The Apostles Model was introduced by James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, and Leonard A. Schlesinger at Harvard Business School in “Customer Satisfaction Is Key to the Extraordinary Success of Service Businesses” (1991). Their foundational work has been pivotal in shaping CX strategies, and their insights remain relevant even as other metrics are more commonly used as standard KPI’s.
The Apostles Model segments customers depending on their satisfaction and their likelihood to repurchase. The outcome is a visual representation of Satisfaction vs. Loyalty that groups customers into four quadrants, which can be used to implement different satisfaction and retention strategies upon them now that we know where they stand and how they truly feel about our brand, our products and our services.
Apostles Model Challenges
The model has become widely recognised for helping businesses understand customer loyalty dynamics and identifying opportunities to enhance CX strategies. Yet, it is not free of challenges.
As I wrote in June 2023 in this LinkedIn post, there has been some historical criticism of the Apostle Model after its complexity, and to a point, its difficulty to calculate and represent. This is due to the inconsistent alignment of scales (i.e. scale points), making it unclear to determine the boundaries between different categories (and sub-categories). However, today’s technology would be perfectly able to simplify the process and chew all the challenges in the background for us to present a visually simple representation of the model.
How The Model Works
The Apostles Model maps customer segments across two key axes:
- Satisfaction: How pleased customers are with their experience.
- This is coming from the question “How satisfied are you with your experience with [brand/product]?” which is answered with a scale between 1 and 5 or 1 and 7 to represent the answer (from very dissatisfied to very satisfied).
- Repurchase Likelihood: The probability that customers will buy from the brand again.
- The data is collected by asking “How likely are you to repurchase from [brand/product] in the future?”, typically scaled from 1 to 5 or to 10, from very unlikely to very likely.
These dimensions help brands classify customers and focus on nurturing valuable relationships. By identifying where customers fall within this model, businesses can better tailor their strategies for retention, acquisition, and brand reputation management.
The final visual representation of the model identifies the following quadrants:
- Loyalists (high satisfaction – high likelihood to repurchase): Satisfied customers who frequently repurchase and promote enthusiastically.
- Apostles (I normally prefer the term Advocates, since it’s more current and easy to understand in today’s world): Sub-portion of Loyalists with the most loyal customers who are very satisfied and actively promote the brand.
- Mercenaries (high satisfaction – low likelihood to repurchase): Customers who are neutral about the brand, typically driven by price or convenience.
- Hostages (low satisfaction – high likelihood to repurchase): Customers who are not brand enthusiasts but still need to repurchase for compliance reasons or contractual obligations with their clients, etc.
- Defectors (low satisfaction – low likelihood to repurchase): dissatisfied customers who are not planning to repurchase.
- Terrorists (I know… I normally call them Trolls): Sub-portion of Defectors with those customers whose comments and reviews may damage the brand’s reputation.
From now on, we’ll use “advocates” and “trolls” instead of “apostles” and “terrorists,” with all my respect and admiration to the original authors of the model, and humbly trying to reflect how the dynamics of customer interaction have evolved with digitalisation and social media.
Applications of the Apostles Model
The model is particularly valuable for industries where loyalty and repeat purchases are critical, such as retail, hospitality, and subscription-based services. Here’s how it can guide CX strategies:
- Strengthening Relationships with Advocates: Brands can foster loyalty by engaging advocates as brand ambassadors, rewarding their dedication, and amplifying their positive word-of-mouth.
- Retaining Loyalists: Encouraging repeat purchases through exclusive offers, personalised recommendations, and quality service can turn loyalists into advocates over time.
- Minimising Mercenary Impact: Mercenaries tend to switch based on price, so strategies such as differentiated value propositions can help keep these customers loyal.
- Addressing Trolls: Constructive feedback mechanisms and prompt, empathetic responses can prevent negative sentiments from impacting the brand.
Pros and Cons of the Apostles Model
Advantages:
- Clear Categorisation: The model provides a straightforward framework for segmenting customers, which can guide focused CX strategies.
- Predictive Value: By understanding customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions, companies can anticipate potential advocates and detractors.
- Improves Targeted Marketing: Identifying customer segments allows brands to deliver tailored experiences, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Limitations:
- Complex Customer Motivations: The model’s simplicity may overlook nuanced motivations behind customer behaviour.
- Digital and Social Media Dynamics: With the rise of social media, customer influence extends beyond direct interaction, and the model may need adaptation to fully capture this.
Conclusion
The Apostles Model remains a valuable tool for categorising and understanding customer behaviour. By adapting the terms “trolls” and “advocates,” we aim to keep the model aligned with the current language, making it more accessible and relatable. Respect for the model’s original insights underpins these updates, recognising the need to keep CX frameworks both respectful and relevant in an evolving landscape.
