Why predictability is a sustainable ‘wow’ factor

In a world where customers have endless options at their fingertips, building brand trust is essential to ensuring the longevity of any business. One of the key components to achieving this is by being predictable for your customers. When customers know what to expect from your brand, they are more likely to trust you, become loyal to you, and recommend you to others. It’s hard to do well, being predictable, especially when you’re growing. But there’s no doubt it’s an unsung ‘wow’ factor in your customer engagement.

So why is being predictable for your customers so important? Let's take a closer look.

Predictability builds familiarity

When you consistently deliver on what you promise, customers become familiar with your brand and what it stands for. This familiarity helps to create a sense of comfort and security, making it easier for customers to trust your brand.

For example, think about your favourite restaurant. When you visit, you likely have a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of the menu, the atmosphere, and the level of service. This familiarity helps to create a positive experience, which in turn builds trust and loyalty.

Predictability builds reliability

Predictability also helps to establish your brand as reliable. When you consistently deliver on your promises, customers can rely on you to provide a certain level of quality and service. This reliability helps to build trust and confidence in your brand. For example, if you run an online store, customers will expect certain things from you, such as fast and reliable shipping, clear product descriptions, and easy returns. By consistently providing these things, you build a reputation as a reliable seller, which can lead to repeat business and positive reviews.

Predictability builds transparency

Transparency is another important factor in building brand trust. When you are predictable in your actions and communications, customers can see that you are being transparent and honest with them. For example, if you are a software or SaaS company, customers will expect regular updates and bug fixes. By being transparent about your development process and communicating regularly with customers, you build trust and show that you are committed to delivering a high-quality product.

Predictability builds loyalty

Finally, predictability helps to build loyalty among your customers. When customers know what to expect from your brand, they are more likely to come back to you again and again. For example, think about a coffee shop that makes great coffee every time. The reward is the predictability of the coffee. No “stamp my loyalty card” will beat this. Good coffee every time is the best way to entice customers to beat a path to your coffee window. Even better if you can predict your loyal customers’ orders.

So how can you plan ahead to be more predictable for your customers every day?

Be consistent in your messaging

Consistency is key when it comes to building brand trust. Make sure that your messaging is consistent across all of your marketing channels, from your website to your social media to your advertising and even your team communication. This means using the same tone of voice, the same branding elements, and the same messaging across all channels. When customers see consistency in your messaging, they are more likely to trust that you are a reliable and trustworthy brand.

Deliver on your promises

It's important to set realistic expectations for your customers and then deliver on those promises. If you promise fast shipping, make sure that you can deliver on that promise. If you promise a certain level of quality, make sure that your products or services meet those standards. By delivering on your promises, you build trust and reliability with your customers, which can lead to repeat business and positive reviews.

Be transparent

Transparency is key when it comes to building brand trust. Be open and honest with your customers about your processes, your policies, and any issues that arise. For example, if you are experiencing a delay in shipping, be transparent with your customers about the situation and what you are doing to address it. This shows that you are committed to delivering a high-quality experience for your customers, even when things don't go as planned.

Listen to feedback

Taking feedback into consideration and making changes based on that feedback, you show that you care about your customers and are committed to providing the best possible experience for them. For example, if you run a restaurant and receive feedback that your menu is too limited, consider adding new items that will appeal to a wider range of customers. The key is to make change predictable. Communicate with your customers about what’s coming. Communicate about what’s new. Include your customers in predictable change. This way you build trust and show that you are committed to providing the best possible experience for your customers.

Train your team

Finally, it's important to ensure that your team is trained to provide a consistent and predictable experience for your customers. Make sure that your team is familiar with your brand values, your messaging, and your policies, so that they can deliver a consistent experience to customers. By providing consistent and predictable experiences across all touch-points, from your website to your customer service interactions, you build trust and loyalty with your customers.

Build predictability processes

At the core of a predictable business are a set of great systems and processes that follow the customer journey with predictable support, predictable input and predictable results. Some call this an operating model. It’s at the heart of your customer experience, your employee experience and is the key to delivering your business plan flawlessly. No business can grow without one of these. Don’t let your business outgrow its core systems and processes, or unpredictability and volatility will result. Not just for your customers, but also for you - the business owner.

In a world that is changing constantly, your customers are going to love boring and predictable above all else. To delight is to deliver. Of course, do also be predictably good, predictably useful and predictably engaging. And don’t make predictability an excuse not to change (embedded link to risk article). But do make sure your business shows up consistently with good systems, processes, training, and listening. If you do that, you’ll be a level up from alternatives with most of the customer experience solved. And as you build predictable trust and loyalty with your customers, you’ll be setting your business up for exciting long-term growth and success.

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Get in touch via info@hyfen.com.au

Copyright: Hyfen Consulting Pty Ltd
Author: Kirstin Schneider, CEO Hyfen Consulting

Kirstin is a trusted partner to SME and fast-growth CEOs and Boards across Australia. Offering decades of experience within SME, venture businesses and corporates, she now chooses to work with businesses and enterprises that have a strong mission and purpose at their core.