Fred Martel
Editorial

Between the Lines: What do They Expect?

August 17, 2019

By Fred Martel

Fred Martel

Most people do what they are supposed to do – what is expected by the customer. When someone goes out of the way to help us, we are surprised. Our expectations are exceeded.

Doing a little something extra or special is not difficult. Sometimes it means just doing whatever you are supposed to do with a positive attitude. Other times it might mean going out of your way or making an extra effort to help a customer. Anybody can be okay, average. It is the excellent people and the excellent companies that are willing to do the extra things necessary to not have just satisfied customers, but loyal customers!

Customer loyalty is the fuel that drives financial success, but a majority of companies are literally running on empty. That can spell disaster in today’s volatile, high-speed economy where customers will quickly abandon any business relationship that doesn’t deliver on its promise of satisfaction.

The Dollars and Sense of Customer Loyalty

It is impossible to overstate the bottom-line benefits of creating loyal customers with whom a company can continue to do business rather than constantly trying to acquire new customers. Two key statistics underscore this point: a 5% increase in retention increases profits by 25-125%; acquiring new customers can cost five times more than satisfying and retaining current customers

Research shows that 80% of people who do not receive good customer service do not complain. They simply take their business elsewhere.

Workers who are enthusiastic about the company he or she represents can provide the ‘first line of defense’ against customer bail-out by delivering above quality customer service experience.

“The customer is why you go to work. If they go away, you do too.” – David Haverford.