Enhanced Customer Satisfaction with Inbound Marketing

Customers and loyalty. Two sides of the same coin.

In today’s age of fierce competition, uncertain market conditions, and an information overload, organisations are struggling to keep afloat. Customers choose to shift brand loyalty for reasons hitherto unheard.

But what really gets the goat of an astute entrepreneur is a customer bidding good-bye due to a poor brand experience.

The need for personalised solutions.

Inbound Marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. It aims to solve existing problems in a human and helpful manner.

One must understand that while getting the basic 4Ps right is imperative, it is equally critical if not more to build a Personalised Customer Experience for your product or service.

Image Source: https://be-perfect.co.uk/learning/post/how-can-you-take-personalisation-to-the-next-level

With the sharp insights and effective tools of Inbound Marketing, brands can create unique experiences at several touch-points for a particular customer. These experiences must be mapped to every customer’s individual journey from being a stranger to a brand champion.

An emotional connect in a digital world.

Lest we forget, at the end of every search engine and digital screen is a human being with real emotions. And Inbound is the key to unlocking their key parameters of satisfaction.

And Then We Spoke

The first part of this story was written 2 years ago. Read that HERE before you proceed.

“I hope you realise that all the alcohol in the world can’t bridge it.”

I almost fell down. After a yearlong tumultuous uncommitted, unspoken relationship she had finally broken the barrier.

“Bridge what?” I asked, trying to seem unaffected.

“This chasm of unspoken emotions between us.” came the reply. “Come, let’s take a walk.”

As we exited our cubicle and walked towards the door, I could sense eyes shadowing us. But all I could see was her lustrous hair, her supple skin and oh those eyes. I always knew I was in love but today was the first time that my denial had taken a backseat.

We walked into the neighbouring coffee shop (the same one where she avoided eye contact) and took a seat.

“One Cappuccino for me, with 2 sugar sachets and an Americano with milk on the side with no sugar for him.” she said to the server.

I was taken aback. All this while I’d been deducing ways to tell myself that this woman didn’t know me and didn’t love me…and here she knew my exact coffee order like the back of her hand.

After what seemed like a long silence of around a minute she took my hand in her own.

“I like you. A lot. And I know you share the same feelings. But what you don’t understand is how difficult it has been for me to accept this. Since childhood I’ve been ridiculed and poked fun at due to my dark skin. At an early age, I built a cocoon around myself and never let anyone in. It may not be the best defence mechanism but it worked. And then I met you. It took a lot of courage to come to terms with the fact that someone could like me for who I am. In a society obsessed with the notion that women should be fair, it seemed like an impossible dream. Especially because you’re fair. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it and didn’t want to take a chance for fear of being hurt. But I cannot see you drink yourself to death just because both of us were too afraid to be open about our feelings.”

A small tear escaped her eye and her grip tightened.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve been extremely judgemental about you in my mind. Yes, I like you a lot. But I lacked the courage to approach you; and then as time passed I interpreted your behaviour as a ‘stay away’ sign. Never did I try and understand how you actually felt.” I croaked. I could’ve sworn that my usually confident voice had got stuck somewhere in my gut.

As we sipped our coffees, we spoke about the coffee shop episode, the accidental nudge at the water cooler and a lot of other previously unsaid things. This time too our eyes met…and spoke…but the language had changed.

No Will. No Way.

There’s something disturbingly, cloyingly polite about today’s world. I don’t quite understand whether it is due to the unwritten pressures of social media, the corporate rat race or whether we’re just too lazy to disagree. But the bitter truth is that we’re afraid to say NO.

For the simplest things in life, people need to think, re-think and then think some more to simply say, “No. I do not want to do this.” I’ve seen people choosing career paths they intensely disliked, doing favours they didn’t want to…just because they couldn’t say no; or they felt caged. And guess what’s the best way for anyone to wriggle out of unsolicited advances from the opposite gender (or even the same gender)? Just say the bloody word – N.O.

Saying ‘No’ comes with a lot of responsibility and very often, social stigma too. But if you don’t have the gumption to refuse, you lose the right to crib. We’ve all been there…bad relationships, life-consuming requests and sometimes character-tarnishing expectations…but then there is always the proverbial “What will happen if I say no?” lurking in the dark, grimy corners of the devil’s workshop. And eventually we give in. What follows is usually misery, self-doubt and an overwhelming sense of hollowness.

I’ve noticed that people almost never compare the directly proportional value of a ‘No’ to future expectations. Once you’ve said ‘Yes’, the next time it is expected that you’ll do the same. Or you could say the magic word and be free from future requests. Value yourself and your time. Don’t wonder what excuse to provide in order to turn someone down. You do not owe anyone an explanation.

I often say ‘No’ to a lot of things that I do not wish to do/participate in. It has cost me a great deal in shaping my relationships with people. But it turns out that it worked out for the best. The small, select circle of close friends that I have are also from the land of ‘No’. All of us mutually respect the other’s N-bomb without batting an eyelid. And no one judges the other. I prefer that to a huge-ass social circle with whom I’ve to constantly be on my ‘society-approved’ best behaviour.

The hardest part about saying ‘No’ is doing it the first time. Thereafter, it’s a cakewalk. It’ll save you time, heartburn, impossible expectations and above all it’ll keep banal stresses at bay. This Independence Day gift yourself the freedom to refuse. Just look the other person in the eye and say it. And if you’re asked “Why not?” …I recommend turning to my favourite retort – “Because, I said no.”