4 Ways to Been Seen as Reliable and Authentic Authenticity leads to trust. Trust leads to longevity. Longevity leads to a more robust bottom line.
By Eric 'ERock' Christopher Edited by Bill Schulz
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When you're viewed as being truly reliable, customers will have confidence in doing business with you. You can become a go-to, trusted resource within your niche, even if you are in an oversaturated market.
While you may have already put a lot of work into developing a quality service, this is only the starting point to building a reputation for reliability. Additional actions can go a long way in bolstering your reputation with your customers — and your bottom line.
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Set appropriate expectations
One of the most important things you can do to establish a reputation for reliability is to set appropriate expectations before a customer decides to do business with you. If they have unrealistic expectations for the type of service you offer or what your product can do, they will likely be unsatisfied and leave negative reviews.
No matter what you sell, making product and service specifications readily available, can help set appropriate expectations.
For businesses with a more involved sales process, sales staff should be trained on the company's capabilities, while also given resources and referrals that can be provided as needed.
Provide accessible customer support
Of course, even after a customer decides to do business with you, that is no guarantee that everything will go smoothly. This doesn't necessarily mean that there is something wrong with your product. However, your ability to provide a workable solution when customers have trouble is key to demonstrating reliability.
During a recent conversation, Danny Sit, CEO of smartphone manufacturer NUU, explained: "If customers do experience a problem, you need to stand ready to resolve it for them. Having support staff managing live chat, social media, email, phone lines and more ensures a quick response no matter how customers decide to reach out to you."
A timely resolution to a customer's problem will keep them satisfied and ensure that they continue to view your brand in a positive light. Evaluating response times for different communication methods will help you identify areas where you can improve your customer support efforts.
Related: 8 Unrealistic Expectations That Can Harm You
Foster transparency
According to Neil Patel, 85 percent of customers actually seek out negative reviews so they can feel like they are making an informed purchase.
Deleting reviews can make your business appear like it has something to hide. Instead, brands should comment on this negative feedback with polite responses that try to work toward a solution. This shows potential customers that your brand has nothing to hide, and that you take their satisfaction seriously. Reliable brands always look to work to a win-win solution.
Related: 3 Ways to Increase Client Retention Through Transparency
Give your team the right resources
Whether they are in a role that directly engages with customers, such as sales and support, or they work on the back-end, such as in programming or product development, your internal team is what makes or breaks your ability to be truly reliable.
This doesn't necessarily mean simply throwing more money at a department.
An analysis of 84 quantitative studies on workplace resources and employee well-being and performance determined: "The policies and practices put in place to develop employees' skills and abilities, motivate them to perform well, and provide opportunities for employees to exert discretionary effort, are related to both employee well-being and performance."
Creating a supportive company culture is what ultimately ensures that your team will deliver a level of productivity that helps you become a more reliable brand.
When customers feel they can truly rely on your brand, they'll come to you time and time again rather than even consider buying from another company.
Related: 5 Things You Need to Build a Powerful Brand in 2022
