Building a relationship with customers is essential for any business. Customers, in turn, engage with companies that they believe in and hold in high standard.
But over the past couple of years, it’s clear that we’ve taken trust for granted. Cybersecurity anxiety has taken hold, and consumers are now more suspicious of companies. In fact, 76% of businesses are facing a consumer trust crisis.
Likewise, 73% of online consumers say that trust matters more to them now than it did last year. With customers expecting more privacy around their data and purchases, it’s important to prove that you’re a brand that is worth relying on.
More than just putting your customer’s best interests at heart, being reliable and trustworthy also means respecting their needs and taking actions to gain back their confidence. Here are some ways to do that.
Be Transparent
Data transparency has been one of the biggest issues of the 21st century. Let’s be real: It’s never good to feel like you’ve been duped into giving away your personal information. Transparency should permeate all aspects of your brand, from copy and process to data collection.
Misleading customers is one thing, but hiding information is just as bad. Inform your customers about how your company is handling their data. If there’s anything that doesn’t sit well with them, they should be able to opt out of it.
With data privacy becoming a bigger issue, honesty and transparency are also about providing your customers with options and information.
Offer the Best Customer Service
When customers have a problem with a product, the first thing they do is call customer support. But getting a robot in your ear in return not only lessens customer confidence but also kills the chances of a potential sale. In fact, 75% of consumers prefer human interactions to automated ones, while 61% switch to a competitor after experiencing bad customer service.
Great customer support should latch on to compassion. This requires you to not just focus on your customer’s needs but to also provide solutions that demonstrate care and priority.
Customer support should consist of real people who can demonstrate care and compassion.
Invest in Privacy and Security
More than 80% of consumers want more control over the data that they provide. For this reason alone, making sure that your customers feel safe and protected is the best next step. In addition to data ethics, privacy and security should be at the heart of your company’s mission.
Should a breach take place, it’s important to act right away and be open about what happened. Knowing about these issues, how you’re solving them, and what consumers can do to protect themselves helps them reestablish their trust in your organization, despite the missteps.
Providing privacy and security should be your number one priority. But in the face of failure, you should still be transparent with your customers.
Teach Your Customers
If your customers don’t know what’s happening, they won’t be able to trust you. Help them understand your objectives as a company. The best way to do this is to make sure that they understand what exactly you’re protecting them from. Explain why their data is at risk, why it’s important to protect their data, and why they should take part in securing their details.
Helping customers understand how to protect their data will not only help them make smart decisions but also look to you for help while doing so.
Explaining to your customers how they can protect their data can lead to them looking up to you for guidance.