What Makes Customers Trust a Brand with Allyse Slocum

Subscribe and Listen

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:

1. Why are online reviews crucial for building trust between companies and customers? 
2. How can businesses ensure the authenticity of customer reviews in the age of AI-generated content? 
3. What is considered a credible rating on a 1 to 5-star review scale, and how can companies identify trustworthy feedback? 
4. Is it realistic for businesses to achieve perfect 5-star ratings from every customer, or does this raise concerns about review authenticity? 
5. What are the best practices for companies when responding to customer ratings and reviews, whether positive or negative?

Top Takeaways:

• Trust is the foundation of every successful relationship, whether between a company and a customer, an employer and an employee, or between two businesses. Customers are loyal to brands that keep their promises and deliver what they advertise.  

• Building and protecting trust should be just as important as selling products or services. When a customer’s trust is broken, even good customer service can’t fix it.   

• Reviews are like the digital version of asking friends for advice. Before making a purchase, 39% of shoppers read product reviews to decide if something is worth buying. Customers often check reviews multiple times and look for feedback from others before spending money. 

• Not every review online is real, and many customers worry about fake reviews, both negative ones from competitors and positive ones meant to make a business look better. Technology is getting better and better at identifying and removing fake reviews. Additionally, content integrity specialists make sure that the technology is working and find patterns to detect fake reviews. 

• Trust can still be earned after a negative review. When a business openly responds to its reviewers, especially those who had a bad experience, it shows they care. A company that replies thoughtfully, tries to fix problems, and says thank you for kind words earns more trust from customers and future shoppers. 

• The number of reviews and how recent they are play a big role in building trust. Fresh reviews mean that a business is active, while old reviews might make customers wonder whether things have changed. 

• Customers are more likely to leave a review after a positive experience (56%) than a negative one (38%).  

• Automating review requests helps collect opinions from all types of customers, not just the ones with extreme feelings. Asking for reviews automatically at key points (such as after a purchase or service) makes it easier to get more feedback. The more feedback you have, the more your ratings reflect the real experience customers have.  

• Because artificial intelligence is changing how people search, shop, and read online, building trust is becoming even more difficult. It is important for brands to remember that earning trust is not a one-time thing. It is a continuous process that should grow alongside new technology. 

• Plus, Shep and Allyse discuss whether offering incentives, like coupons or discounts, for reviews affects trustworthiness. Tune in!

Quotes:

“Trust is an incredibly important thing that needs to happen between any two parties, whether that is business to consumer, business to business, or even employers and employees.” 

“Service, business, and product reviews encapsulate the full experience that a consumer will have with a business. In choosing who they trust to do business with, customers leverage reviews to make the right decision.” 

“Reviews are a really important way for consumers to share their experiences so that businesses can learn and improve from the feedback that they are getting.” 

“The way consumers are making purchase decisions is shifting, and trust has never been more important.” 

About:

Allyse Slocum is the Vice President of Product & Audience Marketing at Trustpilot, where she specializes in building trust between consumers and businesses through reviews. She is dedicated to using data and technology to ensure the authenticity of reviews, helping businesses improve and maintain customer trust. 

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.