Trust can start to form in the first minutes of a relationship. But customers are more and more wary and trust can also be broken just as fast. Below are three common moments where trust may strain between clients and service providers, with practical steps to reduce the risk.
1. Friction at onboarding - identity checks that feel slow or unclear
What happens
An application that starts smoothly can slow down at verification if guidance is unclear, or the journey is clunky and documents or details are re-requested. This causes delays that lead customers to abandon the process altogether.
Why it can hurt trust
Making life difficult for customers early on will likely give them a bad feeling about completing the transaction. If the first task feels hard, most people will assume that this is a taste of things to come and that future interactions will be just as slow.
How to reduce it
- Make steps and progress clear. Say what you need, why you need it, and how long it should take. Show progress so people know where they are.
- Verify quickly. Use eKYC for faster checks with clear pass or retry outcomes.
- Offer help. Provide an Assisted KYC path for steps that cannot be completed fully without help.
- Prove once, reuse safely. Reuse verified data with secure links or tokens where policy allows. Avoid asking for the same information twice.
2. Business misrepresentation - weak partner or merchant checks
What happens
The problem arises when verification stops short of confirming who owns and controls the business. Without that clarity and the right safeguards, regulators and customers may view the relationship as unsafe.
Why it can hurt trust
End users and authorities expect proof that a business is real and legitimate. Gaps here can lead to losses and lengthy reviews, which reduce confidence.
How to reduce it
- Map ownership. Use KYB to validate licenses and trace the structure up to the ultimate beneficial owner.
- Capture evidence. Use Physical Site Verification for geotagged photos and location data when policy or risk level calls for it.
- Re-verify by tier. Set periodic re-checks for higher-risk segments or when key details change.
- Align disclosures. Keep onboarding terms and responsibilities consistent across channels so expectations stay clear.
3. Unclear communication when incidents occur
What happens
When a security event or outage happens, customers can feel exposed and unsure of what to do next. If updates are slow or inconsistent, trust can be lost.
Why it can hurt trust
Silence or mixed messages can magnify the impact of the event. People look for quick, plain guidance and visible actions.
How to reduce it
- Have a playbook. Define who notifies, what the first update includes, and when to send the next one. Practice it.
- Use plain templates. Prepare approved language for email, SMS, and in-app messages so wording stays consistent and clear.
- Offer remedies. Outline steps such as card reissue, fee refunds, or credit monitoring where appropriate.
- Create self-serve paths. Provide help texts and links to guides/FAQs to steer customers through any steps they may need to take.
- Close the loop. After resolution, summarize what happened and what changed to prevent a repeat.
Pulling it together: trust by design in practice
1. Prove once, reuse safely.
2. Automate first, assist when needed.
3. Explain the why.
4. Make recovery a feature.
5. Measure what matters.
Closing thoughts
Trust often weakens at specific moments: when onboarding takes too long, when business checks are not thorough, and when incidents are communicated unclearly or ambiguously. These issues can be avoided with clear verification processes, well-thought-through journeys, and consistent, plain communication. Do that well, and uncertainty can quickly turn into trust, and in turn, loyalty.
