Customer Satisfaction vs Customer Loyalty - What's the difference?

In customer services, you’ll likely hear people talk about “customer satisfaction”, and sometimes you’ll hear about “customer loyalty”. It’s important to recognize that they are two sides of the same coin.

To be clear that:
“Satisfaction” is an attitude — it’s how I feel, and as such it’s distinctly subjective. I have an attitude that I’m satisfied, or I have a perception of myself as being satisfied.

In contrast, “loyalty” describes behavior. I may behave in loyal ways. When I become a regular, repeat customer and I recommend your product to my friends or family members, I’m behaving in a loyal way. If I’m really loyal, I’ll willingly pay a premium in order to purchase a product with your brand on it. That, again, is a loyalty behavior. It’s objective.

Satisfaction without Loyalty

Sometimes you can be really satisfied with something, yet fail to behave in a loyal way.
Take my local bookstore. I love my local bookstore. It’s a smaller, regional chain with a lovely environment and a nice selection, and I like their staff picks for recommended reading.
There are many attributes of the local bookstore that I find to be quite satisfying — but am I loyal?
Not entirely. I also buy a lot of books on Amazon. For me, Amazon is convenient; I like the quick searching, and I enjoy reading the reviews. Too, Amazon offers a lot of one stop shopping options. I’m not that fond of going into stores generally, so I appreciate being able to order some books, some clothes and some games for the kids all in ten minutes.
So in this case, I’m quite satisfied with my local bookstore, but I’m not behaving in a very loyal way.

• See more: How to build customer loyalty 

Loyalty without Satisfaction

Let’s take a real-world example. I happen to like coffee, and I buy a lot of coffee at Starbucks. Therefore, I’m loyal to Starbucks.
However, if Starbucks were to send me a satisfaction survey, focusing on my attitudes, they’d find that I’m not particularly satisfied in two specific areas.
There are two problems here:
The first, I think the price of their iced coffee is entirely too high.
The second, I think the naming of their cup sizes is pretentious and, in fact, I refuse to use it. When I’m at Starbucks, I order a medium.
Clearly, then, when it comes to Starbucks, there’s a difference between my behavior and my attitude.

"Customer Satisfaction" and "Customer Loyalty" are two difference definitions, but always remember that Customer Loyalty going beyond Satisfaction.
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How to become a good listener? (Part 2)

Last some days, I said about some tips to become a good listener? Now we will come to other tips to improve your listen skill.

• See more: How to become a good listener? (Part 1)

5. Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication
Gestures, facial expressions, and eye-movements are all important.
In fact, we don’t just listen with our ears but also with our eyes so to become a good listener, you should watch and pick up the additional information being transmitted via non-verbal communication.

6. Be Patient
Be patient and let the speaker continue in their own time, sometimes it takes time to formulate what to say and how to say it.
Never interrupt or finish a sentence for someone.

7. Listen for Ideas – Not Just Words
To become a good listener, you need to get the whole picture, not just isolated bits and pieces.
One of the most difficult aspects of listening is the ability to link together pieces of information to reveal the ideas of others. With proper concentration, letting go of distractions, and focus this becomes easier.

8. Avoid Personal Prejudice
Everybody has a different way of speaking, some people are more nervous or shy than others, some have regional accents or make excessive arm movements, some people like to pace whilst talking - others like to sit still.
Try to be impartial.  Don't become irritated and don't let the person’s habits or mannerisms distract you from what they are really saying.
Focus on what is being said and try to ignore styles of delivery.

9. Listen to the Tone
A good speaker will use both volume and tone to their advantage to keep an audience attentive; everybody will use pitch, tone and volume of voice in certain situations – let these help you to understand the emphasis of what is being said.

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention...
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How to become a good listener? (Part 1)

It's difficult to become an effective speaker but to become good listener is not easy. A good listener will listen not only to what is being said, but also to what is left unsaid or only partially said.

Effective listening involves observing body language and noticing inconsistencies between verbal and non-verbal messages. For example, if someone tells you that they are happy with their life but through gritted teeth or with tears filling their eyes, you should consider that the verbal and non-verbal messages are in conflict, they maybe don't mean what they say.

Let's see some tips help you become a good listener.

• See more: How to become a good listener? (Part 2)

1. Stop Talking
When somebody else is talking listen to what they are saying, do not interrupt, talk over them or finish their sentences for them.  Until they has finished talking you may need to clarify to ensure you have received their message accurately.

2. Just Listening

Feel Relax.  

Focus on the speaker.  

Put other things out of mind.  

The human mind is easily distracted by other thoughts – what’s for lunch, what time do I need to leave to catch my train, is it going to rain – try to put other thoughts out of mind and concentrate on the messages that are being communicated.

3. Put the Speaker at Ease
Remember their needs and concerns.
Help the speaker to feel free to speak.
Nod or use other gestures or words to encourage them to continue.
Maintain eye contact but don’t stare – show you are listening and understanding what is being said.

4. Empathise
Put yourself in speaker's position.
Try to understand the other person’s point of view.
Look at issues from their perspective.
Let go of preconceived ideas.
By having an open mind we can more fully empathise with the speaker.
If the speaker says something that you disagree with then wait and construct an argument to counter what is said but keep an open mind to the views and opinions of others.

