Customer Service Leads to Customer Loyalty

Julie Shenkman
Posted by in Customer Service


All customers want and expect superior customer service, and it is all too important that we give it to them. Otherwise, our competition will.

Your customer doesn’t want to be treated like another statistic along an assembly line. They want to be treated with respect. It is very important that your customer realizes just how important their business is to you.

Imagine if you were a daily customer at a bank, restaurant, or some other establishment. And every day that you walked in, a sales associate would take care of your business, than hurry you out the door, without so much as a hi, bye, or even making eye contact for that matter.

Okay, so you don’t necessarily go to these places to make new friends, but you would think that the experience could be just a little bit positive.

Maybe this isn’t enough to make someone take their business elsewhere. However, it just might if they were approached by your competition, and your competition gave them an idea of just how the grass can be greener on the other side, and managed to swipe that customer from you. And if they did, would you even realize it?

The most important thing to your customer when doing business is customer service. People want to be treated with respect. They want to be addressed by name, they want their phone calls returned, and they want their problems resolved in a timely fashion.

Customer service, believe it or not, is more important to people than the amount of the product, or the over all fees’ they have to pay.

So before you discuss pricing, give them great customer service up front.

When I was in banking, I had an elderly couple take their business to a new bank that just opened across the street offering all kinds of special promotions at their grand opening. They happened to be very good customers of mine, and they were sad to go. They told me that the new bank was able to offer them the same products I could, except the products were free.

I told them that although the products may be free, they would never experience the customer service there that they received here.

They understood, but left by telling me that it just made economic sense for them to leave.

A month later, they came back. Needless to say, they were not happy with the other bank’s customer service.

I wasn’t at all surprised and was only too happy to have them back.

Excellent customer service is a great way to build customer relationships, and also build customer loyalty.

When I say customer loyalty, I mean they won’t be so quick to jump ship when approached by your competitor.

People love to have the peace of mind that whatever product or service they have with you is secure with you. They like knowing that if ever there is a problem, or if they have a question, you will be there to resolve their issue, regardless of what it may be.

Excellent customer service also leads to loyalty because if your customers like the way you treat them, they will be happy to refer their friends and family to you.

Providing excellent customer service to gain loyalty is quite easy. People love to be greeted by name along with a smile. They love to have their problems resolved quickly, so make sure they know that they can depend on you. They like to have their phone calls returned, so return them.

Customer service is key to retaining your customers, and obtaining all of their business. It is also a great way to obtain referrals from them.

Trust me, treat your customers the way you would treat your friends or family and they will stick with you forever, and provide you with a lot of business. Good luck.


About the Author
Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company.

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  • Pedro Franco
    Pedro Franco
    When I was a Mortgage Broker I always taught Cutomers were always right and they deserve the best service so therefore I got so many referrals just because all my customers were very happy and satisfied with my service; I beleive it is very important to treat customers with respect, your clients deserve the best customer service.
  • Cindy P
    Cindy P
    It is true that people expect excellent customer service, and why shouldn't they. That's the way things should be ~ always ~ without hesitation. Unfortunately, the problem is that today, along with morals and respect, excellent customer service is, for the most part, non existent.  I have been in the customer service arena for a good part of 30 years, and at one job was written up several times for taking more than the allotted 3 minutes they felt was necessary to provide my customers the service they needed.  I still believe in applying myself 100% to my customers needs, until a resolution is made.  It gives me a sense of satisfaction knowing I helped someone.
  • Trudy
    Trudy
    At last! Someone who understands! Thanks for posting!
  • Trisha
    Trisha
    Got it! Thanks a lot for helping me out!
  • Jaydee
    Jaydee
    I should have thought of that!
  • Steve B
    Steve B
    Very pertinent information.  After spending many years in outside retail sales, I can speak with some experience.  We are taught that customers are mainly concerned with 3 aspects of the product/service delivered: 1) Price, 2) Quality and 3) Service. The price always speaks for itself. The quality can usually be shown or demonstrated. But the hardest aspect to communicate is Customer Service. Customers won't always believe what they're told, but I've found that the best way to demonstrate good service is to spend a large amount of time initially listening to what the customer needs, wants and expects. Reviewing customer feed back has shown me repeatedly that my willingness to listen was the main reason given for choosing my product. Customers were willing to pay a little more for a quality product if they sincerely felt that they would receive excellent customer service before, during and long after the sale.

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