Even in these hard times when we are all keeping a tight rein on our purse strings, brand loyalty doesn’t just come down to cost and quality, but it’s also about the customer experience.

I shop at M&S because of the quality of goods that they offer and the positive experience – staff are friendly and knowledgeable, paying is quick and easy and any problems I’ve ever had are quickly resolved.

I am now a member of its Premium Club – this entitles me to a number of benefits including drinks vouchers to use in the restaurant, triple points on every purchase and free holiday insurance for the whole family.

This makes me feel like they’ve gone that extra mile to make me feel valued, which in turn makes me more likely to return and talk to others about my positive experience.

But customer service isn’t just about large corporates. My butcher not only provides me with excellent personal service and high quality meat, he also has a customer newsletter highlighting the special offers available, and gives his customers a loyalty card with rewards for frequent visits.

We all know that a bad customer experience – whether that be a refusal to refund an item, slow delivery, confusing promotions or rude staff – will make us much less likely to return and more likely to talk about the negative experience with friends and on social networks such as Twitter.

With more and more consumers heading to social networks to vent their frustrations and ask questions of the brand, it’s also vital to have a dedicated customer service presence online. Brands must reply quickly, accurately and politely to show the customer, and anyone else reading the query, that they are helpful and on the ball.

Those who get the customer service right will find it forms a solid basis for trading in 2012.

This post was written by Wendy Connolly and she’d love your feedback.