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Last Updated on February 26, 2015 by Work In My Pajamas
Customer loyalty leads to repeat business, referrals and an all-around great reputation with your target audience. As a business owner, you may understand that building trust with your customers is imperative to your long-term success, and you may strive to be the trusted company your customers turn to when they need your products or services. However, you may wonder what steps you need to take to build trust and to create a solid reputation with your customers. There are a few key elements that you should incorporate into your business practices to foster trust.
Answer Questions with Honesty and Integrity
Consumers want to know that they are making sound, informed decisions. Whether you run a plumbing company, sell socks online or have some other type of business, you want to ensure that your customers understand their options. Your sales team, technicians or anyone else who communicates with your customers should take time to answer questions fully and honestly. All information should be forthright and truthful. When customers feel they are being misled or when they discover this after making a purchase, your business may not get a second chance to prove itself trustworthy.
Charge Fair Rates With a Transparent Fee Structure
Customers can instantly lose trust in a company if they feel that they were ripped off. Rates for products and services should be in line with market rates. You may be slightly above or below market rates, but the quality of the services or goods you offer should be in line with prices. In addition, you should avoid charging extra fees and should strive to treat customers fairly with regards to their final bill. When fees are disclosed up-front, you can more easily build trust with your customers.
Use Reliable Merchant Services
A key component to trust relates to how well you protect your customers’ vital information. Unless they pay for goods and services with cash, you will have access to their credit card information, bank account information or other vital information. Check processing and check 21 merchant services should be carefully selected to ensure that all steps are taken to safeguard their data and to minimize the risk for identity theft or fraud. When their information is stolen or data is breached through your company, this can have a negative impact on your company.
Stand Behind Your Products or Services
Finally, it is important that you stand behind your products or services. If you are a service provider, you should work hard to complete quality work in a timely manner. You should clearly define the scope of the work up-front to the customer, and you should complete that work to their satisfaction. If you sell goods, you should not mislead customers to make a sale, and you should ensure that the products you sell live up to their expectations. In the event a defective product is received, you should attempt to remedy the situation for the customer.
When a customer trusts your company initially to make a purchase, they do not want to be disappointed. You should keep in mind that customers have many options available, and it is an honor for them to choose to do business with you. When you breach their initial trust in some way, it can be difficult to win them back over. Because of this, it is important to put your best foot forward every day.
