Lets first understand the reasons for customer defection.

·                     Defection could the cause if a customer finds a low-priced alternative.

·                     A superior product may even lead to defection.

·                     Customers get defected due to poor service

·                     Another reason for customer defection could be owed to internal or external political consideration.

·                     Last but not the least is the technological defection to a product from outside the industry.

Building long-term relationship with customers is based on concern, trust, commitment and service.

Concern

Concern shown to the customers is universally appreciated. Every customer comes with certain expectations to the branch bankers. They get influenced by

·                     Word of mouth and promises made

·                     Fulfillment of the related needs

·                     Past experience

It is not so easy to understand customer expectations. It needs real empathy to build a long-term relationship with the customer.

Surf is a laundry product of lever, which is attempting to cater the needs of its customers by introducing laundry service. Thus, it leads into a larger business of garment care.

The “surf laundry service” offers washing, ironing, starching, mending and dry-cleaning, all delivered at the consumer's doorstep. It further takes care of;

·                     Full-satisfaction guarantee;

·                     A call centre with a toll-free number;

·                     Membership scheme;

·                     An imported garment tracking software and

·                     A state of the art equipment.

Trust and Commitment

Trust and commitment are two strong pillars on which relationships are built. Commitment is lasting desire to maintain a relationship. Trust is a confidence that one partner has in the other's reliability.

Trust brings about a feeling of security, reduces uncertainty and creates a supportive climate. It is the cornerstone of relationship commitment. Confidence is associated with the partner's consistency, competence and honesty. Honesty refers to the belief that the partner stands by his word.

In the US, almost four million expectant mothers will receive personalized letters and magazines about infant care from a disposable diaper manufacturer. This builds a bond between mothers and Huggies. When the baby arrives, a coded coupon is delivered, which Huggies can track to know which mothers have tried the product. The sale of the product increases forming a relationship with mothers, which can be leveraged across their products.

Service

Concern, trust and service lead to the desire of providing excellent service. Building enduring relationships is possible with high-quality service, which needs to be reliable, enduring and responsive. It has been observed that excellent service leads to improved profitability. Researchers claim that quality service leads to customer satisfaction.

EID Parry's (India) Limited spotted an opportunity from research that showed that a quarter of expense on a bathroom go towards services such as plumbing and construction, many customers do not have access to proper and reliable plumbing services. Parry ware got the idea to set up service cells across the country. The first cell has already started in Delhi. Along with this it brings out a manual on bathroom designs and usage tips to help the consumers plan for a better bathroom. By providing “total bathroom solution” parry shows its concern and

excellent service to its consumers.