Actions Speak Louder Than Words

I recently took my Saab in for service at the local dealer. A few weeks later, a survey arrived at my house from Saab USA asking for a few minutes of my time to let them know how I had felt about my recent service and about my Saab in general. I filled it in, sent it back, and the whole time I thought, “They aren't learning anything from me here.”

Why? Because they weren't asking the right questions.

I am assuming that Saab sent me the survey because it wanted to find out how satisfied I was with my recent service and my car in general. I also assumed that they wanted to continue our relationship, get feedback, and gauge my loyalty to the brand via these questions.

But if they were looking to see how loyal I was by asking how satisfied I was, they missed the mark. Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are not synonymous.

I don't mean to single Saab out. Loads of other brands ask the same question: “How satisfied are you with your ______. Very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied?” Or they ask some permutation of that question.

However, those that do ask such questions are going down a deceptive path filled with lots of talk, and not necessarily lots of action. Satisfaction doesn't necessarily lead to repeat purchase and brand evangelism. Satisfaction does not equal brand loyalty.

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Kristine Kirby Webster is Principal of The Canterbury Group, a direct-marketing consultancy specializing in branding and relationship marketing. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Direct Marketing at Mercy College in NY. She can be reached at Kristine@canterburygroup.net.