Who Has Earned Your Loyalty?

<h1>Who Has Earned Your Loyalty?</h1>Author: <a title="The Service Coach" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/the-service-coach/112645.htm">The Service Coach</a> The other day I asked myself, "What businesses have earned my loyalty?" Trying to answer this question prompted me to ask another; "Why do I feel loyal to them?" The Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines loyalty as "a strong feeling of support or allegiance." In other words, as a consumer, what businesses do I feel a strong allegiance to? What have they done to earn my continued support? I chose a simple exercise to answer these questions. First I listed each business I deal with on a regular basis. Then I add a comment about my feelings of support or allegiance, good or bad. Instead of listing the business by name I listed them by the service they provided. Here is an excerpt from my list. Electric Company - I feel no allegiance to them at all. I remain their customer simply because I have been too lazy to change providers. Telephone Company - Another business I feel no allegiance too. My wife and I have recently been discussing changing telephone companies. Automobile Insurance Company - This business I feel a sense of semi-loyalty. We have been their client for over 8 years. We remain clients because of convenience more than from any great feeling of satisfaction. Barber / Hair Stylist - Total loyalty to this business. Every 6 weeks or so, for the past 4 years, they have continued to earn my repeat business with competitive pricing, quality work, and personalized friendly service. Credit Union - Feeling extremely frustrated with them right now. For over 15 years we had felt a great deal of loyalty to them, but due to repeated poor customer service my loyalty is quickly waining. Grocery Store - I feel more loyal to their sale pricing than to the store itself. Usually our weekly grocery shopping is spread between 2-3 different grocery stores. The bulk of our spending depends on who has the best sale that week. Restaurants - My loyalty is spread among 4 restaurants with varying cuisines. On a scale of one to ten, with ten representing my ultimate loyalty, these restaurants rate around a six or a seven. Department Stores - I feel no loyalty to any particular store. My store selection is determined by where I can receive the best price on the items I want or need. Automobile Repair Shop - This business I do feel some loyalty to. The owner has previous done excellent work on several of my vehicles. Gas Stations - Again, I feel no loyalty to any particular brand. My spending is dictated by price and / or convenience. And the list goes on… When I completed this exercise I was surprised by how few businesses I actually felt a strong allegiance to. Apparently there are only a few that have really earned my loyalty. "You don't earn loyalty in a day. You earn loyalty day-by-day." - Jeffrey Gitmomer Is the lack of loyalty I feel more a reflection of my attitudes and unmet expectations or is it merely a response to the service which I typically receive? Stay tune for the answer in my next blog article: How to earn the customer’s loyalty? I invite everyone to compile their own list. I would venture to say nobody can honestly list more than ten businesses that have truly earned their loyalty.     About the Author: My name is Glen Hamilton. I teach companies how to build customer loyalty.

My expertise is in defining the “Why” and “How To” in obtaining customer satisfaction, then moving companies beyond satisfaction onto the realm of customer loyalty.

My mission is to educate, motivate, and inspire others to achieve service excellence. 
	
My vision is for all companies to strive for 110% customer satisfaction - 100% of the time.
Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/customer-service-articles/who-has-earned-your-loyalty-759917.html" title="Who Has Earned Your Loyalty?">Who Has Earned Your Loyalty?</a>

The other day I asked myself, "What businesses have earned my loyalty?" Trying to answer this question prompted me to ask another; "Why do I feel loyal to them?"

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines loyalty as "a strong feeling of support or allegiance." In other words, as a consumer, what businesses do I feel a strong allegiance to? What have they done to earn my continued support?

I chose a simple exercise to answer these questions. First I listed each business I deal with on a regular basis. Then I add a comment about my feelings of support or allegiance, good or bad. Instead of listing the business by name I listed them by the service they provided.

Here is an excerpt from my list.

Electric Company - I feel no allegiance to them at all. I remain their customer simply because I have been too lazy to change providers.

Telephone Company - Another business I feel no allegiance too. My wife and I have recently been discussing changing telephone companies.

Automobile Insurance Company - This business I feel a sense of semi-loyalty. We have been their client for over 8 years. We remain clients because of convenience more than from any great feeling of satisfaction.

Barber / Hair Stylist - Total loyalty to this business. Every 6 weeks or so, for the past 4 years, they have continued to earn my repeat business with competitive pricing, quality work, and personalized friendly service.

Credit Union - Feeling extremely frustrated with them right now. For over 15 years we had felt a great deal of loyalty to them, but due to repeated poor customer service my loyalty is quickly waining.

Grocery Store - I feel more loyal to their sale pricing than to the store itself. Usually our weekly grocery shopping is spread between 2-3 different grocery stores. The bulk of our spending depends on who has the best sale that week.

Restaurants - My loyalty is spread among 4 restaurants with varying cuisines. On a scale of one to ten, with ten representing my ultimate loyalty, these restaurants rate around a six or a seven.

Department Stores - I feel no loyalty to any particular store. My store selection is determined by where I can receive the best price on the items I want or need.

Automobile Repair Shop - This business I do feel some loyalty to. The owner has previous done excellent work on several of my vehicles.

Gas Stations - Again, I feel no loyalty to any particular brand. My spending is dictated by price and / or convenience.

And the list goes on…

When I completed this exercise I was surprised by how few businesses I actually felt a strong allegiance to. Apparently there are only a few that have really earned my loyalty.

"You don't earn loyalty in a day. You earn loyalty day-by-day." - Jeffrey Gitmomer

Is the lack of loyalty I feel more a reflection of my attitudes and unmet expectations or is it merely a response to the service which I typically receive?

Stay tune for the answer in my next blog article: How to earn the customer’s loyalty?
I invite everyone to compile their own list. I would venture to say nobody can honestly list more than ten businesses that have truly earned their loyalty.

My name is Glen Hamilton. I teach companies how to build customer loyalty. My expertise is in defining the “Why” and “How To” in obtaining customer satisfaction, then moving companies beyond satisfaction onto the realm of customer loyalty. My mission is to educate, motivate, and inspire others to achieve service excellence. My vision is for all companies to strive for 110% customer satisfaction - 100% of the time.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/customer-service-articles/who-has-earned-your-loyalty-759917.html

Article Tags: Service, Business, Sales, Customers, Retention, Loyalty

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