There is often one factor that’s not considered when MSP business owners are looking over their sales figures. They may see that sales were down last month and begin to research factors like how much marketing they’re doing, or how many customers they lost due to slow response times.
These are important metrics, but the one that is often left out is trust.
How much customers and potential customers trust a business directly impacts that company’s bottom line. Lack of trust can cause leads to inquire once and then never speak to you again. It can also cause you to lose those monthly managed services clients that you rely on to make ends meet.
How important is the factor of trust to sales? Here are a few statistics that you may find surprising:
- 81% of consumers say they need to trust a business before they purchase from them.
- 82% of US consumers say they will continue to buy from a company they trust
- And 63% of those consumers say this is the case even if the company’s prices are higher than its competitors
Is lack of trust in how you operate things like remote management, invoicing/payments, and help desk calls causing your sales to suffer?
What Types of Things Cause Customers to Gain or Lose Trust?
In a survey of over 16,000 adults in multiple countries, including the U.S., the following factors were cited as influencing trust in a company: (in order of importance):
- Delivers good quality products or services (73%)
- Gets good reviews and ratings (57%)
- Charges a fair price (49%)
- Has always treated me and others well (39%)
- Quickly addresses customer service problems (36%)
- Has done a good job protecting my personal information (23%)
If you’ve hit a plateau in your growth and can’t figure out why you may just have a trust issue. Here are several things you can to do improve your reputation.
Ways to Improve Trust in Your MSP Business
Respond to Client Requests Quickly & Consistently
One of the most important factors in gaining trust is being consistent with your service. Customers expect you to be responsive, and as you well know, people aren’t particularly patient when faced with an unexpected technology problem.
Put automated systems in place that allow you and your team to set up alerts in your ticketing platform. These alerts can let your technicians know as soon as a customer needs something.
Even if you can’t respond in person or remotely immediately, just having a response that you got their message and will connect with them soon, goes a long way towards building and maintaining trust.
Talk About Your Security Standards on Your Website
Data breaches are becoming all too common, and companies and consumers are very wary about what happens with their personal data. As an MSP, with access to client technology systems, the stakes are even higher for those you service.
Dedicate a highly visible space on your website to discussing how your company secures client data and connections to their systems. Use bullet points and clear language so potential customers aren’t lost in techno-speak.
When you prominently and clearly discuss your security standards, it can be the one thing that causes a new enterprise client to contact you over a competitor.
Be Completely Transparent About Pricing & Additional Costs
Few things can make a new customer lose trust faster than a problem or misunderstanding with their billing. If someone was expecting 24/7 tech support to be included in their plan but didn’t read the fine print about “off-hours” surcharges, you could lose that customer because they feel tricked.
Be very clear, both in print and when you speak to a potential customer about their quote. Make sure they understand all pricing so there are no surprises. Audit your own billing systems as well to reduce the chance of mistakes.
Use Tools That Make Client Interactions Seamless
The more problems someone has interacting with your company, the less trust they have in you. For example, maybe a phone call kept dropping due to a VoIP issue when you were trying to answer an IT question for a new inquiry.
When technology goes wrong, it’s especially bad for the trust in a technology firm. People figure, if you can’t get your own IT running smoothly, how can you do it with theirs?
Ensure the tools you use are streamlined and efficient and they make your business look good through seamless client interactions.
Actively Seek & Leverage Reviews as a Marketing Tool
One of the biggest trust-builders for companies is their reviews. But these need to be recent and regular. Once a review gets too old, it becomes less effective at convincing someone to give your company a try.
Use automation to send out review requests to all clients automatically when their service is completed or a few months after a new managed services client signs up. Then use those MSP reviews in your marketing to boost your trust factor.
Use an RMM & PSA Platform With a Seamless Customer Experience
The Syncro RMM/PSA platform will help your IT business build trust by automating your activities to provide a seamless experience to your customers. It also allows you to automate email follow-ups and ticket alerts.
Contact us today to schedule a free demo and a 30-day free trial. Call 856-579-6276 or start your trial online.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://syncromsp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Caitlin_Headshot.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Caitlin Good is the Content Marketing Manager at Syncro with more than 10 years of experience in the technology and eCommerce industries.[/author_info] [/author]
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This document is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Syncro makes no warranty, expressed nor implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information contained herein.
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