Latest news with #customertrust
Tahawul Tech
a day ago
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
SK Telecom sees massive customer drop after data breach
SK Telecom's (SKT) profit plunged in Q2 as a recent data breach prompted a departure of nearly 750,000 mobile customers and forced the company to boost its spending in response to the incident. The operator attributed the profit decline to one-time expenses including customer SIM replacements and retail stores' loss compensation totalling KRW250 billion ($179.7 million). Capex increased 63.6 per cent to KRW635 billion. After new subscriber sign-ups were suspended in May, the operator lost about 220,000 5G and 522,000 4G users. CFO Kim Yang-seob emphasised on an earnings call it took the findings of a joint public-private investigation very seriously, resulting in setting up an Accountability and Commitment Programme. 'Through these efforts, we are determined to take this as an opportunity to strengthen our business fundamentals.' Kim said regaining customer trust is its highest priority and it is taking 'a hard look at the cybersecurity incident and committed to rebuilding our business thoroughly and transparently'. He explained the full cost of SIM replacement was covered in Q2, but noted steep discounts offered to win back customers will result in sequential declines in revenue and operating profit. SKT lowered annual revenue guidance from KRW17.8 trillion to KRW17 trillion in July, and Kim said its 2025 profit also is expected to decline significantly year-on-year. Q2 numbers Net profit dropped to KRW83 billion from KRW350 billion in Q2 2024, with consolidated revenue down 1.9 per cent to KRW4.3 trillion. Mobile service revenue also fell 1.9 per cent to KRW2.6 trillion, with ARPU flat at KRW29,204. The number of 5G subscribers grew 4.9 per cent to 17 million, accounting for 77 per cent of total mobile customers, while LTE users fell 23 per cent to 5.1 million. Users of its A-dot personal assistant more than doubled to 9.8 million. Enterprise sales were up 1.4 per cent to KRW492.3 billion and its SK Broadband unit registered 2.4 per cent revenue growth to KRW1.1 trillion. AI data centre sales grew 13.3 per cent to KRW108.7 billion and AI transformation revenue increased 15.3 per cent to KRW46.8 billion. Source: Mobile World Live Image Credit: SK Telecom
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
ReputationArm Shares Strategic Insights on Turning Bad Reviews into Business Growth Opportunities
No matter how hard you try, a bad review will eventually slip through. It stings, especially when you've worked hard to deliver a great service. One negative comment can feel louder than dozens of positive ones. And that single review might shape how future customers see your entire business. Worse, you're left wondering what to do next. Should you reply? Stay silent? Will responding fix the damage or make it worse? The truth is, negative feedback doesn't have to be a threat to your reputation. It can be a turning point. In this article, Reputation Arm will walk you through why bad reviews aren't always bad for business, and how to respond in a way that builds trust, protects your brand, and turns criticism into opportunity. Why Bad Reviews Aren't Always Bad for Business Bad reviews often feel like a setback, but some of them can work in your favor. Customers today expect honesty and transparency. Perfect, spotless ratings can sometimes feel suspicious or even fake. A few genuine negative reviews show that your business is real and trustworthy. Many consumers say they trust businesses more when they see a mix of positive and negative feedback. Negative reviews give potential customers a fuller picture and help set realistic expectations. Beyond trust, bad reviews reveal areas where your business can improve. They highlight issues that might otherwise go unnoticed and offer a chance to fix problems before they escalate. Understanding this shifts how you view negative feedback. When you have a bad review strategy, you stop seeing them as damage, but as an opportunity. This sets the stage for the next question: should you respond to bad reviews? The answer is yes, and here's why. Should You Respond? (Yes – Here's Why and When) Ignoring bad reviews can do more harm than good. When you don't respond, potential customers may think you don't care or aren't paying attention. Responding shows you value feedback and are committed to improvement. Not every review needs a reply, but most do. Responding promptly helps control the narrative and shows professionalism. Here's when you should respond: There are times when you might not want to engage, such as: Timing also matters. The sooner you respond, the better. Quick replies show you're attentive and care about customer experience. The Art of the Perfect Reply: What to Say & How to Say It Your reply to a bad review isn't just for the person who wrote it; it's for everyone else reading it. People look at your response to see how you handle problems, not just praise. That's why your tone, timing, and message all matter. A good reply should be calm, respectful, and solution-focused. Never get defensive or