Three Ways to Build Customer Trust
Building customer trust is an essential part of growing a successful small business. As you establish strong relationships, customers who trust your business not only return, they refer others to your business. Here are three ways to build customer trust.
Give Customers a Reason to Trust You
Delivering prompt and reliable customer service is one of the best ways to build trust with new customers. Here’s how to ensure you always provide outstanding customer service.
- Train your customer service team to deal with all sorts of customers and manage all kinds of problems
- Incorporate touch points into every customer service experience; e.g. provide timely updates and follow up on issues
- Offer customers a feedback channel — email, phone call or an online form — so they can easily provide feedback
Strive for Consistency
Providing customers with the same product or service experience each and every time pays off with increased trust. When customers feel confident they can predict the outcome of their interaction with your business, they’re more likely to return and refer others. Here’s how you can develop consistent customer experiences:
- Document internal processes so employees can learn how to handle customer interactions in a consistent manner
- Make sure you and all your employees have access to the same information about your products and services
- Standardize your advertising and marketing messages across all channels, so consumers aren’t confused by different information on various channels
Be Transparent
In the internet era, it’s incredibly easy for consumers to spot — and share — examples of businesses that promise one thing and deliver another.
- Be honest about the qualities and capabilities of your products and services
- Own your mistakes
- Identify all fees and add-on costs upfront
- If appropriate, use social media to let consumers get to know your business
YOUR CHALLENGE: Look at your marketing, sales and customer service practices and identify ways to build and retain trust with your customers.
If you would like to learn more about how this might apply to your business, let’s talk:
