What does customer loyalty look like in today’s business landscape? It’s an important question considering that we are at historic lows there. According to a recent survey, 92% of consumers do not consider themselves brand loyal.

In the online age, shopping has changed. Consumers research. Easily. A single comment on platforms like Yelp can have huge impact on the buying decision. And with comments often added onto someone’s reviews, sentiment can snowball and mob mentality can greatly affect sales – positively or negatively.

What it all comes down to is that you need to be obsessive about your customers. Ensure the following:

• Have the right infrastructure in place to capture customer feedback and sentiment from every channel at all times.
• Acknowledge comments posted by your customers, and fix their problems quickly.
• Do not think you can get away with anything other than a perfect service. There is nowhere to hide.

Businesses should of course always strive for providing excellent products and services – and an excellent experience at every touch point. In the digital age this is much more than a nice-to-have – it is very much essential if you want to keep the lights on for the long-term.