Why Your Best Customers Might be First to Flee
If your business depends on providing a high level of service, take note. When a competitor comes to town offering superior service, the customers you think are most loyal might be the first to throw you overboard.
A new Harvard Business School research paper shows that it is the "high-quality incumbent's most valuable customers, those with the longest tenure, most products, and highest balances, who are the most vulnerable to superior service alternatives." The study, How Do Incumbents Fare in the Face of Increased Service Competition?, was done on the retail banking industry by Ryan W. Buell, Dennis Campbell, and Frances X. Frei.
The research also demonstrates that high-service firms must be vigilant about maintaining that quality. If they don't, a customer exodus may start quickly. Entry or expansion of competitors offering superior service increase defection by an average of 9.6% in a single year over baseline defection rates, according to the researchers. Equally significant, such an event has long-term ramifications for the incumbent in terms of degrading account quality.
The bottom line: By committing to sustain a high level of service relative to local competitors, a company can attract and retain higher value customers over time. But be vigilant -- customers lured by service are extremely attuned to what you provide them, and happy to go down the street at any sign of deteriorating attention.
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