--- title: "Daily Buzz: Building Customer Trust in a Crisis" id: "50943" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-building-customer-trust-in-a-crisis" published_at: "2020-08-17T19:49:25+00:00" modified_at: "2020-08-17T19:49:25+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2020/08/17/daily-buzz-building-customer-trust-in-a-crisis/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2020/08/17/daily-buzz-building-customer-trust-in-a-crisis.md" excerpt: "Organizations need to be clear, considerate, and competent to put members or customers at ease. Also: finding new ways to present your newsletter." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "customer service" - "Membership" - "trust building" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Building Customer Trust in a Crisis During times of uncertainty, customers and members are going to be more stressed and less trusting of an organization’s ability to provide them a reliable service. That’s why customer service is even more important right now. “The potential for fraught customer service experiences—in person or otherwise—is higher than ever. But a growing body of research on language use in service interactions can help,” say Grant Packard, Sarah G. Moore, and Brent McFerran in the [MIT Sloan Management Review (opens in a new tab)](https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/speaking-to-customers-in-uncertain-times/?og=Home+Series) . “In this environment, every word matters.” To build trust, provide members with attention and concrete language. For example, instead of vaguely saying that a package they ordered will arrive next week, tell them exactly what day and where it will be dropped off. Employees can also connect more deeply with members by replacing the word “we” with “I.” By using the latter, employees signal to the member that he or she can depend on them and that they’re acting on the customer’s behalf. “‘I’m sorry to have to cancel your flight’ conveys a more genuine, personal sense of remorse than ‘We’re sorry to cancel the flight,’” Packard, Moore, and McFerran say. “The word ‘we’ not only decreases perceived empathy but may also make it appear that the employee is avoiding responsibility and blaming the company.” Demonstrating that you care about members will put them at ease. Start and end your member interactions with warm, considerate words and show appreciation with simple thank-yous. ### Reimaging Your Newsletter > 7 Content Types to Consider in Your Organization’s Next Newsletter – [https://t.co/vC4gWEI8WO (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/vC4gWEI8WO) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — MemberClicks (@MemberClicks) [August 13, 2020 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/MemberClicks/status/1293927283963682819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Your organization’s newsletter** doesn’t have to look the same from issue to issue. Play around with different types of content to keep things fresh. Have you come across any interesting statistics or tidbits related to your industry? Throw them in. “Not only is that valuable information, but it’s a great way to break up larger chunks of copy, again, making your newsletter more scannable,” [says MemberClicks’ Callie Walker (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.memberclicks.com/7-content-types-to-consider-in-your-organizations-next-newsletter) . ### Other Links of Note **Need some words of wisdom?** *Nonprofit AF* has taken famous proverbs and [rewritten them (opens in a new tab)](https://nonprofitaf.com/2020/08/25-proverbs-rewritten-for-nonprofit-and-philanthropy/) for the nonprofit sector. **Charging for virtual events can be tricky**, and pivoting to online could mean new taxation rules. [Event Manager Blog (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eventmanagerblog.com/virtual-event-sales-tax) looks at when to charge sales tax for virtual events. **Uh-oh, you accidentally deleted important data.** But Microsoft added a new file recovery tool in Windows 10. *PCMag* breaks down [how to use (opens in a new tab)](https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-recover-deleted-files-in-windows-10) the new feature. (worldofstock/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Michael Hickey](https://associationsnow.com/author/michael-hickey/) Michael Hickey is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/michael-hickey/) Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/) [#customer service](https://associationsnow.com/tag/customer-service/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#trust building](https://associationsnow.com/tag/trust-building/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-american-speech-language-hearing-association/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 1 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-1-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoThe Future is Yours to Create. 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