Customer Royalty Builds Customer Loyalty

Mimi McCroskey

Do you wonder if you really even matter, especially to the businesses you work with?  It's amazing to me how often I'm involved in transactions where the seller, be they a clerk, an 'account executive' or even a vice-president is more worried about being efficient than effective. 

While I've been an etiquette consultant for years, it took a young woman named Katie to permanently ingrain the concept of earnest and effective attention over efficient, impersonal actions into my personality.
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Katie was a salesperson and a few years ago, I'd  purchased a sweater on her shift.  Now, I doubt I was her best customer - one sweater, on sale no less, but to her, I may as well have been.  Instead of throwing the sweater into a box and quickly shoving the box into a bag, she turned my single purchase into a a ceremonious celebration of customer service.  She carefully folded the paper surrounding the sweater, neatly wrapped the box with crisp corner folds before finally adding a simple flourish to the ribbon that tied it all together.

Of course, putting that much attention on one customer takes time.   A salesperson might be given an instruction like this:
"... your goal is simple, wrap as many gifts as possible as quickly as possible.  The more people we help, the more profits we will make."  Sometimes, though, it's the small things that make a big difference.

​From my point of view, that ribbon sealed the deal, and every Saks Fifth Avenue purchase for the next few years was given directly to Katie - her moments of turning me into customer royalty built my customer loyalty- to Saks to her, and to that type of service.

Elite etiquette is a cornerstone of elite effectiveness, elite customer service  that builds loyalty, builds a brand, and ultimately builds profits.  It teaches people both how and why they need to care about what they do, about the people they do it for, and the end result they are contributing towards.
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​It doesn't matter if you are wrapping gifts for donations, bagging groceries, selling cars or closing million dollar deals.  When your customer feels like they are the reason you exist - your business has found a reason to exist.


Bridges School of Protocol
Customer Service Workshops 

• In-home Service Technicians
• Hospitality Professionals
•  Small Business

Efficiency is a reasonable enough goal, and when paired with the subtle details of elite customer service, you will create lasting connections with the most important person - your client.