This Is Why Customers Trust You

In the past few months, I’ve been writing and speaking about how trust fits into the customer experience. Trust is earned, and once earned, it results in a customer who has confidence to keep doing business with you. I created a metric, the Customer Confidence Score (CCS), to measure how much a customer trusts you. So, let’s say the customer gives you a 10 on a scale of 1-10. Why do they give you that perfect score? Here are ten reasons why: 

1. You Keep Your Promise: This is simple. You do what you say you will do, and always when you say you will. 

2. Fixing and Owning Mistakes: You don’t make excuses and blame others. You simply focus on fixing whatever needs fixing. 

3. Transparency: There are no surprises, such as hidden fees or rules hidden in small print.  

4. You Protect Your Customer’s Data: Your customer’s privacy and security aren’t negotiable. How the customer’s information and data are protected and how breaches are handled will add to your customer’s trust. Customers must know you guard their information. 

5. You Show Respect: Treat your customers with dignity, respect, and appreciation. This builds trust.  

6. You Embrace Feedback: Your customers know their voice matters. You listen and act on their feedback, and, just as important, you acknowledge them for sharing it. 

7. You Give Back: A company that has a social cause or gives back to the community enjoys more trust than companies that don’t.  

8. You Don’t Take Advantage of Customers: Your customers never feel manipulated by sales tactics, small print, or anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or taken advantage of.  

9. Consistency: When customers do business with you, they know what to expect.  

10. Ethics: This is non-negotiable. There should never be any question about your ethics.  

Bonus: Give the customer a great customer service experience. Our annual customer service and CX research found that 83% of customers said that a good experience increases their trust in the person or company they are doing business with.   

Trust is more than a business strategy. It’s a promise you keep every day. It is part of your company’s DNA. When customers trust you, they believe in you. They become your fans, your evangelists, and your best source of growth. Earning trust isn’t about one big moment. It’s built over a period of time when your customers know their experience is consistent, you’ll keep your promise, and you’ll do what’s right. Do that and your customers will say, “I’ll be back!” 

BONUS: If you want a copy of a short eBook I created on the Customer Confidence Score, go to www.Hyken.com/customer-confidence-score.  

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.