Building Trust with Every Interaction

We’ve all been there. You’ve booked an appointment with a tradesperson and they’ve arranged to come at a certain time. Maybe you’ve booked the morning off work to wait for a package to arrive. The anticipation, the planning around it, and then the waiting. But the event never happens. The person never arrives and the package never shows.

This happened to me yesterday, and while it’s a personal story, I couldn’t help but think about how it relates to the often faceless business interactions we have in the digital era.

Yesterday, a tradesperson had scheduled to come and quote for a job at 9am. After ensuring I was back from the school run on time, I skipped my gym session to ensure I was prepared for their arrival. When they hadn’t showed by 10am, I became frustrated. I called them and was met with excuses about their van and how they’d tried to call me the day before; yet no missed call or messages were ever received. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and we rescheduled for them to come at 4pm. As you might expect, 4pm came and went. At 5pm I messaged to check if they were still coming, but it went unanswered. The relationship was now permanently soured before it had even begun.

This story sheds light on a universal business truth; maintaining trust through communication is critical. In this digital world, where our business interactions are most often behind a screen, keeping our word and maintaining transparency is integral. These actions become the foundation of customer relationships. Whether it’s a delay in service, an issue with a product, or an unexpected setback, the way we communicate this with our customers can either strengthen or break the trust we build with our customers.

There’s often no way to avoid setbacks like this, but there are plenty of ways we can prevent disappointment when they occur:

• Set expectations. Be honest about what you can deliver and when.
• Communicate proactively. If there’s a delay or an issue, let your customer know before they feel the need to contact you.
• Offer solutions, not excuses. If something doesn’t quite go to plan, offer a solution or alternative rather than making an excuse.
• Apologise and make amends. If you’ve messed up on the first three points, a sincere apology and gesture of good will can often fix a soured relationship.

With every delayed or missed appointment, every broken promise, there lies an opportunity. An opportunity to truly show the value we place on our relationship with the customer. Customer loyalty is not only earned by the products we make or the services we provide, but also in the way we communicate and show reliability through every interaction.