argue back, even if the review feels unfair. Keep it short, honest, and professional. Here's a simple approach to guide your response: This kind of response shows that you care, not just about one customer, but about everyone who does business with you. Handled well, a bad review becomes an opportunity to build trust and show the human side of your brand. Turn Negative Feedback Into a Brand-Boosting Move Negative feedback doesn't have to stay negative. When handled with care, it can actually strengthen your brand. A thoughtful response shows accountability. It proves you're listening and willing to improve, which is something potential customers notice. In many cases, a bad review followed by a great reply leaves a better impression than a five-star review with no response at all. You can also use the feedback to make real changes. Maybe it highlights a gap in your service, a miscommunication, or a training need. Fixing those issues and showing that you've improved speaks volumes. Even better? Let your audience know. Share updates, changes, or improvements inspired by real customer input. It shows you take feedback seriously and act on it. That kind of transparency builds trust, and trust builds loyalty. Your Reputation Isn't Built on Praise – It's Built on How You Handle Criticism Every business will face criticism at some point. What matters most is how you respond. A single bad review isn't what defines your reputation. It's the way you handle it that leaves a lasting impression. Responding with professionalism, empathy, and a clear plan shows strength and dedication. Here's what to keep in mind: These small actions build trust with both the reviewer and future customers. Over time, that trust becomes the foundation of a strong, lasting reputation. Criticism is part of the journey. The way you manage it can set you apart. Media Contact Company Name: Reputation Arm Contact Person: Claudia Tomina Email: Send Email Address:555 Friendly St. City: Pontiac State: MI 48341 Country: United States Website: Press Release Distributed by To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: ReputationArm Shares Strategic Insights on Turning Bad Reviews into Business Growth Opportunities
Forbes
31-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Put The Effort Into Winning Direct Traffic
Barbara Puszkiewicz-Cimino is a digital marketing and MarTech strategist with a passion for leveraging technology to drive business growth. What's one metric you can consider not a vanity metric—one that tells you how well you're performing overall across all channels? The one that indicates you did something right in building a connection with your customers? Your direct traffic. In the hyper-attributable world of marketing dashboards, we tend to measure what's easy to track, not necessarily what's most meaningful. That's why the traffic that shows up in your analytics with no apparent source often gets overlooked or dismissed as a technical catch-all or digital noise. Can direct traffic become your most powerful KPI? When your strategy is executed correctly, this direct source of visits reflects your brand memory, the connection you've made with potential customers and the trust you've earned along the way. It's very much a predictor of your high-intent users who are ready to transact. So, shift your mindset from seeing direct traffic as merely unattributed, and start viewing it holistically, as a direct result of your efforts across the board: your brand pull. No Prompt This type of traffic shows up when someone types your URL directly, clicks a bookmark they set up previously, lands on your site from an untagged source or uses their memory and a bit of help from the browser to go back to what was memorable in the first place. On the backend, it looks simple—"source: direct"—but inherently, it's profound. It means this person remembers you. Cue the music for magic. When attention is fleeting—just a few seconds each time an ad appears (and at a cost)—a person returning to your website without an ad, a search query or even a referral link simply says: 'I know who you are, and I'm back.' It's one of those connections money can't buy; paid efforts won't get you there. You have to earn it. Why Delayed Gratification Is Your Secret Weapon No, direct traffic isn't truly "direct" in the literal sense. It's the second act of the campaign that brought the user in. The person behind that traffic may have first discovered your brand through an Instagram ad. They visited, looked around and left. Later, they come back by typing your name into the URL bar, with autofill helping them along. That visit shows up as direct traffic. Yes, the original channel planted the seed, but it was the brand that stuck. And that should tell you that direct traffic should never be treated as a stand-alone effort. It's a signal that all your efforts are working together, even if attribution systems can't trace the full path. Here's the part that should get your attention: Direct traffic often carries one of the highest conversion rates. Why? • Users typing your URL already know your brand. • Those users are more likely to trust your website. • There is now a stronger intention to visit your website. • These users arrive without distraction caused by any other content. We see this all the time: The user who returns directly converts better than the one who arrives via paid social or search. It reinforces the idea that direct traffic isn't just a nice-to-have; it's essential. This kind of impact takes time and craft to build, but it costs nothing in the moment and earns long-term attention. How To Measure Direct Traffic 1. Tag everything. The better you understand where your traffic comes from, the more accurately you can define your direct traffic. Do not inflate your direct numbers with untagged links. 