[Edaily Reporter Han Kwangbeom ] SKTelecom(017670)The company is creating its own metrics to measure corporate trust based on customers’ actual experiences. This is a follow-up measure to concretize the criteria and metrics proposed directly by customers, following the “Plan to Strengthen Trust Restoration” devised by CEO Jeong Jae-heon and key executives last January.

KTCorporation announced on the 22nd that it held the “2026 Insight Day” on the 21st to discuss corporate trust standards and metrics with its Customer Advisory Panel and Customer Trust Committee. The event was attended by key executives, including Han Myung-jin, Head of MNO CIC, and Lee Hye-yeon, Head of the Customer Value Innovation Office, as well as Ahn Wan-ki, Chair of the Customer Trust Committee, and 30 members of the Customer Advisory Panel.

This discussion stemmed from the idea of “Don’t ask about trust; read it through actions.” Rather than relying solely on surveys that ask whether customers trust the company, this approach quantifies trust by using customers’ everyday behaviors as evidence. It was inspired by the “Sustainable Seattle” initiative from the early 1990s, in which Seattle residents quantified the sustainability of their community based on metrics such as wild salmon populations in local rivers and participation in community gardens.

Based on the results of an online survey and in-depth focus group interviews (FGI) conducted in advance by SKT with 100 members of the Customer Advisory Panel, customers identified the following as key factors: △ transparency of rates and pricing information; △ management of personal information and security; △ responsible resolution of issues when they arise; △ stable service; and △ commitments to long-term customers.

On the day of the event, the customer advisory panel presented scenarios in which trust is established and the resulting behavioral changes across five areas: subscribing to or changing rate plans, using telecommunications services, managing memberships, customer touchpoints, and maintaining trust with the company.

The key point is that the higher the level of trust in a company, the less customers feel the need to go out of their way to verify and manage matters themselves. For example, customers who receive timely notifications about the expiration of their contract-based discounts—and thus do not miss out on benefits—complete the renewal process simply by reading the notification text message, without having to make a separate note of the renewal date or contact customer service. Failing to double-check whether a paid value-added service was actually canceled on the following month’s bill falls under the same logic. The very fact that customers can feel at ease without having to double-check serves as an indicator of trust.

Participants organized and specified these behavioral patterns by subcommittee, assigned priorities, and then discussed SKT’s tasks for improving the relevant metrics.

SKT plans to validate the proposed indicators through additional surveys of general telecom customers and refine them into a system for diagnosing and managing corporate trust. The finalized indicators will be linked to actual customer behavior data to detect early signs of declining trust and implement tailored responses. Additionally, they will be used as pre-launch validation criteria for products and services, and the transparency of information regarding rates, contracts, and benefits will be re-evaluated.

Ahn Wan-ki, Chair of the Customer Trust Committee, stated, “It is highly significant that customers directly proposed trust criteria based on their everyday experiences,” adding, “We will continuously monitor the implementation process and results to ensure they lead to tangible changes.”

Han Myung-jin, Head of SKT’s MNO CIC, remarked, “Trust is not a value declared by a company, but rather a result judged by customers through their concrete experiences.” He added, “We will develop the trust standards directly proposed by the Customer Advisory Panel into evaluation criteria for products, services, and overall customer service to ensure that the customers’ voices lead to tangible changes.”