Tips for Building Customer Trust to Increase Retention
It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, competition in the digital age is fierce. Maintaining business with a legacy brand is tougher than it used to be and creating a base with a new company is even more challenging. It may seem like the companies with the biggest marketing teams and budgets always come out ahead, but oftentimes, the secret is a simple technique that the big guys forget: building and keeping customer trust. Here are three modern tips to do just that.
Take Customers Behind the Scenes
Think about what sets your product apart from your competitors. Every successful company should have something to brag about, and while it may seem self-serving at first, the reality is that customers are interested. Not only is it an important part of your story but showing and talking about what goes on behind the scenes will build customer trust by making people see you as more than a nameless, faceless corporation. You’ll be identified by the people who do the work, the craft they apply to it, and the materials or ingredients they use.
Think Local
Small businesses have multinational corporations at a disadvantage when it comes to building customer trust through engagement. You can literally walk down the street and solicit feedback from your clients and potential customers. You can give back to local charitable organizations by sponsoring or volunteering at their fundraisers. You can forge relationships and build partnerships with other local businesses, use local vendors for your materials and supplies, and hire homegrown, local talent.
Pay Attention
Paying attention seems to be good, obvious advice, but it’s ignored by businesses all too often. Customer trust is directly correlated with the customer experience, and that is a broad concept that covers everything from website design, best practices in sales, service, and support, retail environment, and social media presence and interaction. You probably have good procedures in place for each of these customer touchpoints, but where many businesses fail the “pay attention” test is evaluating these processes based on feedback. For example, if you have customers complaining that it takes too long to get a quote, you need to streamline the process and make sure you shout it from the mountaintops when you do. You don’t want to react impulsively, but you do what to be responsive to reoccurring, legitimate complaints.
At the end of the day, your customers keep you in business. Don’t give them reasons to take their business elsewhere!
