In stressful times, working with customers as they prefer builds connection and drives profit

Yahoo

19-05-2025

As the world braces for a period of global instability, exacerbated by the ongoing trade and tariff issues, it stands to reason, as a supplier, you're scrambling to figure out how to support your customers who may soon face significant price hikes across their supply chains.
Yes, these are challenging times. But you've already weathered crises like 9/11, the credit crunch, Brexit and COVID. Now is the time to double down. This moment presents an opportunity not only to support your clients but to foster what I term "Experience Loyalty" — building relationships that will keep you working with them long after this period of uncertainty is a memory.
Fortunately, some of the foundational elements for this were already in place. As consumers, there's a growing expectation for seamless integration — not just isolated systems. Just as groundbreaking innovations in digital commerce have transformed the B2C sector, similar levels of convenience are now being demanded in the professional realm. Business systems are expected to handle most of the work, with access to information whenever and wherever it's needed.
B2B platforms aren't quite the same, and it would be misleading to suggest that B2B systems will evolve to be exactly like banking apps — but there are some intriguing developments along this path. Customers are expressing a desire for more intuitive and seamless operations, greater interoperability, increased automation, and faster processes to strengthen customer experience loyalty.
But making systems as easy to use as possible isn't the main focus here. While great functionality and impressive AI matter, they are just one part of the puzzle. The real focus is building Experience Loyalty — the kind that transforms a supplier from a low-cost option into a trusted advisor. It's about deepening collaboration, driving innovation with customers and, in the next phase, working together to meet business goals and unlock real growth.
There's a financial case, too: research shows loyalty turns into profit. Your share of wallet with a customer typically grows by around 30% in the first five or six years of the relationship. But the real breakthrough happens when you retain them for the long term — that's when you see a significant surge in wallet. Retaining a business buyer for seven years can drive a 150% increase in revenue per customer, and after 10 years, that jumps to 240%. This is why experience loyalty is so critically important.
Over the years of working with customers and witnessing Experience Loyalty in action, I've identified four key drivers of success: taking a proactive approach, being NPS-driven, fostering a strong emotional connection with key clients, and creating an exceptional overall experience of collaboration.
Some of that language may feel very B2C, but it absolutely applies in B2B — especially in business-to-business services, customer support, and even in the design of your solutions.
Being NPS-driven means prioritising customer loyalty by consistently measuring how likely customers are to recommend your company to others. It's an essential, quantifiable indicator of overall satisfaction and brand strength.
NPS is the ideal starting point, but it's only valuable if paired with action; simply measuring NPS without follow-up leads nowhere. The real benefit lies in understanding and identifying friction points, and using these insights to refine your processes, improve touchpoints, and boost customer experience.
In B2B environments, where customer tolerance for friction is surprisingly high, even minor pain points can accumulate into dissatisfaction. But as a vendor determined to build that greater share of wallet, you can dramatically improve the client's perception of you by proactively solving these issues. For example, if a system is cumbersome or forces users into unnecessary manual work — like jotting down purchase orders by hand because there's no centralized capture or invoice matching — a well-designed interface can make all the difference. It removes friction, builds loyalty, and boosts satisfaction scores.
NPS is not only a metric but a core element of a feedback loop that drives product and service improvements. When used correctly, it leads to a cycle of continuous enhancement and stronger client relationships.
Being proactive is closely tied to NPS and fundamentally about anticipating customer needs before they arise or escalate into problems. In the customer journey, this means pre-empting frustrations, addressing issues before they're voiced, and continuously improving usability.
One of the most effective yet often overlooked ways to do this is simply by observing users in action—not assuming how they use your product, but actually watching what they do and the problems they can encounter. These kinds of discoveries aren't always obvious from data alone; they often require hands-on user research.
Proactivity also extends to communication, particularly in finance-related interactions like offering credit or following up on payments. For example, if you're calling to chase an invoice and the customer has already paid, but your system hasn't been updated, it comes across as unprofessional and underprepared, and the customer may feel frustrated. This erodes trust. Avoiding these missteps can only come from a combination of having accurate, real-time data, and reaching out with targeted support.
Being proactive in the B2B world isn't about quick responses; it's about providing thoughtful, context-aware solutions that demonstrate a deep understanding and respect for the customer's experience.
"Emotions" in business relationships are just as important as in consumer-facing scenarios, yet they're often overlooked. In B2C, ads often pull at heartstrings to create an emotional connection or use humour to generate positive feelings toward a brand or product. In business, the goal is to foster emotions like confidence in your expertise or excitement about seizing external opportunities.
In B2B, the emotional layer is more subtle but equally powerful. It's about building trust, avoiding negative experiences, and handling sensitive moments — which, especially during times of crisis, are bound to occur — with care and empathy.
