MAL 19/17 (MARKETING AFRICA) | Page 79

letting customers down where it matters most. Following that, the creation of emotionally stimulating experiences that stick in customers’ minds. Supporting these two regardless of sector is a third element - consistency. It plays a huge role in building customer preference. Consistently good performance accounts for 30-50% of customer relationship strength. This is of particular relevance in today’s connected world where customers use multiple touchpoints. Building an emotional attachment with a customer also relies on consistent delivery and tone of voice. As in our relationships with people, we are more likely to trust and invest energy in relationships with companies that have an attitude we warm to and a service experience that doesn’t vary from day to day. emotion than function: ‘made to feel welcome’, ‘well looked after’, ‘honesty and attitude of staff’ and ‘lovely receptionist’ were typical mentions. We could prove in two ways – by stated delight and their open-ended answers - that offering an experience that stimulates emotion has a wider, longer-lasting impact on the relationship. Emotion clearly has a powerful effect on narrowing the gap between company performance and customer preference. The same pattern holds true for ot