The 2025 edition of Twilio’s Customer Engagement Report indicates that reliability and transparency remain fundamental for consumers and a challenge for businesses in the AI era. Only 15% of consumers “fully” trust what brands do with their data, implying that 85% have doubts about the security and responsible management of their personal information.
Additionally, an alarming fact is that 61% of consumers feel brands do not genuinely care about their personal data, which directly affects the relationship between these parties. This is exacerbated by the fact that, for businesses, maintaining compliance is a real challenge, and 90% of them admit this.
The report points out that 53% of companies have already faced data protection and privacy issues, and 51% struggle with cybersecurity and threat reduction. “Changing this scenario is essential and urgent. Trust is crucial in the relationship between a brand and its customer, and maintaining it requires going beyond expectations. AI has opened new paths, but it is still fueled by data, which remains central to business relationships,” says Tamaris Parreira, Twilio’s Country Manager for Brazil. “As the saying goes: trust takes years to build and seconds to lose,” she concludes.
For the executive, keeping the customer at the center of the equation is key to solving this situation. Although it is a delicate matter, consumers are willing to share their data when there is a return in personalization. They value this relationship, but it is crucial to pay attention to the types of data customers feel more secure sharing. These consumers are generally comfortable sharing basic information but are more reserved when it comes to highly personal data. The types of personal information consumers are least likely to share with businesses are precisely their income level, social media activity, location, job title, and relationship status.
What is important to ensure customer trust today
The new edition of Twilio’s report found that the factors shaping consumer trust are changing. In 2024, data protection was the top concern, with 62% of consumers stating it was the best way for a brand to earn their trust. By 2025, this number dropped to 54%, ranking third in consumer priorities.
The new perception is that responsive customer service and ease of returns or refunds are the two new major concerns for consumers, tied at 55% of respondents’ answers. This marks a significant shift in the trust paradigm. “The focus now is on reliability—regaining what could be lost, ensuring a trustworthy and frictionless experience. Trust is built through consistency and agility in service. Data security remains important, but we are in an era where much is already shared. Long-term relationships stand out,” explains Tamaris.
Building reliability takes time and consistency. The report highlights the need to:
- Be transparent about data usage, explaining how data is collected, stored, and especially when it comes to AI;
- Focus on fast and efficient service;
- Maintain consistency across all service channels, being patient with responses and interactions;
- Keep promises about data protection and privacy;
- Be recognizable to the customer, maintaining brand consistency in communications to ensure they are official.
“Trust, reliability, data security, acquiring and retaining customers—all are part of the same equation and require prioritization. We are in an era where data is abundant, but trust must never be lacking,” Tamaris concludes.
