When Trying to Creating Customer Loyalty, Don't Forget About the Customer
Customer Loyalty 101: It’s About Your Customers!
Are your policies standing in the way of good customer loyalty?
Austin, Texas: I took a party of eight out to a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner last night to celebrate my wife’s birthday and asked the waiter to split a large dish for two guests.
He indignantly refused and said the chef refuses to do that. I asked him why the chef doesn’t like to offer customers what they want and he said “it’s the chef’s rules, not his”.
When pressed further, he said all he can do is bring us a empty plate and we can split it ourselves.
We tried to split the dish ourselves.
With cream sauce spilling from one plate onto the table cloth, it was not a pretty scene.
It was my ninth visit to that restaurant in the past 16 months, but I will never go to that restaurant again.
Your Customer May Not Always Be Right, But You Need to Think About Them If You Want to Create More Customer Loyalty.
All the money spent on ambiance, location and food preparation and my loyal patronage were wasted on a stupid policy that might offend the chef.
Businesses are often asking us for ideas and tips to improve and increase their customer loyalty.
Best free advice: Are You Thinking About Your Policies From Your Customer’s Point of View?
Review your rules, procedures and policies and ask, What benefit does this rule serve my customers?
If it is not a benefit, consider changing or removing it.
Your customers are your lifeblood.
Make your business easy to like.
Make it easy to brag about.
Make your policies serve your customers — not your boss’ ego or tradition — and customer loyalty will increase exponentially.
Customer Loyalty 101: Put the word “Customer” back into “Customer Loyalty”.
Here’s to more repeat business.
