We’ve talked before about trust as a very important ingredient in a successful online business. Let’s take a few minutes now to review 10 key areas where your business could be unwittingly undoing the hard work you’ve been doing to build up trust.
With countless options at their fingertips, customers gravitate towards businesses that exude reliability and integrity, especially when comparing businesses online. Not being able to physically see the bricks and mortar building, the staff, the owner even, it’s a much bigger leap of faith for customers when handing over their money or personal details.
Of course, we’re here to quickly fix any website issues that could be causing potential customers to shy away from your business, like out of date SSL security certificates, broken websites, unresponsive design or contact forms that don’t work, missing or out-of-date details, and lots more. Just get in touch!
1 – Lack of Transparency
Transparency is paramount in cultivating trust. Customers want to know who they are dealing with, what they are buying, and how their personal data is being used. A lack of transparency can manifest in several ways:
- Hidden Fees & Charges: Surprise costs at checkout can frustrate customers and erode their trust. This can include exorbitant shipping charges. Keep it simple and make it easy for customers to know the total cost upfront.
- Easy-to-find Policies: Vague or difficult-to-find policies regarding returns, shipping, and data privacy make customers wary.
- Lack of info about who you are: Not providing detailed information about your company, including contact details and business address, can make your business seem illegitimate. Consider adding a personal welcome video, and try to use real photos instead of stock images.
2 – Poor (or non-existent!) Customer Service
Customer service is a direct reflection of how much a business values its customers. Poor customer service can swiftly dismantle trust:
- Unresponsive Support: Slow or unresponsive customer support can leave customers feeling neglected. Make sure your contact forms are working, and reply to emails promptly (perhaps adding an auto-reply to confirm their email has been received).
- Lack of Personalisation: Generic, scripted responses can make customers feel undervalued. Is it easy for customers to contact a real person who not only understands them but has the power to resolve their problem?
- Failure to Resolve Issues: Inability to effectively address and resolve complaints or issues can lead to dissatisfaction and loss of trust. Work hard to put things right!
3 – Inconsistent Branding and Messaging
Consistency is key to establishing a reliable brand image. Inconsistencies can confuse and alienate customers:
- Website vs. Social Media: Discrepancies between information on your website and social media platforms can lead to mistrust. Does your website reflect your brand personality? Does it need it updating?
- Visual Identity: Changes in logos, colour schemes, and design elements without clear reasoning can make your brand appear unstable.
- Tone and Voice: Inconsistent tone and messaging across different communication channels can confuse customers about your brand’s identity. Know who you are as a business and make sure all staff are on board with it, and maintaining a consistent message.
- Unprofessional communication: It’s hard to keep emotion out of the equation, especially if you’re dealing with a difficult customer, but people will quickly lose trust in a business that behaves in an angry or rude way (even if the customer deserves it!).
4 – Negative Online Reviews
In the age of online reviews, customer opinions hold significant weight. Negative reviews can severely damage your reputation:
- Ignoring Negative Feedback: Failing to address negative reviews shows a lack of concern for customer satisfaction. Don’t be afraid to upfront and honest about your mistakes, and show a commitment to improve. If the negative review is fake or your business is the victim of review bombing, you can appeal to Google to remove them.
- Fake Positive Reviews: Using fake reviews to inflate ratings can be easily spotted and can erode trust.
- No Review Response: Not responding to reviews, both positive and negative, can make your business appear indifferent to customer experiences.
5 – Security Breaches and Data Privacy Issues
In an era where data breaches are commonplace, customers are highly concerned about the security of their personal information:
- Weak Security Measures: Inadequate security measures can lead to data breaches, compromising customer information.
- Lack of Transparency in Data Usage: Not clearly communicating how customer data is collected, used, and protected can lead to mistrust.
- Frequent Breaches: Repeated security incidents can create a perception of incompetence and negligence.
If you are having any issues like this with your website, we recommend getting our managed website hosting.
6 – Inconsistent Product Quality
Consistency in product quality is essential for building long-term customer relationships. Inconsistencies can lead to dissatisfaction and mistrust:
- Variable Quality: Delivering products that vary significantly in quality can frustrate customers.
- Misleading Descriptions: Exaggerating or misrepresenting product features and benefits can lead to disappointment.
- Defective Products: High rates of defective or substandard products can severely damage your reputation.
7 – False Advertising and Misleading Claims
Honesty is crucial in marketing. False advertising can quickly lead to a loss of trust:
- Exaggerated Claims: Overstating the benefits or capabilities of your products can result in customer disappointment.
- Bait and Switch: Promoting one product and delivering another can lead to frustration and distrust.
- Unfulfilled Promises: Failing to deliver on promises made in advertising or promotions can tarnish your credibility.
Sure it’s tempting and marketing often feels like it’s a race see who can get away with the biggest lie, but long-term it’s just not worth it. Work on making your product or service better for the end customer, and that will speak for itself.
8 – Poor User Experience on Your Website
Your website is often the first point of contact with potential customers. A poor user experience can drive them away:
- Complicated Navigation: Difficult-to-navigate websites can frustrate users.
- Slow Load Times: Slow website performance can deter potential customers.
- Lack of Mobile Optimisation: With the increasing use of mobile devices, a non-optimised website can lead to a poor experience.
We see this a lot and often it’s just because business owners just don’t visit their own website. They got it built a few years ago and haven’t looked at it since. In that time, a lot can change, things can break, sites can even get hacked with malware – so make it a habit to visit your website regularly like a customer, and on a mobile device too. Need help getting it sorted? We’re here to help.
9 – Inconsistent Delivery and Fulfilment
Reliability in delivery and fulfilment processes is crucial for maintaining trust:
- Late Deliveries: Regular delays in order fulfilment can frustrate customers.
- Order Errors: Frequent mistakes in orders can erode trust.
- Poor Packaging: Substandard packaging that leads to damaged goods can reflect poorly on your business.
It’s not just about having a good system, it’s about setting the right expectations. Make sure your delivery process is fully explained on your website so customers know what to expect, and keep them well informed.
10 – Ethical and Social Responsibility Issues
Consumers today are increasingly conscious of ethical and social responsibility issues:
- Unethical Practices: Involvement in unethical practices, such as exploitative labour or environmental harm, can lead to backlash.
- Lack of Social Responsibility: Not engaging in socially responsible practices can alienate ethically-minded consumers.
- Inauthentic CSR Efforts: Insincere corporate social responsibility efforts can be seen as disingenuous and purely for marketing purposes.
Like Google’s famous (former) slogan “Don’t be evil” it’s just good business practice to always try to do the right, nice thing. It’s not too much to ask is it?
Trust is hard earned, and easily lost
Trust is a fragile yet invaluable asset for any online business. By recognising and addressing these potential pitfalls, businesses can foster a trustworthy reputation that encourages customer loyalty and long-term success.
Prioritising transparency, consistency, and customer-centric practices will go a long way in building and maintaining trust in the competitive online marketplace.
A good place to start is making sure you are sending the right message of trust, consistency and reliability in your website. We can help with our very affordable website packages, or website services.
Lastly, if you’re already a business that people love and trust, make sure customers are adding their glowing reviews on Google – here’s how.