Word of Mouth

The act of word-of-mouth is often preceded by an actual positive service experience. Essentially, service providers need to work on the customers' hearts and minds before they can gain word-of-mouth. The share of heart concept suggests that delighting customers is the key to connecting with the hearts of customers. Share of hearts refer to the extent to which the customer is emotionally linked to the service provider in response to the verbal and non-verbal acts of the service provider.

The share of hearts marks the start to how a service provider engages the customer., in the sense that customers form an emotional linked to the product, service or even service provider. Service providers need to work on the customers' hearts and minds before they can gain word-of-mouth.

Service mindfulness suggests that service providers are alert to both the spoken and unspoken needs of customers.

Service providers win the share of customers' hearts through their heartfelt and caring services, triggered by their service mindfulness. The sustained efforts of service providers move customers towards the share of mind, navigating into their subconscious and resulting in top of mind recall when they are again in need of the service. The share of voice is earned when customers are willing to testify about the goodness experienced from the acts of the service providers. Gaining the share of heart, share of mind and share of voice is becoming progressively more important in light of ever-increasing competition.

When customers are delighted, they become brand ambassadors and give their heart, mind and voice to the brand.