Customers are all looking for transparency in a world filled with distrust. Hiding information is immediately taken as a negative in today’s world; therefore, to build any loyalty you must use transparency to build their trust in you.
Entire industries are looked at with a negative eye by consumers because of the fee games being played. (Airline industry, can you hear this?) Is it any wonder people are so frustrated with the service they receive and continually give poor ratings to so many airlines?
So how can you build loyalty and trust?
Start by avoiding the “fine print.” Hidden add-on charges or fees will cause your customers to feel they have been taken advantage of. Be completely upfront with terms and conditions and stay away from the customer “gotcha.” No one likes the negative surprise, and in this age of overshare and social media, such poor business tactics will come back to haunt you.
The same goes for your customer loyalty programs. Make sure they are clear and easily understood. If you have to make adjustments to the conditions of the loyalty program, be sure to announce the changes well in advance of implementation. The more upfront you can be with information, the more customers will respect your decisions.
Look at your business. Where do you have opportunities for customers to feel they are not being treated fairly? How are you sharing information with your customers to build a level of trust? Here is how you can build customer value and loyalty – be transparent