Everyone always talks about how important it is to gain customers’ trust, how it is directly proportionate to an increase in your business and how profitable it is to do so. But we rarely do talk about how easy it is to lose that hard earned trust. This is important because you might have done many things right in building a trustworthy relationship with your customer, but one overlook on your part might end up spoiling it all completely. The key here is sustenance, and sustenance comes only with a greater understanding of pitfalls that you might encounter along the way and planning ahead to avoid them. Here we tell you 5 sure shot ways to lose a customer’s trust. Try to avoid these and you will go farther than ever on your customers’ trust meters.
How to Lose Trust and Alienate Your Customers
1. Poor Communication
As your brand grows, there is no doubt that it is going to be harder and harder to keep track of all communication with your customers. But do not forget that your accessibility was the cornerstone on which you built your business. Just as always being there for your customers propelled you faster in terms of business growth, not being able to do that consistently will have the opposite effect. An automated email system that notifies your customers on the status of their purchase is a great way to manage this responsibility.
2. Unprofessional Online Image
Everyone is always watching you online. With your social media profiles out in the open for everyone to see, one mistake can be a potential publicity nightmare. We have often heard stories of online altercations between customers and service providers that go viral on the internet. Do not become one of those.
3. Asking for Too Much or Wrong Information
A sure shot thing that annoys customers is the amount of information that you require from them. As it is, one of the scariest things a customer has to go through is providing private details like credit cards and phone numbers to online retailers. If on top of that, one is expected to feed in things that are either excessive or downright irrelevant to a stranger, it is natural for them to be on guard.
4. Complex Terminology
This is a common occurrence when retailers speak to their customers. Often, in case of grievances, one is expected to provide myriad amounts of information like the product code, the invoice number, etc. and all the customer wants to do is return a product. Terminology like the SKU codes and shipping manifest details are internal logistics that should be covered by the retailer. When in conversation with a customer, it is advisable to keep your questions simple, precise and respectful.
5. Over-promising
Over-promising is another very visible phenomenon in the retail world. It is not uncommon for retailers to make promises they can’t keep in terms of pricing, discounts, offers etc. The recent Flipkart Big Billion Day Sale was a great example of this. As Flipkart later admitted, they were not equipped enough to serve all their customers appropriately, while already having promised them certain perks. As a result, not only did Flipkart receive a lot of bad publicity, it also lost many valuable customers.
These are a few sure shot ways to lose your customers’ trust. To know more about how to avoid them and turn things around, get in touch with us at Browntape.
