Customer Service: Why Loyalty Matters More Than Satisfaction

Every organization has customers. All of them. Those customers are the lifeblood of that organization and they should be treated well. Agreed? So how important is customer service to your organization? What does good customer service mean to you in day-to-day operations? Who are your customers? Did you know that you have internal customers as well? Customer service is usually what separates organizations and builds loyalty to the brand. When people feel like they are being treated as special, they have a tendency to go back and repeat that experience — and you should be all about that experience.

Customer Service Is Really About Loyalty

Most companies have some form of feedback — whether it’s a written survey, an online survey, or some kind of assessment to measure what their customers think about them. They are usually numbered from one to five (sometimes ten) and they ask how you rated your experience. Anything above a three is usually counted as positive and completely misses the point about customer service.

You see, customer service really isn’t about service — it’s about LOYALTY, and only 5’s or 10’s are worthy of that.

Disney only measures fives, and because of it, their positive rating hangs around the low to mid-80 percentile. But Disney knows what few others understand: if you want return customers and you want the world talking about how great your company is and how great you do what you do, then 5’s or 10’s are the only numbers that matter. Counting only 5’s gives you a truer picture of what is actually happening — and in Disney’s case, it motivates them to consistently aim for the 90 percent range.

Why “Good” Customer Service Isn’t Enough

Many assume that customer service is about being nice, smiling, never arguing with the customer, and helping them solve their problem. Hard to argue with those things, right?Newsflash! From a customer’s standpoint, that puts you in the average category.

As customers, we expect those things. Miss any of the above and you can expect a 3 or less on your survey. Even doing all of them well gets you a 3 and maybe — if you’re lucky — a 4. But it doesn’t guarantee a return customer because you weren’t paying attention to the loyalty part.

How to Earn 5’s and Build Real Loyalty

Create an Experience, Not a Transaction

So how do you get 5’s? You give the customer an experience, a reason to come back. You make them feel special — that they are the sole reason you are in business and that you want their life to get better because of their contact with you.

That makes you a partner in your customer’s life — a friend, a trusted mentor.

Partners know details:

• Names

• Likes and dislikes

• Personal preferences

• What matters to them

These things communicate one message: You matter.

Then you must show that you can be trusted with this information. Greet them by name. Ask about their family. Check in on their life. Paint a picture of how your product or service will help their life become easier, better, or smoother.

Don’t Forget Your Internal Customers

You also have internal customers — the people who work in your organization. Are you treating them like workers or like customers?

We recently finished a leadership course for a manufacturing company that produces cutting tools. The managers were struggling with productivity, so we helped them develop the big-picture understanding of what their products actually do in the real world.

Because of these cutting tools:

• Farmers were able to grow more crops and help feed the world

• Families traveling in cars were safer

• Children played on equipment that was more creative and safer

Did it make a difference? The stories said resoundingly yes.

The workers felt important. They realized they were making a real difference — and everything changed. When internal customers felt important, productivity increased. Simple as that.

What Can You Do Better Today?

So stop. Think a minute about your customer service.

• What can you do better?

• How can you make people feel important?

• How do you make a difference in the world?

If you need help creating that bigger picture, give us a call — we can help.

If this message challenged you to rethink what true customer service looks like, explore more practical leadership tools inside our Learning Hub. Strengthen your culture, build loyalty, and lead with impact.