“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.”  – Sam Walton

We live in a world where we have access to just about anything and everything with a click, or two, of a button.  There was a time when you would hear people talk about customer service and you would assume they were sharing a positive experience.  Now when you hear customer service, you think of your worst story ever.

One of the keys to a successful business is how much emphasis you place on CRM.  Henry Ford once said, “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” Whether you order a steak in a restaurant or purchase an iPad online, now more than ever consumers expect to be “taken care of.”  Fulfilling the feeling like you’re being “taken care of” can come in many different forms but the one true key is simple… just LISTEN!

Almost any business can get a customer to try their product or service once.  In order to have the consumer return, companies need to pay special attention to providing a positive experience from awareness to purchase and far beyond.  Organizations retain customers online and offline simply by listening. People want to be heard.  They will share their experiences and opinions if you ask (even when you don’t ask) in the hopes you will improve their experience. Listening to your audience shows that you care about them individually and can even make them feel like they are a part of your brand, which builds advocacy. If your customer–and specifically, your customer who belongs to a branded social community–thinks their opinion matters and they feel like they have influence on how you operate your business, the sky is really the limit.
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