Customer Trust Is the Currency of CX — Why Broken Promises Leave Scars

Summary

The article argues that customer trust is a fragile but essential asset for brands: a single broken promise can undo years of goodwill. Using a personal anecdote about a promised holiday cottage that was later unavailable, the author illustrates how unmet expectations feel deeply personal and erode confidence. The piece outlines common ways organisations break trust — overpromising, vague language and reactive communication — and presents practical guidance for building and protecting trust through consistent delivery, leadership alignment, human connection and storytelling.

Key Points

Trust is fragile: one failed promise can outweigh many positive interactions.
Broken promises create emotional responses — customers feel let down, not just inconvenienced.
Typical trust‑wreckers include overcommitment, ambiguous language and late/reactive communication.
Trust should be treated as a strategic currency: deposit with consistent delivery; withdraw by breaking promises.
Core elements to build trust: authenticity, timeliness and reliability embedded across the organisation.
Leadership must model customer-centric behaviour and embed CX into culture, not leave it to front-line teams alone.
Personalisation, empowered staff and storytelling amplify trust by making interactions feel human and meaningful.

How the article can help you (Context and relevance)

For CX leaders and marketers, this is a reminder that technical fixes and flashy campaigns won’t substitute for basic promises kept. The piece ties into wider CX trends — rising expectations, AI-driven personalisation and the premium on emotional loyalty — and stresses that operational consistency and transparent communications are the practical levers for long‑term retention.

Why should I read this?

Short version: because customers don’t forget being let down. If you care about churn, referrals or brand reputation, this is a quick, useful nudge — and it points you to a handful of concrete behaviours that stop small slips turning into big losses. Read it to avoid the avoidable.

Author’s take (punchy)

Colleen Lonsberry turns a simple holiday disappointment into a clear business lesson: trust is the real KPI. This is essential reading for anyone responsible for customer retention or experience strategy — it’s not theoretical fluff, it’s a call to make promises you can keep and to bake trust into every process.