2. Focus on returning users. Analyze those users within your measurement platform. They are your true loyalists, the people who chose to return to your website. 3. Pay attention to landing pages. Users landing on your home page are most likely those who typed in your URL manually. Those who land on your checkout or specific event page are most likely working with bookmarks or saved links. These are still important and what you want, but they are different. 4. Tie traffic to campaign timing. Compare those spikes in your direct traffic to PR hits, brand campaigns or influencer collaborations. See a delayed uptick after a major moment? 5. Pay attention to conversion rates. Visits to your website are great, but do not miss out on measuring what they do. Compare engagement and conversion rates with other sources of your traffic. Direct Traffic: Your Quiet Win Don't be surprised to see a rise in your direct traffic after a mix of traditional advertising, influencer partnerships or especially earned PR coverage. Even when your paid media spend remains flat or pulls back for a period, your direct visits can increase as a direct result of your past efforts, often showing up on weekends or following news coverage. The biggest insight into whether your efforts are boosting direct traffic comes with time. You want to see those visitors converting faster and at higher rates down the road. It's no longer window shopping—it's all about arriving with intent. Your direct visitors were first introduced to your brand through a specific effort and eventually, weeks or even months later, returned when it mattered to them. That's how you know direct traffic doesn't just measure memory—it measures the momentum your efforts have created. Brand Equity In Motion In the world of marketing, where we are obsessed with attribution, CAC and last click wins, one needs to remember that the value of unprompted behavior is huge. When someone returns to the website because they remembered the name, typed it in and chose your destination over any other open tab in their browser, that's the relationship that you created. It's a relationship that may not show up in campaign reports, but it's a very important KPI you have in your back pocket. When you are called upon without asking for it, you know your brand works. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Forbes
30-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Security Is Now A Feature, Not An Afterthought
Gegham Azatyan, cofounded Dexatel in 2015, innovating in CPaaS and omnichannel solutions for secure business growth. Not long ago, enterprise leaders bought business communications tools the same way they picked office furniture. Something sturdy. Functional. Preferably with lots of integration options and a tolerable price tag. Security? That was IT's headache. Or legal's. Or perhaps, with luck, an auditor's. But that approach no longer works. Security has migrated from the back office to the boardroom. It's now a product feature, front and center. And in enterprise communications, I've found that it's fast becoming one of the features that matter most. Why? As founder of an omnichannel business communication company, I've come to believe it's because we're living in a time when customer engagement is not just multichannel—it's multi-risk. Whether you're pinging customers on WhatsApp, verifying users by SMS or pushing two-factor alerts in bulk, you're not just transmitting data. You're transmitting trust. And, in many cases, you're assuming risk on behalf of the customer. That changes the stakes. Security As A System Instead Of A Patch Too many platforms still treat security like a postscript—or, worse, like a damage control strategy. You don't need a reminder of how poorly that can end, but just in case, see the growing list of breaches that have turned household brands into cautionary tales. Instead of flashy dashboards or volume discounts, more and more tech buyers are asking vendors for penetration test results. They review data flows. They want transparency baked in. And they're right to do so, because in the new era of business communications, I find the real differentiator isn't who can message faster. It's who can message smarter. Securely. Responsibly. Globally. In other words, we're seeing the rise of communications platforms built like infrastructure, not like apps. The kind of platforms that hold up not just under volume, but under scrutiny. And that's where security—once buried deep in the spec sheet—is finally