[[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article","articleBody":"Customer trust is earned, and not through passive means. Ask any rom-com, breakup song, or digital marketing publication to name the #1 key to a good relationship, and you\u2019ll get the same answer: trust. For brands, building customer trust promises to be a holy grail of long-term revenue and loyalty. But consumer skepticism and the abundance of options make it feel elusive. What is customer trust, really? And how do you go about building customer trust?\nCustomer trust is trust. At its core, it\u2019s no different from the trust you put in your personal relationships, your employer, or your go-to news publication. It\u2019s the trust a customer puts in a business. Building customer trust is like any trust, you earn it and you have to work to protect it.\nThe real question is: what is trust?\nTrust is belief in someone or something \u2013 belief that they will do what they say they will. According to one definition (yeah, let\u2019s be those people), \u201cIf you trust someone, you believe that they are honest and sincere and will not deliberately do anything to harm you.\u201d\nCustomer trust is the belief a customer has in a business.\nThe belief that companies will do what they say they will and that they won\u2019t deliberately harm consumers.\nBuilding customer trust, then, is walking the walk, talking the talk, and respecting that people are paying attention.\nTwo other tenets of trust are crucial to understanding its role in relationships, business or otherwise:\nCustomer trust, like any trust, is earned. It\u2019s not given, and it can\u2019t be faked. It\u2019s earned over time, through every interaction a customer has with your business, from small (e.g. Do I immediately regret giving you my email address?), to large (e.g. How did your company handle a critical data breach?). Every point of contact is a chance for building customer trust upon a strong foundation in the relationship, or chipping away at it.\nCustomer trust can be broken.\u00a0And it\u2019s a lot harder to rebuild broken trust than it is to build it from scratch. Now, this doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019ll never make mistakes. Some mistakes can be forgiven once trust is established. But also, an act doesn\u2019t have to be nefarious \u2013 with a shifty-eyed villain twirling his mustache \u2013 to break it. \u201cWhen that happens, we withdraw our energy and level of engagement. We go on an internal strike.\u201d\n \nCustomer loyalty programs: How brands can create a virtuous circle\n What makes customer loyalty programs succeed? Create experiences that delight customers by speaking to their heart, soul, and head. \nWhy customer trust matters in business\nBetween technological advances like machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the proliferation of customer data, consumers today are putting more on the line than money: They\u2019re sharing their personal data. What\u2019s at stake \u2013 quite literally \u2013 are their identities.\nIn our increasingly data-driven world, that could have serious and far-reaching implications.\nCustomers are willing to share their data in exchange for better, more personalized customer experiences, and those experiences could translate to $87.5 billion in sales. But they will stop doing business with you entirely if you misuse or share that data without their consent.\nIn short: to compete, you need to deliver outstanding experiences. To do that, you need valuable customer data. And to get that, customers need to trust you.\n5 tips for building customer trust: Be nice or leave\nOf course, businesses can proactively work on building (or re-building) customer trust and being trustworthy.\nHere are five examples of how to build trust in personal relationships, adapted for brands:\nBe honest and forthcoming\nRespect their boundaries\nAddress conflicts clearly and healthily\nWalk the talk\nGive and take\nBe honest and forthcoming with anything that impacts them:\u00a0Transparency is huge when it comes to building customer trust. And consumers today are extremely well-versed in what solutions exist to protect them. Let them know what you\u2019re doing, what protections you\u2019ve put in place to prevent their data from being compromised.\nRespect their privacy boundaries:\u00a0Give customers control over how their data is collected, used, and shared. Make it easy for them to opt-in and opt-out at will (ideally, from a single spot). And then, honor those preferences.\nAddress conflicts clearly and healthily: Building customer trust requires that when it\u2019s broken we fess up and promise to do better. Mistakes happen. When they do, own them and address them head-on. Don\u2019t make light of a situation where your customers\u2019 data may have been at risk; don\u2019t ignore it in hopes that it will blow over. Equip your service staff to handle any questions clearly and directly, so your customers feel heard.\nWalk the talk of customer trust:\u00a0Trust is lost when your words and actions don\u2019t match. The simplest solution? Authenticity and follow-through. If you say privacy is important to you, show it at every stage of the customer journey.\nRemember relationships are a give and take:\u00a0You can\u2019t expect people to hand over the most important assets they have and get nothing in exchange. It\u2019s on you to show how they benefit from sharing their data. Invest in stellar customer service or personalized campaigns. Acknowledge loyalty and show your appreciation \u2013 whether with big gestures or just by showing up day in and day out. As you are building customer trust, don\u2019t let your customers feel taken for granted.