Keeping a customer satisfied is no longer enough. Dr Janelle Barlow, in her book “Emotional Value” states that; you need to build an emotion-friendly service culture, to be successful.

Building long-term relationships with customers requires taking them beyond satisfaction and entering the world of their emotions.

Performing a function for the customer is not enough. In order to be competitive in today’s economy, businesses need to produce a distinctive personal and emotional experience for each of their customers. Staff should effectively listen to customer needs, so as to be more in touch with their emotions and needs.

The skill of effective listening can be a strong advantage for an organisation. To achieve this, front-line staff need to open their ears and hearts when listening to customers’ request and never pass judgement on them, even if they disagree with them. Thus, trying to understand the customer point of view will build trust and of course a long-term relationship.

Besides effective listening, empathy needs to be shown to customers. This is the second aspect that will help in building the relationship. For example when a customer has a complaint, or is describing a difficult situation that needs attention, the customer service provider should use words and body language that show understanding and care. Just nodding won’t help; extra effort is needed to show the customer that there is genuine interest to resolve the issue.

Staff who are willing to take responsibility enhance the level of service provided.   No matter who initiated a customer interaction, in the organisation, staff should be willing to play their part, when needed. Rather than shrugging shoulders and saying “I did not take that order” or “It’s not my job” front-line staff should take charge to ensure the customer finds the service he needs and is happy.
Each interaction is a moment of truth with the customer and that customer is judging the whole organisation at that moment, no matter who did what.
 
Organisations that want to build long term relationships with their customers need to realise that today’s consumers demand not only high-quality products or services, but also positive, memorable experiences.