Where Did the Clients Go? Solving Breakdowns in Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is paramount to success, especially for service-based companies.

This was highlighted recently in our work with a client. They came to us with the statement, “Our clients love us.” (We often hear this from clients who haven't done customer research). Granted, they had sustained long-term relationships with a number of their clients. However, the results of the recently completed customer research told a different story. The feedback on customer service was stellar: if a customer brought up an issue, the customer service team responded quickly and solved the problem.

So, what was the issue? Customers shared that outside of conversations around problem resolution, they never heard from the company. These buyers wanted executive-level conversation and engagement around current challenges from their provider—and they weren’t receiving it.

In this client’s case, customers looked to the company to help solve problems, but they expected more than that. Some buyers had moved on to other suppliers because the business relationship had simply not been nurtured enough to stand up to the competition.

What This Means for your Business

Nurture client relationships and stay in touch even when things are going smoothly.

Take a hard look at your organization from top to bottom, and consider the following questions:

• Are you consciously creating and maintaining customer contact in ways that are meaningful to buyers?
• Do you have executive-level conversations with clients on a regular basis?
• Have you examined each customer touchpoint and determined whether it positively impacts your customers and reflects your brand?
• Have you created a culture of customer care that ensures customer loyalty?

If you haven’t completed these activities yet, the good news is that it’s a solvable problem. We recommend creating a customer care and feeding program across your organization. Such a program is a critical success factor for building loyal customers and it can directly impact your bottom line.

For more insights on customer loyalty, check out Moira Anderson’s article on the Mavenlink blog.

If you’d like help designing your customer retention program, click here for your complimentary strategy session with an Upstart Group CMO.