Business Case and Implications for Consistency – Part 3: The Causal Chain from Consistency to Customer Loyalty

In an earlier post we discussed the business case for consistency, primarily because consistency drives customer loyalty.  This post describes the causal chain from consistency to customer loyalty.

Brands are defined by how customers experience them, and they will have both an emotional and behavioral reaction to what they experience.  It is these reactions to the customer experience which drive satisfaction, loyalty and profitability.

There is a causal chain from consistency to customer loyalty.  McKinsey and Company concluded in their 2014 report, The Three Cs of Customer Satisfaction: Consistency, Consistency, Consistency, that feelings of trust are the strongest drivers of customer satisfaction and loyalty, and consistency is central to building customer trust.

For example, in our experience in the banking industry, institutions in the top quartile of consistent delivery are 30% more likely to be trusted by their customers compared to the bottom quartile.  Furthermore, agreement with the statements: my bank is “a brand I feel close to” and “a brand that I can trust” are significant drivers of brand differentiation as a result of the customer experience.  Again, brands are defined by how customers experience them.  In today’s environment where consumer trust in financial institutions is extremely low, fostering trust is critical for driving customer loyalty.  Consistency fosters trust.  Trust drives loyalty.

In our next post we will continue to explore the business case for consistency by considering the influence of poor experiences.