What is Customer Loyalty?

I think everyone here is point on. Yes, consumers expect top-notch customer service. They also expect great products and service. Without that, nothing you do is going to matter. However, if you have all your ducks in line regarding desirable products and/or services and good customer service, you will still fall short.

You really do need a high-end loyalty software program for several reasons. Customers expect it. It's the only way to interact on a personal level with your customers, which they expect as well. Your competitors likely have one, so if you don't, you're behind the curve. It's the only way you will have visibility into which customers are good, which are average and which ones are about to leave or have left.

It's not just about points, rewards and discounts. It's about collecting enough data so you know your customers, who they are, what they spend, what they like and how often they visit.

There is also an option called Perka which is a cell phone based app that rewards customers for purchases - the more purchases, the better the rewards.

I have studied the concept of true loyalty. Guess what? Loyalty can't be bought; it needs to be earned. It is based in trust and respect. In my white paper I have made the comparison between love and loyalty. There are a lot of some similarities. If you define loyalty in teams of friendship, you will succeed.

There is a very unique customer loyalty program concept that has a free trial and setup called Cinco Squared. It's worth checking out.

yes it's right. good customer service doesn't ensure customer loyalty, if we expect loyalty from the customer, then we have also to give something extra to them just like incentives, rewards, bonus, gifts and many other things that are available.

Hyperbolize sales (cross or up) to the present customers or consumer is fundamental to retention strategy of any business.

Higher customer retention is the key to customer loyalty. Customer loyalty yields higher profit margins. Internet is the key to higher retention, loyalty and profit margins. In a nutshell, higher sales.

The internet is instrumental in the way customers (not the prospects) are driven through the retention funnel.

It's a proven fact that retention acts as synergist to profit margin. Success has never been a matter of chance. Personalization, behavioral profiling and targeting, psychographic profiling, transactional messaging, co-branding, affinity modelling, customer convenience circle, value added promotions, CRM, Social, ethical, relationship models, circle of customer influence, etc. are identifiers of retention value pitch.

Is it just the first time experience that makes a customer becomes consumer of your products or services? What are the loyalty traits of the customer centric or customer driven organization? What are the tactics and tools which makes organization not only acquisition leader but customer driven as well? What does it take to become not only a retention leader, but also a loyalty leader in this digital age?

My 2 cents and food for thought!

I think only good customer service is not enough to gain the customer loyalty, but also that incentive programs are required, for example using bonus cards, will help to increase the customer loyalty.

I think customer loyalty is achieved through excellent customer service. However, it is also important to ensure good product quality which can win more customers for the organization even when the organization is not physically present to showcase their quality of service.

First of all i thank all of you for creating such a nice website.

Actually, when we are talking about customer loyalty, which is closely related to many things like satisfaction, customer value, expectation, trust and so on, the main element which can create more loyalty is dealing with people in person. Organizations need to hire and train polite employees, because human interaction is very important for a good impression

thank you. Dr. S. Akbar

Customer loyalty is the behavior of repeat customers, offering favorable word of mouth to friends and family about a certain product and/or organization, but it doesn’t always mean these friends and family will become loyal customers. They may already be loyal to another product/organization, or may have had a bad experience with the organization being spoken about, although it may well add a ‘seed’ of loyalty that could grow into ‘blooming’ loyalty over time.

It's true, but how can we develop a loyalty program with spending less money?

One way I've done well increasing my customer loyalty is by using a loyalty/gift card tracking program called stickystreet. It's for small businesses-so cheap and works great! Can't tell you how much it has helped. Just a tip...

I agree with sikkim, excellent customer service is the ONLY way to differentiate your company from the competitors. Customer will always come back to a company that the service providers know them and connect with them on the human level.

Well on one part you're right, but now a days, people expect/want more than just customer service. Incentive programs are a great tool to achieve some kind of loyalty.

I think that good customer service is the single best way for a business to ensure high levels of customer loyalty.