Data security, transparency requirements, intuitive use… Webmecanik is always on the lookout for best practices for its users. As part of its presence at Web Summit 2022, on Thursday, November 3, our team attended a fascinating conference on the user trust crisis facing software vendors, led by Amanda Malko and Tim Crino.
Who are Amanda Malko and Tim Crino?
This conference, eagerly awaited by B2B service companies, was led by two experts in the field:
- Amanda Malko is Marketing Director at G2, a platform that lists nearly 2 million reviews from business software users. She previously worked for Mailchimp and Pavilion, and is regularly invited to speak at conferences on digital marketing for software companies. She also writes opinion pieces on changes in the profession and the importance of placing the consumer at the center of strategy.
- Tim Crino is a journalist specializing in entrepreneur profiles and in the fields of cybersecurity, data privacy, and entrepreneurship. He writes for the famous American magazine Inc., based in New York since 1979, which is a benchmark in the start-up world and has nearly three million followers on Twitter. *
A few figures that reveal the crisis of trust users feel toward software companies
According to the Web Summit website, only 33% of companies consider software company websites to be the most reliable resource, or rely on them the most, when making important purchasing decisions. Faced with this low level of trust, the two experts outlined the causes that could explain this trust crisis.
During their conference, they also stated that 60% of buyers seeking a sales meeting call salespeople even after making their decision, which demonstrates the strong need for reassurance they require in order to trust a brand. Reassuring customers is therefore more important than ever in this highly competitive sector, where the software sold represents a real budget, especially for mid-sized companies.
Today, we can see that consumption and purchasing habits are changing, and for consumers the relationship of trust they can build with brands is very important.
Earning and protecting the relationship of trust between companies and users
In the face of this distrust, effective strategies must be adopted by software companies that want to stand out and appear as benchmarks in terms of user experience.
Creating a community, focusing on a close and trust-based relationship, being transparent and listening to the customer… These principles, which were long set aside in favor of selling at all costs, are becoming central. Users are increasingly demanding because the offering in the business software sector is becoming broader and broader.
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How can trust between companies and users be increased?
Build a community and focus on UX
Every good marketer knows the importance of creating a community to strengthen a product’s credibility, especially in the service sector. The more users show their satisfaction and command of the software, the easier to use and more convincing it appears to prospects who hesitate to take the plunge.
Sharing your experience on forums where each customer gives their opinion or even exchanges with other customers is a powerful acquisition lever. It is up to the marketing and technical team to offer a pleasant (or even remarkable) user experience, and then to create a community where customers can of course share positive feedback. Essential for reassuring those who hesitate to get the product!
As the speakers pointed out: “Improving the user experience is the most powerful lever. It is also important to communicate about privacy and data protection and to go beyond mere compliance with the law.”
Amanda Malko highlights a 20% increase in reviews on data protection and privacy topics.
Be transparent and share the company’s values
Transparency is no longer an option for companies. They absolutely must be clear about how they use customer data and communicate their company values. Since collaboration between a service company and its client is often long-term, future B2B customers are increasingly demanding and want to engage with companies that have values similar to their own.
Regarding data, they also want to know how their data is used and what benefits they can derive from leveraging it. They also need to know how this can be advantageous for them.
Regaining the user’s trust
Bad reviews, a technical problem, a difficult relationship with the salesperson… It is easy to lose the trust of your users. But how can you win it back?
The experts explain that, as in any relationship, honesty is the key. All the more so for a service company, where the relationship is essential: you must admit your mistakes and identify whether the relationship of trust has been lost. From there, it is possible to create a new value framework and start again on the right footing by being even more attentive with your contact.
As Tim Crino and Amanda Malko point out: ”Today we have a trust problem, notably because a lot of what is relayed on the web is unreliable. That is where the challenge lies.” In this specific case, it is necessary to strengthen your credibility by offering reliable and reassuring content. At G2, the Marketing Director says she uses moderation powered by artificial and human intelligence. We must never lose sight of the fact that people remain essential, especially when companies offer rather technical and intimidating services such as software.
How can you put your consumer at the center of your strategy?
Enable exchanges between users
“If your customers want exchanges with your other users, be the one who enables those exchanges.” This advice given by the two experts makes perfect sense in a prospect reassurance approach. It is also consistent with the community-building strategy.
Whether it is accessible via social media, set up internally, or on a specialized forum, the community enables exchanges between users and gives sales teams and after-sales service the possibility to respond directly to customers while keeping an eye on the long-term effects of the product offered.
In addition, the importance of putting the consumer at the center of the company’s strategy and involving all employees was emphasized. These actions reinforce and enable the sharing of the company’s values.
Implement social listening
Amanda Malko and Tim Crino highlighted the importance of social listening to get closer to users. This practice, which consists of implementing actions based on the analysis of social media, is essential for improving the customer journey.
To implement it, it is essential to identify the social media networks or platforms where the users of your product are and monitor what is being said about your company, your competitors, and your market, and draw as many lessons as possible from it.
Pay attention to feedback
Real-time feedback is very important and much better than occasional feedback, which is often gathered once a year. When collected regularly, it makes it possible to detect changes and positive points that can have a major impact on your users.
It should be noted that the disappearance of third-party cookies (which should happen by mid-2024) will prevent user tracking and could affect the reliability of feedback. In response to this concern, the speaker duo says that the end of confidential data collection is not inevitable if the company knows how to build a relationship of trust that makes it possible to use customer data in a win-win logic.
Our Product Manager, Laurine Augiron, our Marketing Director Sophie Panot, and our President Stéphane Couleaud had the opportunity to attend this enriching exchange that took place at Web Summit. You can contact them on LinkedIn to explore the topic further.
