Jerry and John signed up on an online platform. At the point of verification, they submitted their means of IDs and selfies and waited for the next notification. After some minutes, John was heard muttering, “how could Jerry’s application be approved and mine disapproved?”
Two things may have happened: John has either submitted an ID with unmatching details, unclear content or expired documents. But that’s not the aim of this article, as those can be rectified in a second attempt. Have you heard of confirmation bias? There’s always a first time; no worries.
Confirmation bias is mostly perceived in organizations with people behind the scenes (AKA manual verifiers) screening submitted verification documents. It occurs when manual verifiers interpret submitted documents based on their discretion, existing beliefs, or prejudices.
Imagine how ridiculous it will sound to reject an application because the applicant looks “aggressive” in their picture. As trivial as this may sound, it is the reality and one setback that will not cease to recur as long as verification is done manually.
This bias could stem from age, gender, race, and more. A worse case is when manual verifiers do not even check the submitted documents at all, probably due to an oversight or carelessness.
How can Confirmation Bias Affect your Business Negatively?
Premature loss of prospects
Humans are wired to opt for the preferable alternative in many situations. Having put much marketing effort into attracting prospects and getting them to indicate their interest in your product or service, a setback at the verification stage due to this bias could see them jump onto the next available option.
Shortage in revenue
If prospects keep facing blockers when settling down to deal with your business and opt out, it is natural for it to tell on your revenue. It could even be worse if you have invested heavily in marketing campaigns before closing the leads.
Negative brand impression
Just like wildfire, comments or reviews are stronger social proofs than some testimonials. The more negative reviews a brand gets, the more negative impressions it brings to its name and the more unpleasant it becomes to prospects.
How can you retain prospects without making them experience any form of confirmation bias?
As a business owner, if you are lucky enough to perceive the recurrence of confirmation bias early, be proactive and switch to an automated solution without delay. Confirmation bias thrives on human influence, but a technology-powered system delivers its job as designed.
Since the launch of Verified.Africa, an automated identity verifier, over a thousand smart businesses have brought significant changes to their businesses by expanding their customer base quickly through seamless identity verification.
Verified.Africa is the solution built for the African market to easily verify customers’ identities and ensure credibility in every aspect. With Verified.Africa, businesses have been able to steer clear of fraudsters and ensure compliance is a thing to be reckoned with.
Maintain a positive brand image by sticking to a solution that works and actually brings more profit, and become a smarter business owner today. Try Verified.Africa today!
