Trust is the invisible currency behind every strong customer relationship, and once it is broken and lost, it is hard to earn back.
With AI driving a major increase in user-generated content and enabling more sophisticated fraud tactics, building and maintaining customer trust is increasingly challenging. A single phishing scam, a chatbot that gives biased or wrong answers, or a data breach exposing customer details can instantly undo years of loyalty.
Enterprises that do not invest in safeguarding their customer experiences (CXs) through investment in strong digital defenses risk eroding customer relationships, undermining brand credibility, damaging long-term loyalty, and creating lasting business consequences.
Leaders responsible for CX understand how critical trust and safety have become, and many are preparing to act.
A recent TELUS Digital report, Safety in Numbers, which partnered with Ryan Strategic Advisory to survey more than 800 decision-makers in Western Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific, explored the opinions of these leaders around trust and safety.
The findings show that many are planning to significantly or somewhat increase investments in ID verification (68%), fraud detection (66%), know your customer (KYC) processes (60%), and content moderation (48%) over the next 12 months.
Each of these categories is critical in maintaining customer trust.
- ID verification is essential for confirming customer identities and limiting potentially fraudulent activities.
- Proactive fraud detection helps organizations protect their digital platforms through continuous transaction monitoring and threat detection for faster, more effective responses and remediation.
- KYC helps organizations make informed customer decisions in line with regulatory requirements.
- Content moderation protects customers by limiting harmful, inappropriate, or inaccurate content.
The urgency for strong trust and safety is clear, yet organizations continue to face challenges in both implementing and sustaining these safeguards.
By examining the forces behind this momentum and the challenges in the way, they can uncover practical steps to protect customers and earn their confidence long-term.
Why Trust, Safety Investments Are Increasing
As technology evolves, enterprises are under pressure to align trust and safety strategies with new risks and expectations. Beyond keeping pace with innovation, several clear drivers are pushing trust and safety higher on the agenda, including regulatory compliance, rising fraud costs, and customer feedback.
According to the Safety in Numbers report, one-third (33%) of decision-makers prioritized ID verification to meet compliance requirements, while nearly a quarter (23%) pointed to the financial impact of fraud.
For fraud detection, 29% highlighted fraud-related costs and 20% cited negative customer feedback as top motivators. KYC was most often prioritized for compliance (34%) and fraud prevention (24%). Content moderation, on the other hand, was prioritized due to the availability of new technologies (23%) and compliance requirements (22%).
The consequences of falling short are significant. Regulatory gaps can trigger major fines, reputational fallout, and/or customer churn. Fraud can lead to costly remediation and operational disruption. Negative customer feedback can damage brand equity and drive customers away.
Challenges to Digital Trust and Safety
Even with a strong awareness of the importance of digital trust and safety and understanding of the risks of fraud, regulatory penalties, and customer churn, CX leaders acknowledge that several challenges still stand in the way of creating secure online environments for their customers. These include:
- Compliance with government/industry regulations (44%).
- Shortage of technical talent (39%).
- Internal threats (employee error/malicious intent) (34%).
- Fraud prevention complexity (34%).
Further, when it comes to delivering effective trust and safety across digital channels, the primary challenge was cost (27%). Other challenges include technical complexity (21%), integration with existing systems/architecture (20%), lack of internal expertise (16%), and understanding/following regulations (10%).
Maintaining the Human Element
Overcoming these challenges requires a delicate balance between human expertise and thoughtful deployment of advanced technologies.
While automation has become a valuable tool in detecting anomalies and monitoring potential safety issues at scale, human oversight remains a critical component, particularly in handling edge use cases or highly nuanced decision-making.
Our survey shows the vast majority of trust and safety services are still delivered either solely by humans or with humans in the loop, rather than by technology alone (the following numbers are approximate and may not add up):
- ID verification. 79% involve humans (61% mix of human and technology resources, 18% human-led); only 22% rely on tech-only.
- KYC. 61% include human oversight (49% mixed, 12% human-led); 39% tech-only.
- Content moderation. 65% use humans (44% mixed, 21% human-led); 34% tech-only.
- Fraud detection. 56% involve humans (40% mixed, 16% human-led); 44% tech-only.
Although automation continues to grow, the findings highlight the ongoing importance of human oversight and judgment when it comes to managing digital risk.
...human oversight remains a critical component, particularly in handling edge use cases or highly nuanced decision-making.
For organizations constrained by budget challenges or limited internal resources, strategic external partnerships can help scale trust and safety measures effectively. These partnerships are also critical in ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, which frequently evolve and differ across state, federal, and international guidelines.
Future-Proofing Customer Relationships
Trust and safety are no longer optional. They are the proven foundation of lasting customer loyalty. Enterprises that lead in this area will protect their customers and future-proof their business.
While cost, compliance, and resource constraints remain hurdles, they can be addressed through the right blend of human expertise, advanced technology, and trusted partnerships.
Transparency is equally important. When customers clearly see that their safety is prioritized, confidence grows, loyalty deepens, and advocacy follows. Safeguarding digital interactions helps enterprises build durable relationships that fuel long-term growth.