getting its due. From Compliance To Competitive Edge Take ISO/IEC 27001 and GDPR, for instance. Once seen as bureaucratic hurdles, these compliance certificates are now becoming market differentiators. When a vendor says, 'We're compliant,' more and more enterprise buyers are hearing, "We've done the hard work so you don't have to explain a breach to your CISO." In regulated industries like banking, healthcare and even e-commerce, that message can resonate. Strong data governance is important for reducing vendor risk, building consumer confidence and future-proofing digital growth. Of course, compliance isn't exciting. Few enterprise leaders are going to brag about their data protection impact assessment at a cocktail party. But for buyers? These certifications can offer something better than buzz: assurance. These are all reasons why I believe we as enterprise leaders should demand more. Secure communications should be architected, not added. That means encryption at rest and in transit. It means vendor due diligence, real-time anomaly detection and, yes, governance built to survive audits. But most of all, it means asking better questions, such as: • "Who has access to the message?" • "What happens if the user's phone is compromised?" • "Where is the data stored?" • And the question nobody likes to ask: "How easily can this be misused?" Best Practices For Architecting Secure Communications Platforms If you're building or evaluating a communications platform in today's security-sensitive world, consider these five best practices—not as a checklist, but as a mindset. 1. Treat security like infrastructure, not insurance. Secure communications should be built from the ground up. That means encryption standards shouldn't be an afterthought. Architect for both encryption at rest and in transit—and plan for scale. Your platform should perform just as securely on Day 1 as it does on Day 1,000. 2. Build governance that's audit-proof, not just audit-ready. Don't scramble when a regulator comes knocking. Create a living governance framework: one that outlines data flows, permissions, storage protocols, retention policies and third-party access rules. Document everything, and ensure your framework can stand up to external scrutiny without needing last-minute cleanups. 3. Implement real-time monitoring and anomaly detection. In my experience, most breaches aren't discovered when they happen—they're discovered months later. Real-time anomaly detection, such as alerting for sudden spikes in message volume or unexpected IP geolocation patterns, can flag issues before they become incidents. 4. Conduct continuous vendor due diligence. Too many companies treat vendor vetting as a one-time event. But vendors evolve, and so do their risks. Re-assess critical vendors annually, review their compliance updates, and don't be afraid to ask for recent third-party audit reports. 'Trust but verify' applies here more than ever. 5. Avoid the most common pitfall: over-reliance on tools. Yes, software matters. But so do people and processes. Invest in security training for internal teams. Align cross-functional stakeholders—from legal to engineering—so everyone understands their role in protecting communications. Technology without accountability is just an accident waiting to happen. You wouldn't send your CFO into a board meeting with half-finished numbers, so don't send your customer messages over half-secure channels. In 2025, security is not a luxury. It's a core feature. And if your communications platform isn't treating it that way, it may be time to shop around. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
20-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How AI Is Reviving Customer Trust In E‑Commerce
As shoppers demand speed, clarity and confidence, AI-powered infrastructure is helping brands reduce ... More friction and rebuild trust — one checkout at a time. When generative AI exploded into public view just over two years ago, few industries embraced it faster than e-commerce. From customer support chatbots to automated fulfillment tools, retailers rushed to integrate AI anywhere it could speed up decisions or reduce friction. And it's easy to see why. In today's crowded online marketplace, trust doesn't come from flashy chatbots or even catchy marketing. It's earned when a customer clicks 'buy' and then receives exactly what they were promised — on time, intact and without confusing emails or hidden fees. When that promise is kept, trust grows. When it's broken, everything can change overnight. In fact, according to data from global research firm Baymard Institute, nearly 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts before completing a purchase, often because of slow checkouts, surprise shipping costs, or technical glitches. That means three out of every five buyers leave right when brands are closest to sealing the deal. But now, a host of AI-powered infrastructure tools — largely invisible to customers — are helping to eliminate customer distrust. In dropshipping, it's one thing to list trending products, but inventory mishaps or pricing mistakes can ruin a customer's experience. That's where