Customer service can be complex. Study after study attempts to pinpoint the right mix of service offers and pricing that makes customers happy. But customer satisfaction is just the beginning. It’s customer loyalty that’s priceless, and that builds a business.

While business owners know this, they’re also often baffled by what to focus on in order to build that loyalty and often sink too much of their marketing budgets into offering incentives or rewards. But what customers want most is surprising.

The business and leadership global consulting firm McKinsey & Company surveyed nearly 30,000 American consumers and found one overarching element they all valued when it came to business loyalty—consistency. In fact, McKinsey & Company found that there are three particular areas of consistency that matter most to customers:

Customer-Journey Consistency

Customers come into contact with a company through several ways over time, ranging from an online search or inquiry to calling for more information, to schedule an appointment or place an order, and to actually receiving the product or service. Consistency throughout the customer’s overall journey is “30 percent more predictive of overall customer satisfaction than measuring happiness for each individual interaction.”

Emotional Consistency

In reporting their survey findings, McKinsey & Company said, “One of the most illuminating results of our survey was that positive customer-experience emotions—encompassed in a feeling of trust—were the biggest drivers of satisfaction and loyalty in a majority of industries surveyed.” Delivering a positive and professional experience at each level of customer interaction is what matters for building long-term relationships with clients, who are then more likely to generate referrals.

Communication Consistency

From a company’s first greeting with a customer through the follow-up on a delivered product or service, consistent communication is vital. The survey’s take-away is this: “A company’s brand is driven by more than the combination of promises made and promises kept. What’s also critical is ensuring customers recognize the delivery of those promises, which requires proactively shaping communications and key messages that consistently highlight delivery as well as themes.”

The bottom line is that delivering consistent and positive customer care—through every interaction and opportunity for communication—is the key to developing customer loyalty.

If you’d like to learn more about how answering services can help you deliver consistent care and build customer loyalty, contact Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. Customized communication solutions, appointment scheduling, and secure HIPAA/HiTech messaging saves you time and money while improving customer relationships. We offer month-to-month service agreements to meet the needs of any business regardless of size, 24/7, 365 days of the year. Our excellent reputation, expert staff, and state-of-the-art technology will exceed your expectations. Request information online or call us at (800) 262-2799 for a free consultation.

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