Kelly Hopping is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Demandbase.
In 2024 alone, enterprise companies worldwide spent more than $1 trillion on software. This sum represents a collective hope in technology’s promises, ranging from increasing a company’s efficiency to boosting revenue, improving the lives of its employees and beyond.
But with every purchase of a system, there must also be trust—in the tech itself and the company that will be using the customer data, making recommendations and offering information that may very well steer operations. With this in mind, here’s a look at what it takes for software providers not just to gain but also to earn that trust.
Data Transparency
Many solutions today center on data, whether that includes aggregating, analyzing or acting upon it. Unfortunately, a great number of the companies behind such solutions treat their software like a black box. They make vague claims about data integrity and give limited information about how it’s sourced and used. This is a problem.
Not all data is equal. Potential buyers should know if one software provider is pulling data from unverified public datasets, while another is getting its data from reliable, industry-leading databases. Data quality is a critical factor in the quality of a platform’s ultimate outputs and results.
Customers need to be able to access—and trust—a system’s data to confidently act on it. But how can they do that if they know nothing about what’s going on behind the scenes? If quality is behind the curtain, a company should be all too happy to pull it back and reveal that to its customers.
AI Transparency
Similar to the importance of visibility with data, there’s a need for visibility into AI models. Of course, it’s all connected, as AI models powered by accurate and consistent data should yield reliable outcomes. But given the nature of AI and its complicated ethics, it’s all the more important for companies to be proactively open with customers about their relationship with the technology.
To be more specific, software providers should be transparent about how their technology uses AI to make decisions. This helps customers gain clarity and make more informed choices. It also helps them trust the system and the company, knowing that it’s under strategic, human direction and operated based on clear guidelines.
Additionally, when internal team members can trust the quality of the data in their systems and the AI trained using that data, there’s greater alignment across teams and business objectives. This unity around—and faith in—the technology gives everyone equal understanding and keeps them working toward shared goals.
Customer Trust
Some software providers overlook another crucial matter tied to trust and transparency: customer support. Many buyers appreciate the attention they get throughout the buyer journey, even going so far as to be connected with a company’s CEO during the process. But the attentiveness disappears once they make the purchase decision and the sale is closed. There are no more VIP meetings with executives or one-on-one support from a product expert.
To say this feels like a bait and switch is an understatement, and such outcomes dramatically undermine any trust built earlier. Instead, companies must be transparent about their buyer journey, from that first awareness stage through to onboarding and support. Buyers should know what to expect, who their points of contact will be and how they can maximize value once they’re officially a customer. They should also receive consistent, reliable help throughout their journey—not just until they make a purchase.
This is another area where using shared, trusted data insights can make all the difference. With access to accurate, up-to-date information, support agents can provide consistent service tailored to each customer’s needs, resulting in faster resolutions and a more personalized experience. This can boost trust, improve customer satisfaction and foster long-term loyalty.
Final Thoughts
To earn trust and achieve excellence in data, AI and customer support, you must start with transparency. By prioritizing proactive openness in these areas, your customers can be confident in your processes and the value you deliver. This is what strong relationships—and business success—are built upon.
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?