Think about a product or service that does everything it's supposed to do, rarely breaks down and comes with a reasonable level of support. For Rohit Bhargava, his cable service, which he bundles with Internet access, falls into this category. Though he wouldn't call the package price a bargain, it's not overly expensive; and when he did have a problem, the company quickly resolved the issue. "By every metric you could choose to assign to my experience," he says at the Influential Marketing Blog, "I'm a satisfied customer."

You're waiting for the "but," though, and here it is: "If something even slightly better came along as another option for me, " he says, "I would switch without hesitation." This, he argues, is the line between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty; while satisfied customers will jump ship at the first reasonable opportunity, loyal customers will find reasons to stay, even if you slip up once in a while.

According to Bhargava, achieving this kind of loyalty requires more than good customer service.

• Your product or service must deliver on its promise.
• Your brand's personality must give your customers a sense of belonging and participation.

The Po!nt: If your customers are merely satisfied, it's time to work on their loyalty. "The fact is," says Bhargava, "in today's market customer satisfaction doesn't matter as much as customer loyalty."

Source: Influential Marketing Blog. Click here for the full post.

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