When a client recently reached out to me with concerns about slipping customer service, I initially thought we were dealing with a typical service issue. Their customers were complaining about late orders due to supply chain problems, and some had even started looking elsewhere for products. The company had begun using Net Promoter Score surveys to measure customer satisfaction, but the scores were predictably low.
As we dug deeper into their situation, I realized something important: this wasn’t actually a customer service problem. It was a trust problem.
When a customer receives a late shipment once, they might chalk it up as a mistake. But when it happens repeatedly, it creates an inconsistent pattern that erodes trust. And once trust is broken, it’s incredibly difficult to rebuild.
Why Trust Matters More Than Satisfaction
My friend Dave Horseer, who I consider the greatest trust expert on the planet, says it perfectly: “A lack of trust is your biggest expense in business.” I couldn’t agree more. When customers don’t trust you, they leave – and the cost of acquiring new customers far exceeds the cost of keeping existing ones.
Traditional satisfaction surveys often miss this crucial element. They tell you if customers are happy with a specific interaction, but they don’t measure the foundation of your relationship. That’s why I recommend implementing a dedicated trust survey.
Creating an Effective Trust Survey
The beauty of a trust survey is its simplicity. You only need one or two questions plus an open-ended follow-up. While you can use various scales (0-10 like NPS, or 1-5), I prefer a 1-10 scale where 1 means “I don’t trust you at all” and 10 means “I completely trust you.”
Here are the questions I recommend including:
- On a scale of 1-10, how much do you trust that we will always do what’s right for you as our customer?
- On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that we will deliver on what we promise?
- On a scale of 1-10, how much do you trust us to consistently deliver the same level of quality and service every time?
- On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that if something goes wrong, we will make it right?
Follow up with an open-ended question like “Why did you give us that score?” or “What’s one suggestion you have that would create a higher level of trust?” or “What’s the biggest reason you trust or don’t trust us?”
What Trust Surveys Reveal
The responses to these questions provide insights that standard satisfaction surveys simply can’t match. They reveal whether customers believe you’ll keep your promises, admit mistakes, fix problems, and act in their best interest.
For my client with the shipping issues, the trust survey revealed that customers weren’t just upset about late deliveries – they were frustrated by the lack of proactive communication. When shipments were going to be late, customers wanted to know in advance, not after the promised delivery date had passed.
Trust is the foundation of every great relationship.
This insight allowed my client to implement a simple fix: a notification system that alerted customers about potential delays before they happened. This didn’t solve the supply chain issues, but it dramatically improved trust scores because customers felt respected and informed.
Building Trust for Tomorrow
A trust survey doesn’t just tell you how your customers feel about you today – it gives you the insights you need to protect loyalty for tomorrow. When customers believe you’ll do what you say, admit mistakes, fix problems, and always act in their best interest, you’ve earned something more powerful than just a sale. You’ve earned their confidence.
In today’s competitive marketplace, that confidence is gold. Customers who trust you will stick with you through occasional problems. They’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. They’ll recommend you to others.
So if you’re seeing signs of customer dissatisfaction or defection, don’t just measure satisfaction – measure trust. The insights you gain might just save your most valuable customer relationships.
