4 Strategies to Build Trust and Transparency with Customers

According to SecurityScorecard 98% of organizations are affiliated with a third party that has experienced a breach, and third-party attacks have led to 29% of breaches. Gone are the days of B2B tech innovating faster than security could keep up. As the threat landscape evolves and becomes more sophisticated, security and GRC are of utmost importance to your customers. 

Customers are no longer willing to absorb the risk of partnering with a company with insufficient security and GRC measures. As a result, lengthy security questionnaires and trust centers have become an integral part of due diligence in B2B transactions. While these measures are critical to building trust with your customers and accelerating business growth, they are only the first step. 

Building trust and assurance with your customers requires a proactive and streamlined approach that communicates the strength of your security posture with confidence and transparency.

How to build trust with B2B customers

Building trust with B2B customers is essential for long-term partnerships, and one of the most effective ways to do this is by showcasing the strength of your security posture. Proactive communication, streamlined self-service options, dedicated internal processes, and deep-dive monitoring are key elements that not only enhance your security but also demonstrate your commitment to transparency and reliability.

Proactive communication 

Don’t wait for your customers to reach out with security questions or documentation requests. Instead, take the initiative by proactively communicating your security measures and GRC (Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance) strategy. This approach shows that you are transparent, confident in your security practices, and committed to keeping your customers informed.

Make sure you clearly demonstrate:

• The strength of your security posture, including protocols, technologies, and practices your organization employs to protect customer data. This should include information on encryption standards, network security, access controls, and incident response capabilities. Explain how you monitor for threats and how quickly and effectively your organization can respond to potential security incidents.
• Compliance and certifications, including compliance with relevant industry standards such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA and processes for how your company stays compliant with evolving regulations and legal requirements. 
• Privacy practices, including how customer data is collected, stored, used, and shared. This includes details about data retention policies, third-party data sharing, and customer consent processes.
• Vendor management, including how your organization evaluates and monitors the security practices of third-party vendors. This should include the criteria used for vendor selection and ongoing monitoring processes. Provide information on how you secure your supply chain and mitigate risks associated with third-party vendors.

SecurityPal Assurance profile empowers you to communicate your security strengths and GRC posture confidently. WIth a single-page profile, customized to your brand, deflect unnecessary queries and prioritizing essential security reviews. Learn more. 

Streamlined self-serve capabilities 

Empower your customers and prospects by providing them with self-service tools that allow them to access the security information they need, whenever they need it. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth communication and prevents unnecessary delays, allowing your customers to find answers quickly without burdening your team.

Self-serve capabilities could include:

• Security documentation repository 
• Self-service portal for one-off security questions or documentation requests
• Trust center with access control and version history

Security and GRC due diligence often come near the end of the sales cycle, making it a critical phase in the customer relationship. How you manage this process reflects on your business as a whole. By using automation and self-service platforms, you simplify the experience for your customers, making it clear that your company is organized, efficient, and easy to work with.

Dedicated internal processes 

Compliance and certifications alone aren’t enough to build trust with your customers. You should also be able to demonstrate the processes in place within your organization to not only remain compliant and adhere to regulations, but also protect your customers' data and sensitive information. 

Establishing and maintaining robust internal processes is crucial for managing and protecting sensitive information, policy documents, and procedures. Both you and your customers require ongoing visibility into your security posture, compliance status, and risk management efforts. Having well-organized documentation and streamlined processes facilitates seamless knowledge sharing, which in turn builds trust and fosters stronger relationships.

Deep-dive monitoring and reporting

As the risk landscape continues to evolve, so must your security and GRC strategy. Deep-dive monitoring and comprehensive reporting allow you to continually assess and improve your security posture, identify gaps, and evaluate vendors. 

Providing your customers with insights into these efforts demonstrates that you are not only responsive to the current security environment but also proactive in your approach. Data-driven decision-making instills confidence in your customers, showing that your partnership is built on a foundation of security and trust.

Building customer assurance with SecurityPal

As the threat landscape evolves, your customers are increasingly scrutinizing the security measures of their partners. Building trust is no longer just about responding to security questionnaires — it's about demonstrating an unwavering commitment to protecting customer data through proactive communication, streamlined processes, and continuous improvement. 

Trusted by the world’s most innovative enterprises, SecurityPal's Customer Assurance Suite (CAx)™ combines cutting-edge AI technology, a 24/7 Security Operations Command Center (SOCC), and 150+ certified security experts to streamline your security processes and help you build trust with your customers. Learn more.