I recently posted about href=”http://ericjacques.org/2010/06/08/respect-for-and-by-customer-service/” target=”_blank”>Respect but there’s another important concept; it’s Trust.
People don’t trust companies; they trust other people. A great way of building that trust is through your customer service.
Like respect, trust must be earned. However, it is much more fickle. Even if you gain trust over years of effort, one single mistake can bring it down like a house of cards in a hurricane.
Earning Trust
First off, if you think you can earn trust overnight, you may as well leave now. I don’t want you to leave but there’s no magic recipe; it takes hard work.
Here are some of the ways to earn and retain trust (in no particular order):
- Follow through – Do what you say; this applies for interactions with employees and customers. Be consistent in delivering what you promise.
- Hire the right people – Does this really need to be explained? Define what you want and make sure that the fit is right.
- Trust your employees – If you’ve hired the right people, trust them to understand that their livelihood hinges on making your business a success.
- Listen attentively – Stop multi-tasking. When you’re with an employees or a customer, be there!
- Practice empathy – We’re all human and we all need to feel understood.
- Celebrate mistakes – Mistakes are how we learn. Allow them to be made, learned from and then move on. There is no point in dwelling on them.
- Communicate – Ensure that you tell employees what you expect from them and that you’re understood. Also, give them the information that they need to not only serve your customers but to make the right decisions for them and your business.
- Share success – You aren’t alone in your business so share your successes with your people and even with your customers.
- Tell the truth, always – This includes omissions, always be upfront. Be open about errors, people are willing to forgive and don’t expect perfection. They do expect you to make an effort to make things right.
Obviously, these aren’t limited to employees and customers; most of these can also be used elsewhere. They aren’t all-encompassing either. How do you earn trust?
Cheers
Eric
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