How to truly value your customer

In today’s hyperconnected world, where brands compete on trust and experience, businesses cannot afford to treat customers as transactions. Whether you’re selling a vehicle or resolving a complaint, what truly matters is how the customer feels throughout the experience. The vehicle may be the product, but experience is the brand.

Every customer who walks through the door brings a story with them of their hopes, expectations, concerns and dreams. The questions we must ask ourselves every day are: Are we listening? Are we making it memorable for the right reasons?

A great customer experience doesn’t begin in the boardroom or even at the sales desk. It starts at the gate. The first greeting from a security guard, the smile from a cleaner, the friendly wave from a technician — all these seemingly small moments add up. They’re signals of the culture you’ve created. Everyone is responsible for the customer’s experience, not just those in designated “customer-facing” roles. Every staff member plays a part in showing what you stand for: integrity, enthusiasm and a deep respect for the people you serve.

It’s critical that customers don’t feel like they’re navigating different personalities with conflicting attitudes. From showroom to service bay, they should experience one cohesive culture: warm, responsive and authentic.

Valuing your customer means creating space for them to feel heard. And not just superficially. When a customer is buying a car, it’s often one of the biggest purchases of their life. When they bring a concern or complaint, it’s often because something has disappointed them emotionally, not just functionally.

Make it a point to sit down, ask thoughtful questions and truly listen. Not with the aim to respond, but to understand. Take notes, ask follow-up questions, and most importantly, allow silence when it’s needed. That silence can say: “I hear you, and I’m thinking deeply about what you’ve said.”

Too many companies wait until something goes wrong to show they care. The true magic lies in those unexpected “wow” moments when you make the experience not just good, but unforgettable. Whether it’s a surprise thank-you card, a follow-up call after a test drive or simply offering a cup of coffee with a genuine smile, small gestures can leave a lasting impression. Customers don’t forget how you made them feel.

We often think of empathy as a soft skill, but it’s actually one of the strongest drivers of customer loyalty. When a customer comes to you with frustration, your response shouldn’t be defensive, it should be curious, quick to listen and compassionate.

Encourage your team to look for common ground. “How would I feel if this were me?” is a guiding principle. When empathy is embedded into the DNA of your business, it becomes easier to find solutions that benefit everyone, rather than just ticking boxes.

A great experience doesn’t end when the conversation does. You have to close the loop. Let your customer know what happens next. Give them a clear time frame. Then — crucially — follow through. When you recap the discussion before they leave, you not only show that you’ve been paying attention, you also help build memory. And memory is everything in customer experience.

We want our customers to leave thinking: “That wasn’t just efficient; it was human. That’s the kind of place I want to come back to.”

Owning the customer journey is not about taking control; it’s about taking responsibility. You can’t always predict what a customer will say or do, but you can decide how you will show up. Ownership means being proactive. It means keeping promises. It means checking in without being prompted.

People remember how you made them feel far more than what you said. And that’s the essence of valuing your customer: show them they matter, not just with words, but with every part of the experience. Every day. Every time.

Natasha Jackson is the head of customer experience at Eagle Motor City.

The big take-out: The essence of valuing your customer is to show them they matter, not just with words, but with every part of the experience.