In this day and age things have changed when it comes to engaging with customers. Long gone are the days when in order to build a relationship with customers there had to be a face-to-face interaction. All of these encounters have been moved to the on-line marketplace. This said relationship building is still a core business need. Here are The Island’s 5 suggestions on how to gain customer trust in the digital era. 1. Use social media to reach customers The best place to connect with fans. Consumers are getting to the point where they are used to reaching their favourite brands through social media. People value others opinions and where best to find them? In a recent study Deloitte, proved that 75% of on-line Americans say social media channels influenced their shopping behaviour. In the same study 84% of people report using digital for shopping-related activities before or after their most recent trip to a store. Not having a social media presence can make a consumer wary of your brand. 2. Customer service can take place on-line No matter what happens, consumers will always want to have a say in what businesses are doing whether that be through reviews on third party websites or on the official website of a brand. A business should invest in on-line customer service to avoid people being unhappy with waiting on the phone to talk to an operator. An FAQ section can save you some of the customers enquiries. In the same way, a customer service chat or forum can help those who need assistance. Most people prefer on-line customer service to talking to an operator. 3. Introduce a loyalty program Loyalty programs are maybe one of the most common tools out there that brands use and this may come as an obvious statement, but […]