Building credibility through customer service: A guide for UK startups

Starting a business is an exciting adventure. However, it takes time to grow and establish a reputation in your industry space. That’s why building credibility is so important. When you have brand credibility, you have a brand that is trusted and highly respected by your customers. And that leads to more customers and more customers and so on.

But how do you gain brand credibility when you’re just starting out? In this article, we will share how you can build your business credibility by focusing on customer service. Here’s how:

Be able to communicate your expertise

One of the best ways to build credibility as a UK start-up is being able to communicate your expertise effectively. Sure, you want to know a lot about your industry. But it’s no good being an expert if you can’t share your knowledge effectively with other people. In the words of Albert Einstein, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it yourself.” 

Of course, the goal isn’t to be a complete expert (most entrepreneurs will admit they don’t know everything), the goal is to understand your business offering and be able to summarise it in plain English. No frills, no dressing the thing up, just explaining what you do and how you can help. This simplistic, stripped-back approach will do wonders for your brand credibility and is one of the best ways to gain your customers’ trust.

Collect customer reviews

One of the best ways to build business credibility is to set up reviews for Google and start collecting customer feedback. What your previous and existing customers have to say about your business has a significant impact on future business opportunities.

Positive reviews are one of the most effective ways to build a credible business reputation in your industry. In fact, research shows that potential customers trust business reviews as much as they would trust direct recommendations from friends and family.

According to Nice Job, “More than half of businesses are not making use of online reviews, yet over 97% of consumers trust and rely on them to help make purchasing decisions. This means if you start collecting online reviews today, you will stand out from the competition.” That’s a powerful tool to have in your toolbox.

Always deliver above and beyond

In order to grow your business credibility it’s a great idea to go above and beyond on everything you do. This shows your customers you don’t just do great work, you also go the extra mile. And that means a lot.

For many businesses just starting out, under-promising and over-delivering can be an extremely powerful strategy for retaining long-term clients and attracting new business. 

The under-promise, over-deliver strategy ensures your customers are happy with the work you produce. It encourages them to stay loyal to your business and this in turn strengthens your brand and encourages existing clients to recommend your business to others.

Prioritise honesty and transparency

So, you want to offer a quality service? Well, nothing builds business credibility faster than prioritising honesty and transparency. While it might seem like an obvious point, the reality of being honest with your clients can be harder than it sounds. That’s because in moments when you fail or things don’t go the way you expected, it can be difficult to own up.

Fostering a work culture of honesty and transparency sets you in good stead to becoming a credible and trustworthy brand that sticks around for the long term. How honest you are can become the defining factor in your business success.

In fact, Steven Price, founder and CEO, summarised it well in Forbes Magazine when he said:

“A key part of honesty in business is that you don’t make any promises you can’t keep. You understand your capabilities within your industry, and you’re not going to try to oversell a potential client on work that you’re simply not capable of. And if things don’t turn out as planned - for whatever reason - you’re not going to make excuses. You’re going to take ownership and do everything in your power to make things right.”

Show your commitment to your customers

If you want to quickly build trust in your industry quickly, you need to prioritise customer experience management. We know showing commitment to your customers can seem like a lot of work when you’re just starting out but trust us when we say that it will pay off in the long run.

Attracting customers is just one part of the journey - the hardest part is retaining them. Building positive relationships with your customers is vital to the success of your business. That’s why you need to pour your time into providing outstanding customer service.

Whether that means offering fast response times, showing empathy, building relationships, personalising your customer service, or being proactive in the support you offer, all your efforts will play an important role in the long-term success of your business.

Credibility forms the foundation for start-up growth and customer success. And customer service is one of the most effective places to start.

We hope the tips in this article help you build a brand that is widely recognised and revered in your industry. We want your business to set the bar high and building up your credibility is the first step.

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