1. People – If your people do not buy into the fact that clients are the critical lifeblood to your business and treat them with little respect, they will not be customers very long. Training programs centered around customer care should be part of every business. Long term success is dependent upon your people and their effectiveness in resolving issues and managing irate customers.
2. Process – Established processes and procedures in escalating customer issues to resolution is key to client satisfaction. Effective communication during and after the issue is resolved is crucial to ensuring the customer is given the opportunity to provide feedback and help the organization continually benchmark their performance.

3. Tools – Technology can streamline your processes and give your employees a way to efficiently resolve issues and find information in a timely manner. Skimping on the tools will the other 2 areas to struggle.

Gravity Gardener
http://gravitygarden.com/build-customer-loyalty/index.html

I believe there is a delicate balance between complete engagement in social media/email and being smart marketers who can stay on top what their customers want.

Also, I continue to hear people say that “everyone is connected 24-7″ and personally, I think that’s a myth. There are some who are indeed, but perhaps if we look around, we will also see people enjoying their lives, really connecting with real friends over a real glass of wine. I’m all for that!

This post was mentioned on Twitter by billhanifin: More Loyalty Truth: Building Customer Engagement by Living in the Margin: http://bit.ly/7Q9vrH...