With online retail in particular, trust is a critical element in building sales. Here’s how to demonstrate your company’s reliability.
Any selling relationship has a lot to do with trust. A salesperson needs to be able to listen, to understand the buyer’s situation, and to know his or her product; vendor name and experience also help break down barriers to doing business. In online sales, trust can be even more important—because a buyer isn’t touching a product, or looking a salesperson in the face. People go through a lot of stress when they buy online doing research, confirming with friends, etc. Especially as the price point of the item/services grows larger. So trust is what relieves the stress of purchasing decisions.
One of the most effective ways we are able to add comfort and trust to the customer’s experience is by constantly talking to our customers–not only before and after a purchase is made, but after the delivery is made as well. What can you do? Call and ask whether customers received what they ordered, and whether they were pleased. By engaging your customers one on one, you not only leave the customer feeling confident about their purchase and your company, you also learn about your business–and some things you may be able to improve on.
Here are a few strategies to build trust online.
Be Available
Make sure you’re there to answer the phone–and if you don’t answer the phone, respond within an hour of the call or email. For instance, if you are open 9 to 6, Monday through Saturday try testing out this protocol. For anybody who calls or emails during those hours guarantee an hour response time for any message left. Remember, there is a lot of competition for your business nowadays. Make sure these customers come back, refer other people and feel secure with their decision. A number of your competitors do have large sites up–but they don’t have a dedicated person there to answer the phone.
Be the Experts
Make sure all of our customer service representatives who answer the phone are expertly versed in what you sell, so they have the expertise to answer the customers’ questions. This allows the customer to feel comfortable with the decision: knowing that your customer service people have the knowledge to answer any question they have.
Be Accommodating
Give the customer an option to return the product within 30 days for any reason. For example, if [something is] damaged [and] they call and report that within two days, they can return it.
Take away: a quick response, industry product knowledge and a strong return policy are critical for building trust–and having happy customers come back.