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Creating more intimate connections in the digital sphere is key to building trust with customers, says Friday Agency founder Graham Carroll

Establishing trust with our customers in the digital world is critical. It’s not good enough to have a nice looking mobile website and a privacy policy. The way that people make decisions has changed, so businesses need to connect with customers on an emotional level if they want to succeed.

For businesses, there has been a rebalancing of the relationship with their customers and users going on for some time. Customers hold knowledge and power in their hands, and how they feel about their experience of your product or service is laid bare in Twitter posts and Trip Advisor ratings.

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos puts it well: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Trust Issues

Governments, media outlets, data privacy, Brexit, the weatherman — there’s a general lack of trust going on. Incredibly though, organisations are still developing digital strategies that are based on commercial objectives, old data, competitor analysis and a large box of assumptions. Assumptions about what they think the customer wants, what may have worked before, new ‘cool’ fads, and various personal preferences.

Creating trust, and a positive digital experience, starts with really understanding your customers and target audiences. It may seem obvious, but what businesses must do more is understand their customers’ needs in order to meet their expectations.

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Understanding Your Customer

We all want our customers to have a positive experience, and the best way to achieve this is by using simple research techniques such as smart surveys, focus groups and interviews. By talking to your customers and asking what their needs are, and what they think of your offering, you can get some hugely valuable information that can then be built into your strategy.

The biggest challenge we have as an agency is in educating organisations of the value of engaging in research and user experiences techniques. This requires having the right mindset at executive levels. Companies must embrace a customer-centric view of their business if they want to succeed.

Here are some tips for creating a positive user experience for your digital strategy:

• Research  invest in research, such as surveys, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and usability testing. It’s not expensive, it doesn’t take long and always creates valuable information.
• Your Digital Strategy  it must put your customers’ needs to the fore.
• Good design  it makes the unpleasant bearable.
• Marketing   your research should inform and enhance your marketing activity.
• Engage   with your customers, particularly on social media channels and review sites.
• Validate  it’s not enough to set and forget. The best experiences will take time to create and should be constantly evolving.

Ease-of-use, speed, convenience, accuracy and honesty all play a part in creating a positive user experience. However, businesses must engage much more with the customer and improve their experience based on real insights and regular feedback.

Creating a positive digital user experience isn’t just about looking good and boosting sales. It's about starting a journey and building trust with your customers, where you deliver value that will endure beyond what you simply say or the channels and platforms you build.

• Graham will be a keynote speaker at the 3XE User Experience Design Thinking conference in Croke Park on 16 May. See 3xedigital.com for details and tickets

www.friday.ie
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Call: +353 1 557 1321
Email: graham@friday.ie