Our thought leadership at World Class Benchmarking holds that the best-in-business organizations succeed because highly satisfied customers become loyal customers. And that they are loyal because they are highly satisfied by the customer service they received.
So just what happens when someone becomes highly satisfied?
American Express did a customer service study in September of 2013. When 1,620 consumers were tested under laboratory conditions, 63% said they felt their heart rate increase when they thought about receiving great customer service.
For 53% of those tested, receiving great service triggered the same cerebral reactions as feeling loved.
The takeaway? When it comes to customer service, it’s not about what consumers think. Great service is about feelings. Why people are loyal is because they feel strongly toward the goods and services they received.
That brings us to 5 basic needs people have. And they largely center around those feelings:
- Feel heard and understood
- Feel they are included–a part of something
- Feel in control or feel assured
- Feel important or special
- Feel successful
When people feel these things, they feel loyalty. They become advocates. When those feelings are on the opposite side of the spectrum, you get a very different effect.
It’s really simple. It’s about how people feel about you.
To learn more about ideas like this and how to make the Chain Reaction of Excellence come alive, check out our book, Lead With Your Customer, available on Amazon.
