{"id":785,"date":"2015-05-04T10:37:04","date_gmt":"2015-05-04T10:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/csm210469\/?p=785"},"modified":"2022-10-21T14:07:28","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T14:07:28","slug":"the-dollar-sense-of-customer-loyalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/the-dollar-sense-of-customer-loyalty\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dollars and Sense of Customer Loyalty"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this article you will learn how employee engagement impacts customer satisfaction and loyalty.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"GraphIn an alarming number of companies, massive lay-offs have decimated workforces and left those that remain feeling over-worked, stressed out, and devoid of clear expectations about their futures.<\/p>\n

This toxic environment causes employees to become disengaged, apathetic and unable or unwilling to provide the exceptional customer service which in turn affects customer loyalty for the company.<\/p>\n

I am on a mission to alert companies to the dangers of disengaged workers and the benefits of turning one-time buyers into loyal, long-term customers with levels of customer service.<\/p>\n

Customer loyalty is the fuel that drives financial success, but a vast majority of companies are literally running on empty. That can spell disaster in today’s volatile, high-speed economy where customers will quickly abandon any business relationship that doesn’t deliver on its promise of satisfaction.<\/p>\n

The Dollars and Sense of Customer Loyalty<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is impossible to overstate the bottom-line benefits of creating loyal customers with whom a company can continue to do business rather than constantly trying to acquire new customers. Let’s point to two key statistics that underscore this point:<\/p>\n

A 5% increase in retention increases profits by 25-125%.<\/em><\/p>\n

Acquiring new customers can cost five times more than satisfying and retaining current customers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Research shows that 80% of people who do not receive good customer service do not complain. They simply take their business elsewhere.<\/p>\n

According to our research, an engaged worker who is enthusiastic about the company he or she represents can provide the ‘first line of defense’ against customer bail-out by delivering above quality customer service experience.<\/p>\n

I am urging businesses to “get the facts” rather than simply assume that their employees are committed to an organization and its goals and hoping that customers feel well-served.<\/p>\n

A gaping disconnect between perception and reality was revealed in a recent analysis of 362 firms by a Aberdeen Research which found that “80% of the company executives and business owners surveyed believed that their company was providing a ‘superior experience’ to their customers.” When customers of those firms were surveyed about their perceptions, it was revealed that they rated only 8% as “superior” in their customer service efforts.<\/p>\n

The lingering question then is what sets the elite 8% apart? We believe it is “an engaged workforce that demonstrates through words and actions that customer satisfaction is their number one priority.”<\/p>\n

The challenge is measuring the level of engagement.<\/p>\n

Taking Guesswork Out of the Equation<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can’t manage what you can’t measure and I strongly encourage companies to take advantage of a Workplace Engagement Survey to measure the degree to which employees are connected to the work they do; i.e. an employees’ level of engagement, satisfaction with the company, and satisfaction with their supervisors and managers.<\/p>\n

The data from the survey can give management teams a detailed snapshot of what influences engagement across all workforce segments and how an organization’s employees compare statistically to the overall working population. But perhaps most importantly, it provides tangible recommendations for ways in which an organization can improve.<\/p>\n

The Impact of Engagement on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty<\/strong><\/p>\n

The qualitative difference between work done by engaged versus disengaged employees is enormous. Quoting from materials created by Aberdeen Research Group, these are some of the customer-centric qualities that engaged employee’s exhibit:<\/p>\n