Geoffrey James wrote a great article; "3 Keys to Great Customer Relationships". In it he talks about how customer relationships are all about emotional connections rather than detached intellectual connections. The new Discovery Card commercials where the customer calls in to customer service and strikes an immediate emotional relationship with the customer service representative are a testament to this truth.
Forming positive emotional bonds with your customers will go a long way to ensuring a superior customer experience and loyalty to your business. It can also help keep your business growing and prospering by injecting fresh ideas that lead to new products and services your consumers are looking for. Customers who trust and appreciate are more likely to share real opinions and likely won't mind responding to your questions.
If your business is not totally customer-centric, engaging with them at every touch point (in-store, phone, social media, email, web-store, etc.) on an emotional level it is quite likely not experiencing year over year sales growth. Make sure your staff is well trained and you have a flawless customer relationship management process committed to building emotional relationships with your customers.
