All relationships in an organization have to be built on trust. It’s the only way to build an organization in a sustainable way.
“Trust is the new currency of our interdependent, collaborative world” – Stephen M. R. Covey
Just think about the people that you enjoy working with, that you genuinely like being around. You probably have a high level of trust with those people. You know them, you like them, and you’re loyal to them. Well, the same goes for your customers.
Before customers buy something from you, they need to be able to trust you. So it’s essential to know how to build trust with customers in today’s business environment because they are more skeptical and careful than ever before.
Remember that one of the key aspects of customer experience is trust. Customers simply don’t want to do business with an organization they can’t trust. And trust is something that can’t be forced down people’s throats – you have to earn the consumer’s trust naturally. But how can you do this?
In this article, we’ll uncover three ways you can gain the trust of your customers.
1. Provide Excellent Customer Service
The customer service your company provides can have a huge impact on customer trust. And because there is so much competition, you need to offer a level of service your customers can’t find anywhere else. They need to know that you care about them and appreciate them.
Therefore, it’s absolutely crucial to hire dedicated support staff and set high standards for the quality of your service. Your goal should be to offer a professional and personable experience for your customers. If they feel like your company has gone above and beyond, then they’re more likely to come back and recommend you to their family and friends.
Another important aspect is to make it easy for your customers to get in touch. How? By providing multiple support channels. Then, as customers reach out with different questions or issues, it’s essential to be consistent with your responses.
Make sure to create a set of guidelines for your team in order to help them answer common inquiries and resolve various problems. Of course, it’s important to be aware that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to your customers. You need to encourage your team to treat each customer as the individual they are. Let’s be honest, you can’t earn the trust of your customers if they feel like they’re treated like numbers. Instead, you should provide a consistent service with a personal touch.
Besides this, a great way to offer excellent customer service is to always be available (whether it be through email, phone, live chat, etc.). When customers have an issue with something and they receive prompt and helpful customer service, they’ll think of you as a reliable brand. So whenever there’s an opportunity, make sure your support team goes above and beyond to meet the needs of your customers and make them happy. A few extra seconds of effort can really make the difference.
2. Be Active and Engage on Social Media
Like the owl Hedwig flooding Harry Potter’s room with letters, a full inbox can stand in our way. We tend to subscribe to many services, thinking that we will be needing them. We also leave emails unopened, deciding we will get to them later. These habits clutter our inbox and hinder our communication.
Take the time to reorganize your inbox. This will give you a fresh start and will save you long minutes, or even hours spent searching for information.
3. Ask People to Share Their Stories
At Collabo Creative, we believe in human connection. Asking people to share their stories is an easy way to immediately get them to build some trust, whether we’re talking about customers, team members, or leadership.
Here are three things you can do when trying to get people to share their stories while building trust:
1. Listen with an open heart and an open mind:
- when someone is trying to tell you something, you don’t want to place any kind of judgment
- let people share whatever is on their mind
- be open to just accept everything that’s being said
2. Make sure to keep the focus on them:
- it’s more of a monologue (let them talk)
- your role is to prompt them to continue sharing their story. By doing this, they will feel like they’re in the spotlight and you care about them.
3. Ask for their opinions:
- if they bring up a problem or if you’re aware of an existing issue, make sure to ask for their opinions.
- when you ask someone what their thoughts are and how they would solve the problem, they feel like they matter and they feel valued.
Final words
Trust is essential for earning long-term customers and can make all the difference in your company’s success.
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