How to Close the Customer Trust Gap

The way ecommerce brands generate sustainable revenue is evolving. More and more, companies are pulling back on their new customer acquisition tactics and instead leaning into efforts that make existing customers happy through relationship-building customer service. But many brands also deal with a customer trust gap that prevents them from creating longer-term success with repeat shoppers.

The customer trust gap is the space between how much trust customers currently have for a brand and how much trust a brand wants to establish with shoppers in order to drive consistent purchasing. To close that gap, let’s dive into the particulars of customer trust, a few actionable tactics, and the support platform that can make it happen.

What Is Customer Trust?

Customer trust is the faith a consumer has in a brand and its ability to collect and manage their personal information, handle their customer service queries effectively, and deliver quality products or services.

Why Is Customer Trust Important?

Customer trust is essential to earning shoppers’ loyalty and, as a result, their long-term business, which is a major factor for sustainable revenue streams.

Customer trust and loyalty

Creating loyal customers is not a one-step process. It is a chain reaction that starts with brands trying to understand their customers’ needs. This basic facet of the consumer-brand relationship is essential to how much and how often a shopper will feel comfortable purchasing and interacting with a company. The more customers trust a brand, the more possibility there is to drive those customers’ long-term value.

Customer trust and personalization

Customer trust also unlocks opportunities for your business to improve personalization through customer service. Gladly’s 2022 Customer Expectations Report found that 44% of shoppers want their favorite brands to know their names and past purchases. Therefore, these favorite companies can use customers’ valuable information to drive more sales opportunities through personal recommendations and suggestions.

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Closing the Customer Trust Gap

There are two facets of customer trust that brands need to build: how they collect customer data, and how they leverage that data to improve customer experience. Both can be accomplished by demonstrating attention to detail and radically personal service that builds a shopper’s confidence.

1. Carefully handling customer data: The first major factor has to do with personal data, specifically how it’s collected and managed. Third-party data is being used much less as a result of regulations, making first-party data the new norm. This information is collected directly from the customer with their consent in organic ways that don’t overstep or come off as creepy.

What this means for you: When a shopper voluntarily offers up their personal information, they’re putting their faith in your ability to securely manage it. Data management is the bedrock of trust and, as a result, customer loyalty. That’s why it’s crucial for you as a brand to put systems into place that not only help you collect this information but also keep it under lock.

2. Applying personalization for a unique experience: Secondly, customers want to see brands put in an effort to foster strong relationships with them by taking that first-party data and applying it across the customer experience, particularly in customer service.

What this means for you: If a customer has offered up their personal information, they’re expecting a more personalized experience. Being able to anticipate customer needs and requests, proactively make recommendations, and match shoppers to the best agents in each service scenario can improve trust and be the bedrock of a loyal, high-revenue relationship.

The Best Platform for Improving Customer Trust

With a comprehensive, intelligent service platform like Gladly, developing and maximizing customers’ trust in your brand is more achievable than ever.

Customer service agents become Support Heroes with access to customer details that help them deliver support that gives shoppers a sense of familiarity and trust. Meanwhile, People Match makes sure each customer gets routed to the right Hero who can handle their situation. Plus, your entire support team can stay on top of each customer timeline no matter the channel using a single view of all past omnichannel conversations, ensuring shoppers feel like they are in capable hands when communicating their most pressing issues.

To understand the customer trust gap further, and how to meet the needs of modern shoppers, read more in our Gladly 2022 Customer Expectations Report.