8 top tips to build customer trust in your business

When customers – or potential customers – trust your business they are more likely to buy a product or service from you instead of your competitors, and then continue that relationship. Consumer Reports in America have shown that nearly 91% of customers will not do repeat business with companies who gave them a bad first encounter. When it costs 5 times more to acquire new customers then it does to keep your existing ones, this could be a very costly mistake for any business! Here's our 8 top tips to get your business on the right path to building a strong relationship with your customers.

Be honest and truthful.
Well why wouldn’t you be? If someone needs something and you don’t offer it, don’t lie, it won’t work for you or the customer.

If you make a mistake or are unsure of something, admit it!
Don’t try to cover up mistakes or blag your way through, it will only trip you up in the end.

Set realistic expectations.
Can you deliver what they want in 3 working days? If so, tell them that, if not, don’t! If you over-promise but under-deliver, you’ve lost a customer. If you under-promise but over-deliver, you’ll likely receive great feedback and further business.

People like to know what to expect.
If people are likely to return to you for business, it’s because they liked what you did last time. So don’t prove them wrong the next time.

Make yourself available.
You don't have to be on the end of a phone or your emails 24/7 but be approachable, make your contact details available to them so that they can praise/complain/query. Make sure you respond to communication as quickly as possible.

Be personable.
If you would want to buy the product or service from you then it’s more likely they will too. If they feel like they’re dealing with a genuine person rather than a machine or auto-response they’ll be more likely to trust in you.

Be professional.
This can be true in two ways. Customers will trust you if you’re serious about what you do and have an in-depth understanding of it. But also, maintain a professional relationship, keep your language clean - especially when responding to customers on social media.

Do what you do, and do it well.
Don’t try to be all things to all people. You’ll become better and more efficient at what you do if you practice it and keep doing it. And customers want that. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t branch out, but make sure that whatever the branch is, that it delivers in the same way the rest of your business does.

None of these should be new concepts to you. But it’s useful to remind ourselves of them every now and again. They’re basically business (or personal) morals, and the higher your moral compass, the more likely you are to build customer trust. The more trust you build, the more demand you’ll have, and the more repeat business. And don’t forget the power of word of mouth, once you’ve gained someone’s trust, they’ll hopefully spread the word for you.