The Path to Happy Customers

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Editor's Note: This whitepaper was originally created by Lithium before Spredfast and Lithium merged and became Khoros.

There are many things that create happy customers. Unbeatable promotions. Quality products. An easy-to-use website. Speedy customer service. Free shipping. The list is endless.

Though, nothing quite compares to having a positive end-to-end experience with a brand. When brands deliver on their promise, happy customers follow. Customer experience has quickly become the next battleground in the fight for long-term loyalty. For brands and businesses, there’s no other option – they must always strive to create an experience that makes customers happy. Businesses must put the customer first, making their wants, needs, and expectations a priority whenever making any decision.

Harris Poll, on behalf of Lithium, conducted the “Value of a Happy Customer” survey of over 3,000 adults in the United States and the United Kingdom to help us understand what it really takes to make customers happy today.

Now, we’re “happy” to share the results. Here are a few of the highlights:

86% of adults in the U.S. and 74% of adults in the U.K. say they are willing to spend more on products and services from a brand they love.
71% of adults in the U.S. and 64% of adults in the U.K. would share a positive experience with other consumers
After one bad experience, 71% of adults say they would likely never use that brand again.
55% of adults admit they place more value on a positive experience with a brand than on the product purchased.

Are you doing everything it takes to make your customers happy?

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“Poor customer service alone has contributed to $62 billion in losses to businesses per year, up $20 billion since 2013.”

— Forbes

A Great Customer Experience Leads to Happy Customers

Explore the key findings from this survey, including:

An Emotional Connection Matters

People tend to have love/hate relationships with brands. Savvy brands today understand that creating an emotional connection with customers is the best way to keep them in the “love” zone. The majority of adults surveyed said that they would be likely to spend more on products and services from a brand that makes them happy (80%), a brand they love (80%), and a brand to which they are loyal (80%). The message is clear: when a brand is able to create an emotional connection with consumers, a stronger sense of loyalty results.

A Digital-First Mindset

When consumers need to search for something specific, they flock to digital – especially via their mobiles phones – to do it. The same can be said about how consumers engage with brands. A brand’s website, blog, or social channels are typically the first stop when searching for information about products and services. About one-third of adults say they are likely to spend more on products and services from a brand that communicates with them (32%) and shares entertaining and engaging content with them (31%) via social media.

No Such Thing As Second Chances!

As consumer expectations become increasingly intense, brands have got only one shot to make a good first impression. Otherwise, customers will gladly move on. They no longer have to tolerate a bad brand experience. Over 8 in 10 adults (83%) say they would stop using a brand after one bad experience while nearly 9 out of 10 adults (87%) agree that they would look elsewhere if a brand made them unhappy in any way.

“55% of adults in the U.S. and U.K. say they would be more likely to share a negative experience they’ve had with a brand online than a positive experience.”
— Value of a Happy Customer survey

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