Trust is key to creating and maintaining customer relationships. When customers trust your brand, they are more likely to shop with you and recommend your business to others.

Building trust can take a long time, but there are many ways businesses can boost customer’s perceptions and foster long-term relationships. Here are three ways to build rapport and trust with customers:

Focus on excellent service
Excellent service is the pinnacle of trust – when your business delivers great products and services, customers are more likely to be satisfied and, consequently, are more likely to trust your business. Ensure your employees are educated on the expected level of customer service, and that management lead by example.

Open lines of communication
Customers need to be able to contact your business in a simple and efficient manner, and they should receive a timely response. Make sure you have multiple contact touch points, i.e., email, phone number, store/office location, website live chat, social media, etc. If you cannot respond to customer enquiries immediately, provide the customer with a time-frame as to when they can expect you to address their concerns. A brief email or quick follow-up call is a good way to solve this while letting the customer know you haven’t dismissed or forgotten about them.

Be transparent
Refrain from removing negative feedback posted on your business’ social media pages. Instead, respond to unhappy customers with an honest reply and provide them with a helpful solution. Removing negative feedback appears dishonest and sends the message that you don’t take your customers concerns seriously enough. Making a genuine attempt to help unsatisfied customers helps to improve your business’s credibility and emphasises how much you value your customer’s happiness.