"Trustability" - Proactive Trustworthiness
Don Peppers
Customer experience expert, keynote speaker, business author, Founder of Peppers & Rogers Group
In Martha Rogers' and my new book Extreme Trust: Honesty as a Competitive Advanage, we suggest that technology's recent advances enabling ubiquitous, always-on interactivity, and particularly the proliferation of social media, have made it inevitable that customers will come to demand a new standard of trustworthiness from the companies they buy from.
Rather than simply refraining from cheating customers or lying to them, a company that wants to enjoy the trust of customers in the future must proactively respect the customer's interest - suggesting ways to save money or get better service even when the company might not profit as much. A trustable company, for instance, would warn customers if they're about to make a mistake and order more than they need, or if they could save money on a different plan or pricing program.
Here's a 5-minute video in which Martha and I introduce the concept of "trustability," which is the word we use when we're talking about proactive trustworthiness.
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11 年In simple words, a customer needs to know that we'll be talking about getting a project done and not about why it cannot be done, no matter which problems may arise. This is how true word of mouth emerges from trust. Together with the values of the Economy for the Common Good (https://www.gemeinwohl-oekonomie.org/en), trustability could definitely make the economic world a better place.
Candor. Accountability. Change.
12 年Trust is simple yet not always easy. Trust is courage - the courage to stick to your values and promises, especially in difficult situations. Trust is consistency - when inconsistency is most appealing and the easy-way-out. Trust is clarity - clarity about what you will do, and deliver and how. This circles back to courage, because clarity requires taking risks - the risk of failing to live up to your promises and not delivering the agreed objectives. How do you gain or recover trust in such a situation? In the worst case scenario by losing a valued customer, as graciously and candidly as you possibly can.
Customer experience expert, keynote speaker, business author, Founder of Peppers & Rogers Group
12 年Some of the comments on this post have to do with the two-way nature of trust. My feeling is that the demand for trust is being driven by increased interactivity, which is a technological trend. It is inevitable, irresistible. But it is in our nature, also, as social beings, to empathize with others. We feel others' pain, and empathy is one of the chief ingredients of genuine trust. Empathy generates empathy. There is no such thing as one-way empathy. So yes, you could say that technology is driving us all to expect more empathy, and to be more empathetic, ourselves. Good for business, yes, and good for our whole civilization, also!
English Language & Special Education Consultant
12 年I love what they said about the telecommunication industry. If only they would make the complicated simple and look out for the customer. My clients are parents with children who have learning disabilities. Our public education system is one big bureaucracy that is difficult to navigate and parents are often driven to exasperation. It is in many ways similar to dealing with the cell phone service providers! So, when I apply the Golden Rule -- going beyond what is generally considered as adequate, doing things for the clients before problems surface -- clients are grateful for the special attention to details and advance trouble shooting. Profitable? Not immediately, but at least I always sleep well at night.
Experienced in strategic leadership, excelling as a People & Project Manager, transforming innovation into measurable and effective outcomes.
12 年Trustworthiness is important for businesses. As we venture into the near future, this is going to be more important. Business leaders will do well to proactive in dealing with the image of their brand from the client's perspective. The trust and loyalty of a client is more valuable than ad dollars...