We’ve all seen those charts featuring a row of bright yellow smiley faces, ranging from beamingly happy to neutral and then sad. Customer satisfaction is often measured this way.

But one risk of using customer satisfaction surveys is that the questions may be tuned to produce results that support whatever trend or initiative the company is currently focused on. Sometimes, these initiatives are noble but difficult to deliver effectively. This can lead to “virtue signalling” without improving the core service, which can backfire if customers notice a decline in the basics that matter to them.

So how do you turn customers into raving fans? It’s often a longer journey for the business than for the customer.