\n \nMake Better (Data) Choices: Unified Customer Profile Checklist & CDP\n With the following unified customer profile checklist, you can find insights to improve your overall customer data strategy. Explore how your current customer data strategy and customer profiles compare to what a CDP can do. \nThe future of business requires emotional intelligence\nAs business becomes more and more human every day, the nature of how we work is becoming more reliant on customer trust and emotional intelligence.\nEstablishing and maintaining customer trust is a long game. You can make a quick buck by taking advantage of customers\u2019 trust, but you won\u2019t earn repeat business (and the fallout could destroy your reputation).\nAnd chances are, if you\u2019re reading an article like this, you\u2019re more interested in the long-term benefits than a short-term gain.\nTo succeed long-term, brands need to operate with empathy for their customers. That means not only getting to\u00a0know them but respecting them and nurturing the relationship.\u00a0Because business\u00a0is personal.\nBuild customer loyalty. Reap real dividends. We can help. Start HERE.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Emily_Kelly-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Emily Morrow","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/emkmorrow","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emilykmorrow\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/emily-kelly\/"},"dateModified":"2021-12-10T04:32:59+00:00","datePublished":"2021-05-25T15:14:02+00:00","description":"To deliver outstanding experiences, brands need customer data, and getting that requires building customer trust. But what is customer trust?","headline":"Customer trust: A true definition, value, and 5 tips to earn it","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/CustomerTrust_1200x375-1200x630.jpg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/","name":"Customer trust: A true definition, value, and 5 tips to earn it","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Organization","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","width":"500","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},{"@type":["Article"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/","publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article_author_Person","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article_author_Person_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn-bijap.nitrocdn.com\/AuMaQmessFRMSicXmZsEecJFLEquAyoT\/assets\/static\/optimized\/rev-b3d386d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Emily_Kelly-150x150.jpg"}],"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/emkmorrow","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emilykmorrow\/\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/emkmorrow"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/emily-kelly\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/emily-kelly\/","name":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/emily-kelly\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/emily-kelly\/"}],"subjectOf":[{"@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#Article_subjectOf_FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity0","name":"Customer trust is the belief a customer has in a business.","acceptedAnswer":[{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity0_acceptedAnswer_Answer","text":"The belief that companies will do what they say they will and that they won\u2019t deliberately harm consumers.Building customer trust, then, is walking the walk, talking the talk, and respecting that people are paying attention.<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Two other tenets of trust are crucial to understanding its role in relationships, business or otherwise:
  • Customer trust, like any trust, is earned.<\/strong> It\u2019s not given, and it can\u2019t be faked. It\u2019s earned over time, through every interaction a customer has with your business, from small (e.g. Do I immediately regret giving you my email address?<\/em>), to large (e.g. How did your company handle a critical data breach<\/a>?<\/em>). Every point of contact is a chance for building customer trust upon a strong foundation in the relationship, or chipping away at it.<\/li>
  • Customer trust can be broken. <\/strong>And it\u2019s a lot harder to rebuild broken trust than it is to build it from scratch. Now, this doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019ll never make mistakes. Some mistakes can be forgiven once trust is established. But also, an act doesn\u2019t have to be nefarious \u2013 with a shifty-eyed villain twirling his mustache \u2013 to break it. \u201cWhen that happens, we withdraw our energy and level of engagement. We go on an internal strike.<\/a>\u201d<\/li> "}]},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity1","name":"Why customer trust matters in business","acceptedAnswer":[{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/25\/customer-trust-definition-value-and-tips\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity1_acceptedAnswer_Answer","text":"Between technological advances like machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the proliferation of customer data<\/a>, consumers today are putting more on the line than money: They\u2019re sharing their personal data<\/a>. What\u2019s at stake \u2013 quite literally \u2013 are their identities.<\/span><\/strong><\/span>In our increasingly data-driven world, that could have serious and far-reaching implications.Customers are willing to share their data<\/a> in exchange for better, more personalized customer experiences, and those experiences could translate to $87.5 billion in sales<\/a><\/strong>. But they will stop doing business with you entirely if you misuse or share that data without their consent.In short: to compete, you need to deliver outstanding experiences. To do that, you need valuable customer data. And to get that, customers need to trust you.