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IntercomExplainer
Build your customer relationships around consistency and trust - The Intercom Blog
Summary
The Industrial Revolution scaled business reach but separated owners from customers, forcing service through mail or phone, a pattern that the internet initially continued. Now, consumerization of technology provides tools for human interaction at scale, enabling businesses to return to building personal relationships online. Amazon exemplifies this by minimizing customers’ total cost beyond price—time, mental energy, and uncertainty—through frictionless purchasing, easy returns, and proactive resolution of issues. To build trust, businesses must help customers succeed, invest in relationships by being generous and never transactional, and be available on customers’ preferred messaging apps like Messenger or WhatsApp without requiring repeated context. Consistent behavior over time builds brand reputation, and businesses should engage on review sites and social media to shape their message and earn trust, as perception eventually matches reality.
Context
The article contrasts historical local business relationships with the impersonal scale of the Industrial Revolution and internet, arguing that modern tools enable a return to personal customer relationships.
Takeaways
Amazon minimizes the true cost of doing business for customers beyond price, including time and mental energy spent searching, comparing, buying, and waiting for delivery, making the process frictionless.
Businesses should be available on any messaging app their customers prefer, providing context-aware support without requiring customers to repeat their account number or previous conversations.
Brand reputation is built through consistent behavior over time, and businesses can accelerate trust by engaging in conversations on third-party review sites and social media to shape their message.
FAQ
How can businesses build trust with customers in a digital age?
By helping customers succeed (e.g., minimizing costs beyond price), investing in relationships through thoughtful communication and generosity, being available on any messaging app with full context, and maintaining consistent behavior over time that builds brand reputation.
What makes Amazon's customer relationship approach effective?
Amazon takes responsibility for problems that aren't theirs, accepts returns on their dime, stamps out common issues proactively, and minimizes the total cost to the customer including time and mental energy, making the entire purchase process frictionless.
How should businesses handle customers who demand too much?
While businesses should invest more early, they can gracefully part ways with customers who ask too much too often, as not all customers are created equal.
Source and freshness
- Source
- intercom.com
- Published
- Added to Yomu
Summaries are generated from the original by a language model. Check the original before relying on it.
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