Take Advantage of the Fact that Customers Never Forget

Science has shown that humans remember information better when their emotions are involved. As early as 1890, psychologist William James observed that emotions “leave a scar upon the cerebral tissue.” Since then, the number of studies on the connection between emotion and memory has skyrocketed. Only a small fraction of the business world, however, applies this widely accepted psychological concept to customer service programs. When a customer has an emotionally pleasing experience, it almost always goes to his or her long-term memory. Of course, the opposite is also true: an emotionally traumatic customer service experience won’t soon be forgotten. PeopleMetrics’ 2010 Most Engaged Customers study verified that service failures stick like glue in customers’ memories.

To further break down the connection between emotions and Customer Engagement levels, we must examine the influential role trust plays in building Customer Engagement. A brand must build up reserves of trust in order to create satisfied, loyal, engaged customers in the long-term. However, trust is one emotion that can be built or lost in a flash. Just one five-minute interaction might be enough to entrust a customer to your company for years to come—or to demolish any trust they had in you, and even drive them to complain about you to friends and family.

Many of the more than 5,000 customers interviewed in the Most Engaged Customers study brought up service memories from years long past. For instance, one respondent reminisced,

“A few years ago at the White Plains (Westchester Mall), I was dissatisfied with the quality of a meal…No problem, no charge, and a credit for a free lunch for two at any café in the Nordstrom chain. Again, these are the kinds of things that build customer loyalty.”

Customers’ memories of emotionally negative experiences are also elephantine:

“I would not trust management with any decision at that store [Sam’s Club] from one shopping experience I had there three years ago.”

Companies can take advantage of the fact that customers never forget by selecting customer service programs and customer feedback management programs that speak to and measure emotional responses. Winning trust and building Customer Engagement also require that companies commit to a systematic service recovery and complaints handing process. Ideally, companies should be able to measure and respond to customers’ emotional interactions with their brand in real time. Make sure your client satisfaction surveys are capturing the emotional facet of your customer experience.