Take credit lines, for example. Denying a request without any explanation can feel like a personal rejection or judgment. A far better approach is to reframe the conversation — explain the reasoning behind the decision, outline the steps your customer can take to qualify for more in the future. This not only preserves their dignity but also helps build trust and credibility.
This is a conversation your customers will increasingly value—especially as new tariffs start to affect the credit profiles of firms selling into the U.S. and beyond. Many manufacturers will now be scrambling to secure alternative sources for critical components, while retailers revisit pricing models in real time. Offers of flexibility—whether through revised credit terms or extended payment cycles—will be genuinely welcomed. It's exactly the kind of support that builds long-term loyalty as everyone works toward a new equilibrium.
The emotional impact of these interactions is huge, even if they appear transactional on the surface. Other emotionally charged scenarios in working with money and billing include payment follow-ups, customer complaints, or handling system errors. The emotional tone during these moments can significantly colour the client's perception of your entire company. A poorly handled conversation can damage years of goodwill, while a sensitive and informed interaction can strengthen the relationship and build lasting trust.
While the goal in B2B isn't necessarily to delight, it's crucial to avoid causing emotional harm. Wherever possible, the aim should be to create moments of support, empathy, and reassurance. These moments help deepen the long-term Experience Loyalty that you're working to cultivate.
Last but not least is what I call being experiential. This, to me, defines the entirety of the customer journey — how every touchpoint feels, from onboarding and service interactions to emails and the user interface you provide.
Experience and emotion are tightly linked. A good experience almost always leads to positive emotions, and a bad one has the opposite effect. Getting this right requires consistency, informed personalisation that avoids generic approaches, and alignment with the client's brand ethos. For example, if a client positions themselves as fun and relaxed, the customer experience should reflect that, even when challenges arise. Similarly, a more traditional, formal brand expects communications to be serious and precise.
Achieving this requires giving your people more than scripts, and instead:
Customised training, ensuring teams understand the tone and values of each brand they serve.
Software and tools that adapt to different customer needs and preferences.
Specialised teams rather than horizontal customer service groups, to ensure alignment with each client's expectations.
You want to go the extra mile because clients entrust you with their customers. The goal is to become such a trusted advisor and partner that you become an extension of their brand. If your communication feels off to the outside world — whether it's too stiff, too casual, too impersonal, or otherwise misaligned — you risk breaking that trust.
The bottom line is creating an aligned, seamless experience isn't optional — it's essential, especially for global players looking to support regional operations effectively. Going forward, trust needs to be your superpower. Maintaining a cohesive, branded, and emotionally intelligent experience across every customer interaction builds the kind of Experience Loyalty that stems from trust — and that's what underpins long-term financial success.
Here are two quick examples from sectors where modern B2B payment platforms generate real Experience Loyalty dividends. Retailers traditionally serve consumers, but many are now expanding into B2B sales and recognising the untapped potential of this market. However, business customers have different needs: they require detailed invoices with tax and regional compliance data, personalised pricing, and specific payment terms — things many retailers aren't equipped to handle. In this case, support is needed through payment workflows that provide customer-specific pricing, accurate invoice generation, and tailored payment structures, enabling retailers to meet their business customers where they are and deliver a seamless, professional experience that fosters trust and loyalty.
In another market—automotive after-sales, for example—manufacturers sell through extensive dealer networks but need to uphold pre-negotiated pricing for fleet customers. This presents a logistical challenge, with thousands of dealers, disparate systems, and pricing that varies based on individual contracts. For this type of customer, support is provided by tracking contract pricing and ensuring the correct rate appears on every invoice, no matter the dealer or region. This helps prevent billing errors, maintain trust, and strengthen long-term relationships.
The important point here is that this isn't simply about operations — it's about delivering a great experience, time and time again. At its core, it's simple human stuff: when billing runs smoothly, customers feel confident, respected, and cared for. When it doesn't, the emotional fallout can be disproportionate, eroding trust and damaging relationships that may have taken years to build.
Summing up: NPS gives the data; proactivity turns insight into action; emotion ensures every interaction is human and respectful; and a great experience ties it all together into a consistent, branded journey. These aren't abstract concepts — they're tightly connected principles that define the modern customer experience, especially in B2B. And in a world marked by growing complexity and uncertainty, customers want, more than ever, to feel understood, respected, and valued.
The companies that embed these principles into their tools, teams, and culture are the ones that truly stand out — and they're the ones that build the kind of Experience Loyalty that keeps clients for life, no matter what the world throws at them.
Brandon Spear is CEO of TreviPay, a global B2B payments and invoicing network that enables enterprises to provide payments choice and convenience, open new markets and automate accounts receivables
"In stressful times, working with customers as they prefer builds connection and drives profit" was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand.
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