Loyalty's Lost Lustre
Webster's Dictionary defines 'loyal' as "faithful; true to allegiance."
Customer loyalty is sought after by almost every company selling a product or service. It doesn't matter if the sales process is business-to-business, or business-to-customer, loyalty is a prime target. Many companies provide rewards, or incentives, for using their service or purchasing their product. Gas points, travel points, drugstore points, grocery points...the list is almost endless. Then, why is it that customers aren't so loyal afterall? They'll bounce from rewards card to rewards card looking to get the best value for their hard earned money. Perhaps the seller has the answer...customer service, or the lack thereof.
Speaking for myself, if a company associate has tarnished my shopping experience to the point that I'm fit to be tied, I'll not shop there again, rewards points or not. Why should I support a service provider or retailer who won't help me when things go wrong? To be sure, the customer is not always right. However, sometimes we want someone to just LISTEN to us and take action.
Let's look at the automotive industry in Canada for a moment. Apparently, U.S pricing is everywhere, if you are to believe the advertising. Canadians are receiving the best incentives and service according to auto manufacturers. Yet, if I happen to bring my U.S-imported G.M vehicle to a Canadian G.M dealership additional charges abound. What's even more frustrating is that I may have been a loyal customer, at that dealership, for years and now my name is "Mud". There must be alot of mudslinging this year as Canadians are well on there way to importing 200,000 U.S vehicles. How come?
"Well, you didn't buy the car here", may be the dealer response. Perhaps if the pricing, and value, truly represented our current economic reality I would have purchased locally and not in the U.S. If they wanted my business (loyalty) back they have the opportunity by servicing my U.S vehicle without additional costs (penalities). Win me back, don't push me (the consumer) further away.
The economic conditions in Canada have finally caught up with the U.S downturn. All service providers and manufacturers have an opportunity to exercise their ability to keep customers...loyal customers. It isn't always a matter of offering points or discounts. All you have to do is LISTEN, then ACT.
by Don O'Connor.
Customer loyalty is sought after by almost every company selling a product or service. It doesn't matter if the sales process is business-to-business, or business-to-customer, loyalty is a prime target. Many companies provide rewards, or incentives, for using their service or purchasing their product. Gas points, travel points, drugstore points, grocery points...the list is almost endless. Then, why is it that customers aren't so loyal afterall? They'll bounce from rewards card to rewards card looking to get the best value for their hard earned money. Perhaps the seller has the answer...customer service, or the lack thereof.
Speaking for myself, if a company associate has tarnished my shopping experience to the point that I'm fit to be tied, I'll not shop there again, rewards points or not. Why should I support a service provider or retailer who won't help me when things go wrong? To be sure, the customer is not always right. However, sometimes we want someone to just LISTEN to us and take action.
Let's look at the automotive industry in Canada for a moment. Apparently, U.S pricing is everywhere, if you are to believe the advertising. Canadians are receiving the best incentives and service according to auto manufacturers. Yet, if I happen to bring my U.S-imported G.M vehicle to a Canadian G.M dealership additional charges abound. What's even more frustrating is that I may have been a loyal customer, at that dealership, for years and now my name is "Mud". There must be alot of mudslinging this year as Canadians are well on there way to importing 200,000 U.S vehicles. How come?
"Well, you didn't buy the car here", may be the dealer response. Perhaps if the pricing, and value, truly represented our current economic reality I would have purchased locally and not in the U.S. If they wanted my business (loyalty) back they have the opportunity by servicing my U.S vehicle without additional costs (penalities). Win me back, don't push me (the consumer) further away.
The economic conditions in Canada have finally caught up with the U.S downturn. All service providers and manufacturers have an opportunity to exercise their ability to keep customers...loyal customers. It isn't always a matter of offering points or discounts. All you have to do is LISTEN, then ACT.
by Don O'Connor.
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