In our recent survey regarding the impact the pandemic is having on individuals across the country, we found interesting results regarding which organizations people trust to provide valuable products and services during these difficult times.
These are the organizations that ranked highest in our survey:
Amazon (Selected by 79% of participants)
Google (57%)
CVS (53%)
YouTube (52%)
Zoom (52%)
Walmart (48%)
Obviously, these companies provide essential products for supplies, communication, and entertainment. It’s logical they would be near the top of the list.
But what separates these companies from their competitors? Why is Zoom trusted by 52% of people and Facebook by only 38%?
A big differentiator is how these companies make people feel
When we asked a further question about what organizations people trust to share their data with, unsurprisingly local banks/credit unions rank highest, followed by Amazon and Google. Facebook ranks at the bottom of the list, right after the US Federal Government.
Customers want to feel appreciated, valued, and understood. Companies like Amazon have invested heavily in customer experience and customer service. Even though there are ethical concerns about how Amazon treats its employees, for the majority of consumers, the way they personally are treated matters much more.
Below are some quotes from our survey about positive experiences individuals have had with organizations during the pandemic:
“Allstate has given me back some of my car insurance premium. DirecTV offered me a discount for the next few months. American Express is allowing me to PLAN IT for purchases with no fees in the coming months. Kudos to all of these companies!!”
“I am pleased with how quickly CVS has created a delivery system. All I had to do was make a phone call, respond to a text, fill out a form with my credit card information, and my prescription arrives two days later.”
“Amazon has definitely stepped up their grocery delivery service, and their drivers are friendly and extremely respectable.”
What these quotes demonstrate is an understanding of what’s important to customers. CVS quickly building an intuitive delivery system has been met with delight. Amazon’s drivers simply being friendly when making deliveries is worthy of appreciation.
Companies Not Fairing as Well in Customer Sentiment
here are the organizations that ranked lowest in our survey:
Fox Business News (12%)
US Federal Government (16%)
Citi (16%)
JP Morgan Chase (21%)
Twitter (21%)
By and large, participants in our survey simply do not find these brands trustworthy or reliable.
It’s interesting to see the dichotomy between the very high levels of trust in local governments and credit unions and the conversely extremely low ratings of the federal government and national baking chains.
What Organizations Can Do Better
What does this mean for how organizations should approach their changes in business practices due to the pandemic?
Taking what we can learn from those at the top of the list, it’s quite simple: Talk to your customers, listen to what matters to them, and demonstrate that you care. Providing lip service that customers are the priority doesn’t go far enough. The companies actually have to take noticeable action.
This pandemic is an opportunity for organizations to redouble their efforts to invest in customer experiences. Those who truly care and find real and creative ways to translate that into how they treat customers will be the ones that succeed.
