We all look for a company we can trust before parting with our money. There are all kinds of factors that can affect credibility from having a solid brand to owning a website to dressing the part. Here are just five dependable ways to build trust that can make people more comfortable spending their money.

Improve your company’s security

An obvious lack of security is certain to put customers off. If people can pay through your site, you should make sure that your payment method is secure – the likes of Paypal can offer this security. Any sensitive information that your customers have to give you should be closely guarded. This may include buying a safe or getting strong digital security software installed on your computers that can do everything from filtering emails to fending off ransomware attacks.

Encourage positive online reviews

Many people nowadays judge the credibility of a company by it’s quality of reviews. Lots of negative reviews are certain to reflect badly on your company. You should ensure that you’ve always got more positive reviews by encouraging happy customers to leave positive feedback on these review platforms. You can also collect testimonials from customers to put on your website. Make sure to also use social media effectively – if somebody shares something positive about your company, share or retweet it on your company page.

Show off awards and licenses

Awards and licenses give proof that you’re qualified for the job. There are all kinds of awards out there, some aimed at new businesses and others aimed at long-running businesses. Entering your business for one of these awards could be worthwhile. On top of this, you can become a member of an official body (e.g. a chartered accountant or a royal college vet surgery). As for licenses, these are generally compulsory prerequisites. However, you should still show these off to tell people that you’re an honest company.

Offer a guarantee

Being able to give people their money back if a job isn’t done to spec can also encourage trust. In some trades, sureties such as construction bonds are a necessity, allowing clients to get their money back if your project doesn’t go to plan. In other trades, you may be able to offer a service or product guarantee. Some companies charge this as an extra, but by including it free it can show a certain level of confidence that you will do the job well.

Accept credit card

Credit cards offer uses a level of security than debit cards don’t. If you’re a victim of a scam, you can usually get a refund through your credit card provider. Many customers looking to spend a lot of money will therefore use businesses that accept credit card. The disadvantage of accepting credit card is that you have to pay a fee on each transaction, making it more suited to businesses in which transactions are large such a car dealership or a hotel.