How Your Business Contact Information Affects Customer Trust

Moving a phone number from the website’s footer to the header can increase e-commerce conversions by up to 30%. That’s a significant number and shows how a prominently displayed phone number is a strong trust signal.

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. You check out an online store and browse its products. You’re curious, however, about a specific feature and want to learn more. They don’t have a blog. Too bad.

But here come the obvious red flags: They don’t share their phone number or email address. Your search for their social media accounts is a dead end. Would you trust a business that you can’t contact if issues arise?

Contact information, even if it’s a simple phone number strategically placed on a website, influences buying decisions. Mystery may work for James Bond or Austin Powers, but not for a business.

Contactable = Conversions. It’s as simple as that.

The Essential Business Contact Details

Whether for your website, business cards, or other marketing materials, your contact details should always include the following:

Official Business Name: As it is registered with the business administration or similar governing bodies.

Business Address: This should be a physical address, with the exact door number, floor, building, street name, city, and state.

Telephone Number & Mobile Number: Provide dedicated business landline and mobile numbers. If you serve international clientele, provide your country code.

Business Email Address: This should be domain-specific, not a generic personal email.

Business Hours: Include your operating hours, with clearly stated opening and closing times, and what days of the week you’re open.

Website: Display the full URL.

Social Media Accounts: Add active links to your business accounts. If social media account verification is possible, make sure to include that as well.

Note: For business cards, be sure to include your name and title. The same goes for your employees.

Business Address vs. Home Address

Home-based businesses are increasingly common. You could be launching your business from home and you’re perfectly valid and official. But should you be using your home address for business? Definitely not.

Using a real business address shows customers that you’re established and trustworthy. On the flip side, a home address can make people hesitate, raising tiny red flags about privacy and how credible you are. In short, having the right business address is a simple way to put your buyers’ minds at ease before they hit that buy button.

Professional Business Address: These are typically in commercial buildings, and are physical addresses that the authorities and banks deem acceptable for business registration. They carry a weight of professionalism and credibility that increases customer trust.

Commercial addresses, however, can be costly, especially for new entrepreneurs. A good alternative is a virtual business address. It’s a secure, affordable real street address you can use to receive business mail and include in your contact information.

Home Address: A home address is personal information, and it’s not advisable to use it for business. Using your home address is risky when it comes to privacy, while at the same time it hurts your reputation.

Remember, the address that you use to register your business becomes public information, putting you at risk of security breaches. Additionally, a home address doesn’t inspire customer confidence, as it makes your business look “small time” or “unsuccessful.”

Professional Email vs. Generic Free Email

Which email address looks professional: [email protected] or [email protected]?

If you have a website or online store, you have a domain name that you can connect to an email. Connecting the two is the professional way. It instills confidence and serves as a marketing tool, contributing to brand recall.

On the other hand, a free generic email is the height of unprofessionalism. Your customers may wonder whether your business is just a hobby, or even real.

Investing in a professional email address is a simple way to build instant trust. It makes your brand look polished and memorable every single time you hit reply.

Best Practices: Business Phone Number

A business can’t function without a business phone number, and it’s a strong trust signal that contributes to conversion, as noted earlier. But it’s not enough to have a dedicated business line, it’s also essential that you follow best practices for using a business phone number:

Separate Personal & Business Numbers: Have two (or more) separate numbers to maintain professionalism and protect your privacy.

Implement Mobile Calling: Use a “click to call” link so that users can call your number straight from your website without typing. This is especially helpful when customers view your website on their phones.

Display Hours: If you don’t have anyone to answer calls 24/7, set expectations on when customers should contact you. Record a friendly voice message detailing your business hours.

Use a Toll-Free Number: A toll-free number lets your customers contact you at no cost, boosting customer satisfaction and your reputation.

Website Contact Page Mistakes That Reduce Trust

Aside from following best practices for each piece of contact information, how you present it is also important. Here are website contact page mistakes to avoid:

Having No Contact Page At All: No contact page = Low trust. If a customer can’t see a way to get in touch with you or give feedback, they’ll likely think that you have something to hide or that you’re not a legitimate entity.

Only One Contact Channel: Provide different ways for customers to contact you. Include a contact form, an email address, and a phone number.

Inconsistent Information: You also likely have contact details on your social media pages. Your website and social media contact page information should match. Additionally, the contact details you repeatedly post on your captions, blogs, and other website pages should be consistent as well.

Broken Links/Forms: Ensure social media links and contact form buttons work and flow properly.

Outdated Information: Business hours and days change. Phone numbers are swapped for new ones. Any update on business contact details should reflect on your contact page right away.

Maintaining Consistency Across Every Platform

Consistency builds business trust, and this principle also applies to your contact information. Make sure your contact information stays the same everywhere. Here are a few tips to help you maintain consistency:

Create a master document containing your official contact information. Copy each detail from this document into each platform to ensure consistent spelling, wording, abbreviations, etc.

Conduct a quick audit of your website, Google profile, and social media pages. Copy the contact information carefully from your master document to each “About” or contact page to assure there’s consistency across the board.

Check these details as often as is feasible, but at least several times a year, to maintain consistency.

Contact Info Checklist

What should you have on your contact pages? To build, maintain, and maximize customer confidence, use the following checklists to assure you’re on track:

On Website Contact Page: