SK Telecom works with customers to build trust metrics

SK Telecom is developing metrics to measure customer trust in the company based on real customer experiences.

The company announced Tuesday that it held its "2026 Insight Day" on Monday, gathering executives, a customer advisory panel and the Customer Trust Committee to discuss trust standards and metrics proposed directly by customers.

The event was a follow-up to a "2026 trust restoration and reinforcement plan" drawn up in January by CEO Jeong Jae-heon and senior executives together with the Customer Trust Committee, aimed at translating that plan into concrete, customer-driven metrics.

Attendees included Han Myeong-jin, head of the MNO CIC, and Lee Hye-yeon, head of the Customer Value Innovation division, along with Customer Trust Committee Chairman Ahn Wan-gi and committee members, and 30 members of the customer advisory panel.

Rather than asking customers directly whether they trust the company, SK Telecom is designing its metrics around actual customer behavior — on the premise that customers who trust a company tend to spend less time double-checking or verifying things during their service experience.

Earlier, the company conducted an online survey and focus group interviews with 100 advisory panel members on what corporate trust means to them and what builds or erodes it. Customers identified five key trust factors: transparency in pricing and fee information, personal data and security management, responsible resolution when problems arise, stable service, and keeping commitments to long-term customers.

At the event, the customer advisory panel presented findings on how trust is built — and how behavior changes as a result — across five areas: signing up for or changing rate plans, using telecommunications services, managing and using membership benefits, customer touchpoints, and maintaining trust with the company.

For example, a customer who receives advance notice before a discounted contract commitment expires — and has never missed out on a benefit as a result — no longer needs to separately track the renewal date or call the customer center. Similarly, a customer who cancels a paid add-on service no longer feels the need to check the following month's bill to confirm the charge was removed. SK Telecom said it intends to use this kind of "no need to double-check" state as an indicator of trust levels.

Participants worked in subgroups to define specific customer behavior patterns, set priorities and discuss what SK Telecom needs to improve to raise each metric.

SK Telecom plans to conduct additional research among general telecommunications customers using the candidate metrics identified at the event, refining them into a framework for diagnosing and managing corporate trust. The finalized metrics will be linked to actual customer behavior data to detect early signs of eroding trust and inform the company's response.

The company also plans to establish customer-perspective review standards before launching new products and services, and to examine the transparency of its communications around pricing, contracts and benefits.

"This gathering is significant because customers set the standards for trust based on their own everyday experiences," Customer Trust Committee Chairman Ahn Wan-gi said. "We plan to continuously monitor the implementation process and outcomes from the customer's perspective so that this discussion leads to real change, not just a one-time exercise in gathering opinions."

Han Myeong-jin, head of the MNO CIC, said the company would develop the trust standards proposed by the advisory panel into review criteria covering products, services and customer interactions across the board, ensuring that customers' voices translate into actual change.

Meanwhile, SK Telecom established four subcommittees under the Customer Trust Committee in January — covering consumer protection, customer communications, social responsibility, and consumer insights. The company also expanded the role of its 100-member customer advisory panel to include participation from the product and service planning stage through to post-launch review.