cultivate customer loyalty today. You can connect anywhere at any time and have a meaningful conversation with customers. There’s really no excuse for not putting time and effort into building these relationships. Not doing so will make it easy for the customer to decide if he’s really loyal, or just lazy.
Can you afford lazy customers? No, I didn’t think so.
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People are talking. Are you listening?
Hearing is a funny thing.
One can hear, but not be listening. One can listen, but not really hear what’s being said. Either way, the conversation goes on just the same. People are talking to you and about you, but you may not be making the connection that its “you” who is the topic of the conversation. Take it from a guy who has had the benefit of hearing impairment most of his adult life.
Those same conversations go on about organizations and brands every day. Everyone talks, but few organizations really listen. It seems to me that most organizations are “hearing or listening impaired,” and the older the organization the worse the problem. Granted, most organizations try to hear what is being said, but some are still using an old-fashioned hearing aid (ear trumpet). There are others who let their hearing aid batteries weaken, or worst of all, still others have removed their hearing aids because they don’t like what their hearing.
Don’t believe me? Do you work for any of these organizations?
The Ear Trumpets
Organizations listening to customers with the ear trumpet funnel many voices down a long tube where only the loudest are heard. In an organization, this is like sending all the calls to “customer service” or the “help desk.” The ear trumpet solution works poorly for the hearing impaired and even worse for organizations. Think about it: just because the organization is not hearing the softer voices doesn’t mean friends, neighbors, and competitors aren’t.
The Weak Batteries
Those organizations that operate on weak batter power for their hearing device miss critical elements of the conversation with their customers. The conversations continue, but the organization picks up only bits and pieces—like a conversation with your mom on a bad mobile phone connection. She keeps talking; unfortunately, you’ve dropped enough of what she is saying that don’t realize you’ve been offered a free trip to the Bahamas… and declined to go. The same thing happens with customers when an organization only hears parts of the conversation—good opportunities are lost.
The Not Listenings
The organization that removes its hearing device, or has decided not to buy one in the first place, does not want to participate in the conversation with its customers. It would rather yell at a customer and hope a few want what it’s selling, than open up a conversation with the customer about needs, values, and expectations. Who likes to be yelled at all the time? Not me, and I’ll bet not you. Aside from great products and exceptional service, all customers really want is to be heard.
Social media tools help level the playing field for organizations that are “hearing impaired.” It’s like having a pair of super-charged, digital hearing aids that help you amplify just those frequencies you need to hear. This ability to listen, hear and actively engage in conversations 24/7 allow your organization unbelievable opportunities to learn from your customers, correct your mistakes, and build a loyal following.
Now, turn on those hearing aids and engage in conversation. You’ll be surprised what you will learn when you start listening again.
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The last thing you hear
The automated phone system in the office has six option prompts. That’s not a big number, really. Yet, when we made a small change to the last prompt recently, we noticed a 100% increase in the number of misdirected callers who hit the last prompt–the one before, “If you need to hear these options again, press the number or pound sign.”
Most told us they just punched the last prompt they heard, but 99% of those misdirected callers should have chosen the first prompt they heard. I suppose one way of looking at this is that they customer was interested enough to listen to all the prompts before deciding. I think what truly happens is customers are waiting for a better “fit” with their needs and are responding to the last thing that they hear because they can’t remember what came before.
You do this, don’t you? I certainly do. We are always looking for something that better meets our needs, so we filter information that we don’t believe is relevant at this moment. We say to ourselves, “I don’t need that now. I’ll look for it again, when I do need it.” Things you don’t need never make your radar; the last thing you hear always does–even if it’s not what you need at the time.
For marketers, this is a huge problem. What it means is that we cannot just strive to be first name that comes to mind, we must also be the last name heard.
This is a task more difficult that it sounds.
Accomplishing both means your brand has to be everywhere, or at least seem like you are everywhere your customer. To be sure, it means you have to look for alternative ways of reaching customers. It definitely means you have to go to the customer and stop waiting on them to come to you. You also have to engage in the conversation and make sure your voice is heard. You have to understand your customer better and anticipate their needs to the best of our ability. However, more than anything, this means you have to be where you’re not expected, as well as where you are expected.
Be everywhere. Be relevant. Be unexpected. Any one is good, but achieving all three will help keep your brand both first and last in your customer’s mind. That’s where you want your brand to rest. Nothing between really matters.
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