AI engines like those used by dropshipping platform company Autods come in. They monitor supplier stock in real time, recommend hot products before others jump in and even generate UGC-style product videos to help sellers promote items, all without costly video shoots. Perhaps most critical are the built‑in guardrails to pause listings when data seems off. As Lior Pozin, CEO of Autods and recent Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, told me, 'automation without fallback logic, alert systems and customizable guardrails is a disaster waiting to happen.' With such guardrails in place, Pozin explained sellers only offer what's actually available, avoid mispriced items and sidestep poor reviews caused by avoidable shipping delays. Lior Pozin, Autods CEO While platforms like Autods aim to reduce risk before the sale ever happens, the exact moment of purchase — where a slow payment field, or payment integration issue, or even a broken coupon code can make a shopper leave the checkout page even if everything was working perfectly until they got there — presents another challenge. For instance, the report by Baymard Institute estimated that 48% of shoppers abandon carts when shipping costs are added late in the process. Enter companies like checkout optimization platform provider PrettyDamnQuick, which use real‑time signals, including cart total, shopper location and past behavior, to dynamically adjust shipping options, upsells and delivery promises. PrettyDamnQuick's CEO, Avi Moskowitz, explained that 'the moment of purchase is where trust is either cemented or lost,' adding that 'every glitch avoided is a sale saved and, over time, builds confidence.' He noted that the company's clients report higher average order value and reduced churn, proving the point that protecting checkout infrastructure actually boosts revenue. Even when the checkout succeeds, fulfillment introduces its own risks and often, frustrations. Free shipping has become a baseline expectation: 80% of consumers look for it, and 66% expect it on every order, according to Baymard Institute's cart abandonment rate statistics. The stats also further showed that nearly half abandon their cart if extra delivery costs appear at checkout. And even free shipping only works if it arrives when it's supposed to. As a report by McKinsey revealed, most consumers are willing to wait four to seven days for free shipping, as long as it's reliable. If deliveries duck out of promised windows, dissatisfaction, purchase returns and refund requests often follow. That's where AI logistics tools like Shipium come into play. The company optimizes delivery routes, warehouse assignment and carrier choices — all in service of on-time, low-cost fulfillment. The payoff is fewer late deliveries, more predictable costs, and, most importantly, happier repeat customers. Baymard Institute estimates $260 billion in lost orders across the U.S. and EU could be recovered by improving checkout flows alone. Free shipping — even with slightly slower delivery — can push cart completion rates and boost average order values by more than 10%. And it's in areas like this that automation and AI can decisively turn things around. As Moskowitz noted, AI and automation are becoming essential allies for teams facing the chaos of modern digital retail. 'Today's environments are too complex and too fast-moving for manual rule-setting or reactive troubleshooting,' he told me. 'But with AI,' he continued, 'we can dynamically segment shoppers, personalize the checkout in real time and test dozens of hypotheses simultaneously, all without bogging down dev resources. That means less reliance on hard-coded logic and more adaptability to what's actually working.' However, Pozin cautioned that automation can go too far, creating risk rather than value for users. This, he said, often happens especially early on, when some sellers blindly automate everything without understanding how it works — a sentiment that Moskowitz also agrees with. 'Automation handles scale and speed — humans bring the strategy. That's the balance,' Pozin noted. The truth, according to these ecommerce experts, is that customers don't care whether you use AI or not. They care about whether you can deliver on your promise. And if you're able to use AI to do that more effectively, then they'll feel it when everything works. If you're a retailer thinking about AI, the advice from Moskowitz is that you shouldn't start with chatbots or fancy front-ends. Start by asking: Do we catch inventory or pricing errors before they go live? Does our checkout experience crash-proof your sale? Can we guarantee delivery within promised windows, whether cheap or free? If the answer is no, that's where your ROI truly lives; in reliability and simplicity that actually make trust stick. The point isn't blind automation. It's building systems so dependable, the customer barely notices until something goes wrong. 'When you automate — but add guardrails, monitoring and adaptability — you do more than save time. You build a brand that delivers, every time. And in the end, trust is what turns one-time buyers into lifelong customers,' said Pozin.
