Building Customer Confidence. Some Best Practices You Should Follow.

Written by Eric Leuenberger  June 20, 2007

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In my article titled “Do You Answer Your Customers Questions Before They Ask Them?“, I talked about why it is important to answer your customers questions — before they ask them.

I talked about a number of best practices concepts but never when into detail on “what” exactly those best practices were.

I listed general items that build customer confidence and were called “customer points of assurance”.

In this article, I’ll go into a few of the items in more detail.

Customer Points of Assurance

What are customer points of assurance?

These are items that are strategically placed at various points during the customer buying cycle which “assure” them that the path they are on is not only correct, but is one that is safe, and will lead to a positive end experience.

Some example of customer points of assurance and suggested locations you should consider including them are as follows:

• Store Phone Number (Call it “Customer Service Number” or “Customer Care Number”)

  Suggested location(s) – upper right corner of website in the header; on all product order pages.

• SSL Certificate Seal

  Suggested Location(s) – On all pages, On all product pages, at all points in checkout where the customer is expected to give you “valuable or typically private” information.

• Customer Service Links including: How To Order, Shipping Information, Payment Options, Contact Information

  Suggested location(s) – On registration page, on various spots throughout the checkout process.

• Shop With Confidence Links including things like: Any special Offers, Any Guarantee’s, 100% Secure Ordering Links, Links to Privacy Policies

  Suggested Location(s) – On registration page, on various spots throughout the checkout process.

These list out a few of the main points you should at least cover in your store. All these items help build customer confidence and give you a better chance of helping them “complete the sale”. They are aimed at answering questions customers may have at precisely the point at which they typically ask them (remember you should answer them before they ask!)

My book “20 Ways to Increase Sales Using Zen Cart” goes into even more detail on these items. It shows actual screen shots of real life examples for better direction on where you should consider placing these items.

Until next time. Keep your customers happy, and keep the sales flowing.

Related articles other people have read:

• Keeping Customers in the Checkout Process
• Do You Answer Questions Before Your Customers Ask Them?
• 14 Things You Should Know About Most Online Consumers