11-28-2007, 12:55 PM
Quote:Nine Principles
By following these basic nine principles and putting them into practice at your organization, you will foster a culture of greater loyalty and engagement that will reward you with greater profits.
1. Give customers what they expect. Satisfaction is the difference between customer expectations and actual service delivery. Know your customers' expectations and be prepared to evolve your product or service to meet them. This is basic business 101, but often it is ignored. Fundamentally, business needs to be a balanced transaction where someone pays for something and expects a fair trade in return.
Expectations of product quality come from many sources, including previous quality levels set by your organization, value propositions set in the competitive landscape and impressions in the media.
2. Go beyond simple reward programs. Points and rewards encourage repeat purchases but don't actually build loyalty. This is demonstrated by a drop in sales when the rewards are no longer offered. True loyalty comes when customers purchase products without being bribed...
full article: http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Nine-Way...60426.html