Reliability is an often overlooked factor in a business. It involves having steadfast protocols, processes, services, and quality to keep customers returning. We discuss reliability in the article below.
When using a service, reliability is probably one of the main factors that would make you use it time and time again. Think of using an app that constantly crashes and freezes. No one would keep using it; they simply go away and find other ones. A business is no different. If you crash and freeze, you will see customers scurrying to your competitors. This is why reliability is vital.
Why Reliability Matters
In many ways, reliability in your business is more important than quality or the level of service you give. While the other factors do matter, being reliable means you will always be on hand for your customers. Think of it as a friendship. Would you rather have the fun, outgoing, party-animal friend who vanishes whenever you really need them, or the quiet, introverted pal who is always there when you need someone to rely on?
There are whole industries that have grown off the back of embedding reliability in their practice. The iGaming sector is one of these. Formerly a disjointed industry that was plagued with problems, it is now a regulated and trusted form of entertainment. It is constantly changing in a bid to improve its services, ensuring a reliable online casino gaming experience for all. This can be through the quality of the games it provides or the use of well-known payment methods.
There are several reasons why customers value reliability and why it should matter to you. Being reliable, and thus predictable, builds confidence. It creates a sense of security, knowing what will be there. This makes customers come back time and time again. This will always turn into great brand loyalty. Not only will people do business with you, but they will also tell others about it bringing them to your door.
Being reliable also reduces the effort your patrons need to put in. They won’t have to go searching for answers or products or encounter problems on the way. This can not only benefit customers but also your staff. They will relish the reliability and systems in place, enjoying their work and improving the workplace culture. With less effort needed in customer service, you can reallocate staff to hunt down leads and conversions.
All of this drives the retention of customers. Bringing old customers back is just as important as attracting new ones. In a competitive, saturated marketplace, you can’t afford to send people to competitors. Reliability is one way to do it. You can make customers for life if you follow this process.
Implementing Reliability in Your Business
There are several ways you can begin to implement reliability in your business. However, it is just as much down to the company culture as it is to processes and internal changes. Make sure you embody this yourself, before trying to force it on others. This can be in everything from how you deal with staff and customers to how you make changes in the business.
After this, you begin to get your staff to embody reliability. Do this by making people accountable. Consistent and reliable service needs to be at the cornerstone of everything.
Use performance reviews or monitor customer reviews and levels of satisfaction ratings. If you don’t already have it, then invest in CRM management software. It can track any interaction you have with customers and also allow information to be easily retrieved by other staff. All of this improves internal communications.
Finally, look at standardizing your process across the board. This will maintain reliability, whoever a customer happens to deal with. This can be standardized for response times and follow-ups.
The Cornerstones of Reliability
There are some fundamental truths about reliability. One of these is that, in many ways, it probably outdoes the quality of your product. Unless it is really original, you are most likely fighting other businesses that do more or less the same thing. This could be selling a product or providing software. Thus, there is very little else to distinguish you from them. Reliability is one extra string to your bow.
At the heart of reliability is consistency. If you are consistent in everything you do, from dealings with staff to customers and suppliers, you will breed reliability. Think of any major brand, from McDonald’s to Ford. Once you make a purchase from them, you know what you are getting.
Lastly, nothing will help you retain customers as well as reliability. Customers come to you to solve a problem, be it through your products or by providing services like entertainment. If you do this time and time again, they will return. This keeps them from going to competitors and creates return revenue, the cornerstone of a long-lasting, successful business.
