Is your business trust-worthy?
In a time where many businesses have lost the trust of the people (think mortgage companies and banks), I thought it would be helpful to share some thoughts and ideas on how businesses can build trust with customers...
Andy Hanselman has written a great article over at The Customer Collective titled "20 Ideas For Building Trust".
Yes, I'm one of the 76% who doesn't believe all the hype in advertisements. I always get mad at the fast food restaurants whose commercials depict all these yummy-looking burgers or tacos, yet when you order the food, you actually get stale-looking meat, wilted lettuce, and half-melted cheese.
I like Andy's idea #17 for building trust:
"Giving me the same deal as the new customers you’re trying to attract – providing ‘new’ customers with better deals suggests you don’t ‘value’ me, or even worse, you take me for granted – that’s not a good sign!"In the short video below, Don Peppers of the Peppers & Rogers Group shares his thoughts on trust...
The idea of trust boils down to communication. When you're open and transparent in communicating with customers, the more trust-worthy you will become. When you communicate and stay in touch with people on a regular basis, they will trust you.
I asked my Twitter followers if they had any tips or ideas on how to build trust, and Becky Carroll of Customers Rock! (@bcarroll7) answered:
What about you? Do you have any tips to share on building trust with customers?
"The idea of trust boils down to communication. When you're open and transparent in communicating with customers, the more trust-worthy you will become. When you communicate and stay in touch with people on a regular basis, they will trust you."
Absolutely, I couldn't agree with you more. My motto is "loyalty breeds loyalty." Transparency and open communication with your customers breeds long-lasting relationships which in the end will equate to company revenue. Companies especially in the service industry have yet to understand this concept. Service companies in telecom, cable and utilities are notorious for making their customers wait at home for their technician or package - and more than half the time, they're late or fail to show up.
I work for TOA Technologies, an on-demand mobile workforce management solutions company that provides technicians the ability to notify and update customers in real-time regarding appointment status, updates and delays. Customers can cancel, reschedule, and confirm appointments. Communication and honesty will show your customers that you care.
You can read more on our blog: http://toatech.com/blog/
Curious to hear your thoughts on the quality service in the service industry and the common "waiting for my cable guy" problem.