Many companies measure customer satisfaction without taking into account customer loyalty. Loyal customers are the only ones that will keep coming back to you for more service.

Having difficulty differentiating between satisfied and loyal customers? Ask yourself this question that I was asked by the sales guru, Jeffrey Gitomer: "Mike, would you rather your spouse be just "satisfied" or would you prefer loyal?"

The Corporate world leads us to believe that "satisfaction" is the goal. Satisfying the customer is what you’re supposed to do...it’s your basic job. In most instances, a satisfied customer means you met the minimum.

Customer satisfaction surveys ask questions like: Were you offered an adequate selection of caskets? Did you find what you wanted in your price range? Was the price in line with the value received? Was the staff friendly and courteous? Did we meet your expectations? And blah, blah and more blah.

Want to determine where you really are? Forget those "patsy" questions and ask the client family questions like:

And, if you want to know where you stand, provide a space for your customers to check: Nothing memorable happened.

Answers from these types of questions are pure gold and help your entire organization understand and serve the customer to new heights. Truly memorable, not just satisfied.