(Note: This article and video were posted to CRN.com Aug. 21.)

Is a satisfisfied customer loyal? For that matter, is a loyal customer satisfied?

Speaking Sunday at the XChange 2016 conference, behavioral scientist and consultant James Kane explained the difference between a loyal customer and partner, and a satisfied one – and showed why anyone operating in the channel should care.

Kane has assisted organizations including Apple and Major League Baseball, as well as small, regional companies.

[Related: More XChange 2016 Coverage: 7 Keys To Hiring And Retaining The Right People]

He said satisfaction is a mood, whereas loyalty is a behavior.

"Satisfaction is about the past, what you did for me yesterday, and I can promise you no one is nostalgic about what happened to them yesterday," Kane said at the San Antonio, Texas, conference, hosted by The Channel Company, IT Best Of Breed's parent. "None of your customers, employees, vendors, partners, anyone, cares about what you did for them yesterday. The only thing they care about is what you will do for them tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and next year, and that's where loyalty resides."

Furthermore, Kane said, "Satisfaction is about what you do for them. Loyalty is about what they do for you."

That doesn’t mean that solution providers and vendors should not set out to satisfy their customers and partners, but, Kane said, many people confuse being satisfied with being loyal.

"Loyalty is a science. It's something wired inside of our brain. It has been for a very, very long time," Kane said.  "It’s in our DNA."