By John I.Todor, Ph.D., Author of Addicted Customers (www.AddictedCustomers.com)
I
have been arguing that technological and societal changes are causing an
increased sense of alienation in the population and that this leads to
indifferent customers. Here’s a recent report with startling but supportive
results.
A recent study, funded by the National Science
Foundation, demonstrates that Americans are far more isolated today than they
were two decades ago. A quarter of Americans say they have no one with whom
they can discuss personal troubles, more than double the number who were
similarly isolated in 1985.
This
study was reported in the June 2006 issue of the American Sociological Review.
Here
are a few thoughts on the implications for business relationships:
First,
isolation or alienation leads to defensive or indifferent customers. Both are
coping strategies; they temporarily reduce the associated stress. Both reactions
lead to customers who are less trusting and less open minded.
Second,
recent trust studies indicate that we rely more and more on the opinions of
friends and associates, people we trust. If people don’t have trusting
interpersonal relationships, to whom do they turn?
Third,
change and innovation create uncertainty, which reduces a person’s sense of
predictability and control. This, in turn, contributes to indifference or even
apathy.
Who
wants indifferent or apathetic customers?
Here’s
the optimistic view. People will be attracted to customer experiences that give
them a sense of inclusion and help them regain a sense of predictability and
control.
While
it is more complicated that this, a genuine smile from a clerk usually causes a
reciprocal smile and the feeling that one belongs.
The
underlying conditions that are causing a sense of alienation are not going away.
Companies that recognize this and devise ways to help their customers overcome
this situation stand to greatly enhance their customer equity.
I
deal with this issue at length in my book Addicted
Customers: How to Get Them Hooked on Your Company. For more information on
the book go www.AddictedCustomers.com
or Amazon.com.
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