rs remake the loyalty decision on a regular basis, this selection process has the opportunity to be reinforced regularly. Remember that customers actually walk into the retail establishment every time they make a purchase. They meet real people who talk to them, help them make decisions, and leave them with lasting impressions of the experience of being in that store. How Retailers Manage Churn Retailers have a clear set of guidelines for managing customer churn or disloyalty. For the retailer, every visit to the store is a new decision point and a new opportunity to convince the customer to enter the establishment. Some of the techniques that retailers employ to increase their chances for customer loyalty include: Good service at each location 2. Clean, well organized stores and merchandise that is attrac- tively displayed 3. Aggressive image advertising to promote the store as a good place to shop 4. Aggressive promotion designed to intercept competitors' attempts to steal customers In short, the retailer battles churn by a. Creating a "store experience" consisting of sales people, store ambiance, and location appeal which constantly rein- force the customer's shopping decisions. Aggressive promotion designed to direct consumers get- ting ready to make a purchase decisions to their store The key to the retail customer management experience is consistency, understanding the retail experience from the customer's perspective, and constant consumer awareness. Retail Applicability to Telecommunications Although the retail industry provides us with a great body of knowledge about the nature of the relationships that can develop between companies and consumers, we must be careful when trying to apply retail techniques directly to the telecommunications experience. eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook The shopping/buying cycle for telco services is very different than for retail. Consumers do not make the telco purchase decision every day. They make big decisions about which carrier to choose on a 