When brands set the goal of delivering great customer service, many aim to increase customer loyalty and reduce churn. While this idea might make sense, one important one is often overlooked: Building customer trust is at the heart of winning their loyalty. Without trust, customers simply lack the confidence and excitement that can turn them into true brand advocates. So just how can your brand take steps toward building customer trust?
Sincerity is everything when building customer trust, and it can be shown in numerous ways. During service interactions, agents should be friendly and approachable in a natural way. If your brand makes any kind of error, make your apologies sincere. When asking for feedback, follow up with a “thank you” and make an effort to address customer concerns. Lastly, marketing campaigns and loyalty programs should clearly serve the purpose of making your customers’ lives better, not more complicated. Sincerity gives your brand authenticity and a human touch, which lead to trust.
Customers want to know that their opinions count. So imagine their delight when you actually listen to them! Make it a consistent practice to solicit customer feedback, both formally and informally. Asking for customer feedback through post-contact surveys and periodic surveys can give your brand structured answers to your specific questions. But don’t forget the informal comments that may be found on social media, blogs, or in agent notes, for example. Thank customers for their time, follow up when they ask questions, and always address negative feedback to learn what your brand could be doing better.
Customers normally have certain expectations of a brand after an interaction or two. Make your first impression a strong one by building a reputation for consistency and reliable service. Agents should be trained to deliver swift, quality service with knowledge of the latest brand updates and the particular issue at hand. Brand information should also be accessible across all channels as well as on desktop and mobile versions of a brand website. Aim to be predictable in a good way: Provide clear delivery and tracking information, respond promptly to social media comments, and contact customers on their preferred channel whenever possible. Building customer trust relies upon giving a solid and consistent experience every time.
The more seamless the experience, the more loyal the customer. Customers should not get lost on the journey and waste time waiting for an answer. Train agents to use CRM software to keep customer data easily accessible and centralized. Use tools like visual IVR menus to route mobile customers to the most qualified agent and prioritized callbacks to prevent customers from being placed on hold. Optimize your omnichannel strategy to enable easy switching between channels when desired. Seamlessness means saving customers time and effort, which leads to their trust and loyalty.
Targeted marketing offers tend to please customers since they are tailored to their interests. But why are they great for building customer trust? They prove that your brand is paying attention to what they actually want. It’s personalized attention and savvy sales strategy combined, resulting in a winning situation for both brand and customer. Marketing campaigns that involve customer participation (especially those on social media) are also time-tested ways to show customers you care about their needs and trust their opinions. So naturally, they will trust your brand, too!
The quality of your brand’s customer service reflects the skills and mindset of your customer service team. Employee engagement and input are critical to motivating your contact center agents and managers and driving customer service success. Ask your team for feedback, train them regularly, and put their skills and input to use with call script revisions and improved customer service practices. When you show trust in the employees responsible for delivering the great service your brand strives for, your customers will feel the confidence the team exudes and return the sentiment.Building customer trust is essential to winning long-term loyalty. Through optimized customer service practices, authentic gestures, and a willingness to listen to your customers, your brand can deliver the great experiences your customers deserve.
