“I’ll stick with you through thick and thin,” or “What have you done for me lately?” Which best describes the attitude of customers in today’s marketplace? Two quality managers are debating the concept of customer loyalty. One of them, Jack Hayes, claims that customer loyalty does exist, that it can be won, and that winning a customer’s loyalty should be every organization’s goal. According to Jack, “If you have a history of satisfying a customer, he will be loyal enough to overlook an occasional bad experience.”
“No way,” says Anna Cage. “It takes only one bad experience to lose a customer.”
Join this debate. You are a customer. Are you loyal to any organizations? If so, how many bad experiences will it take to overcome your loyalty? Have you ever decided to withhold your business from a store, restaurant, or other service provider based on poor service? Do you usually give an organization more than one chance to win your business, or is one bad experience all it takes to turn you off?