How To Build Trust And Improve Customer Relations
Being in business and having a product to sell a product to sell is no guarantee of success if your potential clients don’t trust you!
Just ask Vodafone in Australia! Their marketing is very aggressive, they have the technology, but somewhere along the line their customer service has failed.
And failed spectacularly! Where a site such as Ebay uses customer and seller feedback to build trust among members. apparently Vodafone didn’t listen to feedback!
A website designed to give people a place to vent their feelings at a company that’s perceived to not be listening!
Do a search for “Vodafail” and you’ll even find Vodafail The Musical…
And it is hurting the company – with 90,000 people leaving for other carriers every month!
Building Trust
How to build trust in business?
Consumer trust is the same as in any other relationship.
Honesty, transparency and delivering the promised product on time is a great place to start.
Fixing any faults with the product, fast, helps to maintain a customer’s confidence.
Always look for new ways to improve customer service standards.
Having a great product isn’t much help if there is a problem in delivery, or the goods aren’t as described.
This can be made worse if there is no acknowledgment of a problem – just ask Vodafone – 90,000 customers a month leaving your business, even a big business, has got to hurt your bottom line!
Good customer relations are what keep people coming back – you might sell them the latest iPhone today, but they are going to need to upgrade it sometime in the future.
Keeping customers happy in the meantime means continued sales.
I’m sure that most businesses don’t mean to provide bad customer service, but sometimes it happens.
Remember, while you may tend to judge yourself on your intentions, your customers can only judge you on your performance!
Please note that I have no connection with Vodafone, apart from being a former customer…