Many sources now consider customer advocacy to be a critical driver of loyalty, and ultimately an organization's financial success. Forrester defines customer advocacy as "the perception on the part of customers that a firm does what's best for them, not just what's best for its own bottom line." Within the financial services space, Forrester notes a strong correlation between customer advocacy and an organizations:
- Simplicity
- Transparency
- Benevolence
- Trustworthiness
Do these qualities ring true as you think about your "advocacy" to various companies? How successful does your organization foster this type of advocacy? Is the relationship that an organization develops with its customers reciprocal?
In the final analysis, I believe the question really does go back to one of value and trust. In situations where I sense that a relationship is "just about the money" it certainly alters my perception of the strength of that relationship. Can we ultimately expect anything else from our customers?
