iMedia Connection “Satisfaction has long been considered the cornerstone for evaluating the strength of a company’s relationship with its customers. After all, a satisfied customer should have no incentive to take their business elsewhere, right?”

“But what do we mean by satisfaction? Is it the process by which we meet a need or the effect of satiation that follows? This distinction can mean a world of difference. Engagement — that is, attracting and engrossing customers — is the measure that will determine the true value of a customer relationship.”

This is the argument of Brian Manning, user experience specialist at Molecular, a US technology consulting firm, who then goes on to give five reasons why we should shift our collective focus toward engagement.

1. Satisfaction is a measurement of past experience, not an indicator of future behavior.
2. Extremely satisfied customers often act and behave no differently than less satisfied customers.
3. Engaged customers become the medium for the message.
4. Negative engagement can hurt you more than you know.
5. Engaged customers add more to the bottom line.

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