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How to use humor on the job? (Part 2)

Last days, we knew some tips to use humor on job. Now we will learn more techniques to get success at work.
6. Observe the rule of threes
Have you ever noticed how many jokes involve a minister, a priest, and a rabbi? Or a member of ethnic groups 1, 2, and 3? An old saying tells us that "A cord of three strands is not easily broken." Triangular structures are among the strongest ones possible. The number three represents symmetry and completeness. Therefore, when developing your humor, try to involve three elements. For example, when I give presentations on communications lessons we can learn from the Titanic disaster, I don't simply say "I use as an example the Titanic because my daughters say I'm a loser." I say, instead:

I use as an example the Titanic for three reasons: It's something everyone knows, I enjoy studying and discussing it, and My daughters say I'm a loser.

7. Say what people are thinking (but won't say themselves)
Dilbert creator, Scott Adams, once remarked that this idea provides many of his cartoon subjects. When you verbalize what everyone else is thinking, you in effect "take the hit" for them, allowing them the privilege of laughing. In my previous example, where I was preceding Commander Waddle, it's quite possible the audience was more familiar with him than with me. When I made my joke, I was saying to them, in effect, "I know what you're thinking, and it's okay."

8. Delay the punchline until the end
The impact of humor is greatest when you can delay the punchline as long as possible. For example, instead of telling an audience they have to write clearly enough "so that even a judge can understand it," tell them that they have to write clearly enough "so that it can be understood, even by a judge."

9. Poke fun at a boss or other authority figure
As long as you don't go overboard, making fun of the boss is usually a safe approach. In fact, doing so pays a backhanded compliment to the boss, by recognizing that he or she has sufficient prominence to merit such attention. I recommend, as above, avoiding joking about race or religion or physical characteristics of the boss. The safest topics are probably intelligence and business acumen (or lack thereof).

10. Don't tip your hand
An important reason business humor works is the absence of expectations. People are expecting a business presentation, not a monologue from Jay Leno. Any appropriate humor you can generate usually will succeed. Therefore, if you're about to use humor, never tell the audience, "I'm going to tell you a joke now" or "Here's a joke that makes my point." Just start into the joke as if you're giving your regular presentation.

Also, use local details whenever possible. If you're in Washington, don't say "I was walking down the street." Say instead, "I was walking west on K St., approaching Washington Circle, by The George Washington University Hospital." Don't say, "I exited the subway." Say instead, "I exited the Metro at Judiciary Square." These details add to the credibility of the story, increasing the element of surprise and hence the impact of the joke.

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How to use humor on the job? (Part 1)

Do you want to distinguish yourself in the workplace and be able to function more effectively there? Consider using humor. Whether you use it during a presentation, on the telephone, or in personal interactions, humor can break the ice and set the tone for your audience. Below are a few tips on effectively using humor at work. For more information, I recommend the book A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Boardroom, by Michael Iapoce.

1. Make fun of yourself
So with all the potential minefields out there, what CAN be a good source of humor? If you're comfortable and secure enough, I suggest making fun of yourself. Doing so can lower barriers between you and your audience by demonstrating that you're just another person. More subtly, it can show that you're sure and secure about yourself.

I once was one of two keynote speakers and was preceding Scott Waddle, the former commander of the submarine U.S.S. Greeneville. In 2001, the Greeneville struck and sank a Japanese fishing boat, killing nine people. I began my talk by asking the audience, "Who's eager to hear Commander Waddle?" As I expected, everyone in the room raised their hands. "That means, "I continued, "that you can't wait for me to finish."

2. Defuse embarrassment and tension
My father once gave a presentation in which he referenced Worcester Polytechnic Institute, pronouncing the first word correctly as "Woo-ster." His manager's manager, upon hearing that word, interrupted, saying to my father that the correct pronunciation was actually "Woo-ches-ter." Though this "correction " was actually incorrect, my father did not say so. Instead, he responded, "Sorry, Murray, please forgive me. English is only my fifth language."

As you might expect, the room erupted in laughter. In looking back on that incident, my father always said his response was superior to correcting his boss's boss in public and that it defused the embarrassment and tension of the situation.

3. Cope with unpleasant situations
I once needed to make a telephone call but had forgotten my cell phone. With my daughter in tow, I entered the lobby of an apartment building that I knew had a pay phone. An elderly member of our church had lived there before she passed on, and our family would visit her from time to time. I picked up the telephone, and as I started to dial, I saw a security guard approach me. I waved to him, smiled, and said, "It's okay." At that point, the guard glared at me, said, "No, it's not okay," and ordered us to leave.

4. Be aware of potential misinterpretation
When you make a humorous remark, particularly a joking insult, remember that it could be taken seriously. This possibility increases when the joke is made via e-mail, where body language and facial expressions do not accompany the words. If you really have the urge to use humor in e-mail, make sure to include emoticons, such as the smiley face, or LOL acronyms.

Believe it or not, when my father finished his presentation, people came up to him and asked him if he knew five languages. If some people can misread humor even in a face-to-face encounter, imagine how much worse it could be with e-mail, voicemail, or the telephone.

Instead of being upset by that incident (although I did write a letter to the CEO of the management company for that apartment), my daughter and I turned it into a joke. I would make a mock apology to her, saying, for example, "Rayna, they didn't have chocolate ice cream, so I bought vanilla. I hope that's okay." Rayna would feign anger, shake her head and say, "No, it's NOT okay."
Are you at the help desk? Do you sometimes have abusive callers? Do those callers have certain pet phrases they use? Maybe you could incorporate the phrases into your daily language (out of their hearing, of course). Or you could start an over/under pool on how long it takes for them to become upset.

5. Avoid inappropriate humor
The greatest danger in using humor is basing it on an inappropriate subject. Stay away from subjects related to race, religion, or sexual topics. Otherwise, you risk not only offending your audience (and hence compromising your credibility) but also being subject to disciplinary action.
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