Customers are your biggest assets. No business would be capable of surviving without them, and while trying to get customers can be a challenge, keeping hold of them is a significant hurdle. One of the most important things to consider when improving customer loyalty to your brand is trust.
Reputation and trust can take years to build. However, some basic elements can solidify your position to improve trustworthiness within your niche. While most people would deem this an important aspect to where they shop, millennials place particular significance on this. Studies have suggested that they will look elsewhere if a brand doesn’t show this characteristic.
Trustworthiness is a must-have for all brands in 2020 and beyond, so how do you build it? Take a look at these helpful tips to improve your relationship with your customers.
Be accessible
Brands that have easy and accessible methods of communicating with their customers are more likely to build trust. Examples include engaging with people on social media, having a live chat function, or simply adding a customer service number on your website. If you don’t have clear contact details available, it makes it difficult for people to trust that you’ll get back to them if there is an issue.
Professional website
Let’s face it; if a website looks unprofessional, most people will leave straight away. In contrast, a professional website doesn’t have to be anything over the top to gain customer trust. A significant element of this is security. If your site takes payments or asks for personal details, it needs to be secure. If you use a third party to receive payments, ensure this is communicated well to the customer to avoid confusion.
Display feedback and reviews
Customers often come through to your brand from recommendations, so displaying reviews can help boost this conversion metric. Some brands are hesitant to showcase this information for fear of negative feedback affecting the customer journey. However, it’s crucial to remember that most companies are not perfect all the time. It’s natural to get negative feedback, but it’s how you deal with it that matters. If customers can see how well you handle queries or criticism, it can help them decide whether or not to shop with you.
Act on your pledges
There is a lot of pressure on companies at the moment to ensure they meet standards and responsibilities both for the community and environment. However, changes in these areas should be well thought out and planned to ensure you meet any targets you set. If you decide to create pledges or targets, stick to them! A business’s reputation can be severely affected by commitments with no solid plan or intention to fulfil them. However, if you show willing and steps to implementing new processes, it will also help to improve the trust and relationship with your customers.
Trust is a significant factor in how people spend their money, and it’s essential to harness a positive reputation to boost your business growth.
