Lo-Yell-ty

Scott Adams winds up one of his recent posts saying “Experts say that the most loyal customers are not the ones who had a flawless experience, but the ones who had a problem that was resolved. I think they’re right.”

Without a doubt! It is when things go wrong that you’re able to see and absorb a person’s real character! And there is no reason why it would be any different when it comes to organizations! :) Even if I buy a great laptop, I probably won’t think about the organization which makes it beyond a certain point; say, once I have got over its wonderful features. And in today’s world, to make matters worse for such an organization, I may find quite a few other laptops with similar, if not, better features. So, loyalty may not be guaranteed. If and once the laptop starts malfunctioning and I place a request for the resolution of the problem, how the organization deals with my request, resolves it and, in certain cases, makes up for it is what helps me see the true character of the company. A good and responsive character means an improved tendency on my part to stick with that vendor. Common sense tells me it’s simply not possible to have flawless experiences throughout life. However great the product, I am bound to bump into problems some time or the other. And some problems may not let me move on. How the organization responds to my problem in such a scenario is what I will mostly go by to decide whether I want to continue being its customer or not. Problem resolution is the litmus test for loyalty. I’d rather use a product that may not be the best in the world but demonstrates excellent customer service than use a great product whose organization does not care for my problems.