Jul 5, 2017
You have to be good at what you do, of course, but having a truly successful business is based on one simple concept: trust. Organizations with great customer relationships have the tendency to expand their businesses without gimmicks, fee cuts or special treatment. Customer retention is enormously profitable. Returning customers spend nearly three times as much as one-time customers -- and they’re likely to become brand advocates who can bring you even more customers. But, in order to grow a base of returning shoppers, you’ve got to convince new shoppers to trust you enough to make that first sale.
Some ways to build and maintain customer trust are:
1.About 60-80 percent of e-commerce site visitors are first time visitors. And it is important to leave a good first impression. First impression includes three main factors: professional design, good UX, and a quick loading site. Having such healthy factors attracts the customers and induces in them a sense of trust.
2.After the initiation of usage of the site, the customers analyze the reliability of the site; if it is safe to provide them with personal information or not. To make the customer trust you more, offer comprehensive, easy to find contact information. Make sure there are enough ways for the customer to reach out to you.
3.Earning a customer’s trust starts with offering great customer service. It is generally preferred if the service comes naturally instead of strategically planned. Having a healthy relationship with the customers through your service encourages them to stay with the company for a longer period of time and also spread a word in their social circle.
4.Transparency is a factor which is again expected to be present naturally. Customers and clients are smart enough to judge if you committed a mistake and if you are trying to hide the same from the common public. Instead of hiding or covering up the issue, address the issue and share what steps are you planning to take up to map out the faults or errors in the system.
5.Good marketing is not just about making promises; it’s also about keeping them. Framing slogans which lead to huge customer expectations might also be disappointing for them at the same time.
6.In case something goes wrong while carrying out the basic functions of the enterprise, reacting to it quickly is considered to be a better option. Instead of sitting and figuring out how it occurred, acting towards solving the issue makes the customer trust you more. Also, it is more profitable for the firm to respond to a discrepancy as soon as possible to avoid delays and inconvenience. It also portrays an attitude of responsibility on the part of the company.
7.The brands leading the market identify .the competitive and financial rewards of asking customers what they think—and taking the radical step of listening to them, understanding their wants and needs and actually utilizing this feedback to better serve them. They might also end up with better and innovative ideas from the feedbacks taken.
Building trust takes time and a lot of hard work. But is entirely doable if you and your team work on three of your most important core competencies: service, consistency and transparency.