CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

“ Customer service is one of those areas that has historically been viewed as a cost , but our data shows that there ’ s an opportunity to view it as an edge ,” says Rob Pace , founder and CEO of HundredX .

“ There ’ s a massive return on investment when companies focus on things that are probably within their grasp . It just requires a mindset of customer centricity .”

BEING CUSTOMER OBSESSED = HIGH CUSTOMER SATISFACTION & BRAND LOYALTY

Some winners shared their customer service philosophies in a Forbes article “ Best Customer Service 2024 : The Winning Strategies .” With more than 800 locations , Dutch Bros Coffee placed 10th on the list . “ Our greatest differentiator is our people and how they strive to be difference-makers in people ’ s days ,” says Brian Maxwell , chief operating officer at Dutch Bros Coffee . “ Part of the company ’ s mission , he says , is still to be “ fun loving ” and to have customers “ drive away feeling important , appreciated and better equipped to have an amazing day .”

HOW TO ACHIEVE MORE THAN JUST CUSTOMER SATISFACTION : BECOME THE BRAND CUSTOMERS CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT

We all have a company or two that we can ’ t fathom life without . What are the few companies that you would be extremely upset if I told you , “ You can no longer do business with them , ever again ”? When I ask my audiences this question , the same brands always get mentioned such as : Apple , Starbucks , Nordstrom , & Amazon besides local mom and pop shops . These are all companies with high customer satisfaction . Now the important part is , think about what they have done and what they consistently do to make you so loyal , to make you feel that you cannot live without them . That is power . That is brand loyalty . The more people you can make feel like they cannot live without your brand , the closer you are to making price irrelevant . The key deciding factors to being a business people cannot live without are :

1 . GREAT SERVICE / PRODUCT

This is a given . It is the price of admission that your product or service better be damn good . However , this is typically not even listed in the top three reasons why people are loyal to a brand . A company is in trouble if they are relying on their product or service to differentiate them in their market . Today every product or service is eventually commoditized .

2 . CONSISTENCY

This is huge and cannot be over emphasized . Undeniably , more than anything else , customers want brands to be brilliant at the basics . Consistency drives customer satisfaction and brand loyalty . Basically , you can forget the bells and whistles — just be consistent , reliable , accurate , and friendly in every interaction . Don ’ t make it dependent on which location or which employee your customer deals with .

3 . EASE OF DOING BUSINESS

Think about Amazon , Zappos , Nordstrom , and Uber . Amazon is the easiest and most convenient company for purchasing , from one-click , to returns , to their customer support . Is it any surprise they have high customer satisfaction scores ? Companies like Zappos and Nordstrom do not have return policies . Surprisingly , you can bring it back in a year ; you don ’ t need your receipt . Does your company have policies and rules to make your life more convenient ? How easy is it to speak to a human being ? How easy is it to find a phone number on your website ? Is the buying experience for your customers convenient for you or your company ?

4 . EMPLOYEE EVANGELISTS

Great brands have employee evangelists of two things : 1 ) what they do and 2 ) the brand they do it for . Because of this , when you shop at world-class brands , you see a strong similarity ; their employees love the product , love helping and discussing the benefits of different types of products , and they love working for that brand . Their employees are loyal to the brand , and customers are likewise brand loyal .

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