Trust-Based Partnerships Are the New Currency of Success

Trust elevates client relationships into strategic partnerships, Coupa Chief Customer Officer John Frank writes in a new PYMNTS eBook, “The Listening Economy: How Customer Conversations Are Transforming Financial Services.”

In today’s digital economy, software alone doesn’t create competitive advantage. Partnership does. At Coupa, we’ve learned that the most impactful results come not just from deploying technology, but from building deep, trust-based relationships with our customers. Trust is what elevates a traditional vendor-client relationship into a true strategic partnership. And it begins from the very first interaction. It starts with actively listening and gaining a deep understanding of the customer’s business, goals and current challenges. When we respond with solutions that align to those needs and offer products and services that support their success, customers begin to see the value. Not just in the tools themselves, but in the relationship driving those outcomes.

Helping customers reimagine and transform their business processes is at the heart of what we do. At Coupa, we don’t just deliver technology. We help lead organizations through change. Whether it’s a technical transformation or a shift in people and processes, we serve as a partner in navigating the complexity that comes with true organizational evolution. The hardest part often isn’t the implementation; it’s what comes after. Sustaining momentum. Driving adoption. Aligning teams around new ways of working. That is where our role as a strategic partner truly begins.

As a best practice, I always recommend leading with transparency. We share our product road map, our long-term vision and the direction we are heading. In return, our customers share their business strategy, priorities and timelines. Together, we co-create a blueprint for success — one that aligns innovation with execution and enables continuous value realization.

Customer experience at Coupa is not a post-sales function. It’s a strategic commitment that starts from day one. Customers make a purchase decision with a value business case on the front end. Very few buy without a business case. The question then becomes, how often is that then used as the guidepost for our execution, our ongoing engagement with them? How often is that refreshed, because we know priorities change. Markets change, software evolves.

We don’t aim to be just another technology provider. We aim to be a partner who’s accountable for helping customers unlock business value year after year.

Traditional CX metrics like Net Promoter Scores offer some insight, but they don’t capture the full picture. What we value most is whether our customers continue to bring us into their strategic conversations. Are we being asked to weigh in on new initiatives? Are we being invited to help shape their future? That’s how we measure trust. And that’s how we know we’re delivering value.

At Coupa, our most successful relationships are those where the customer sees us not as a vendor, but as an extension of their team. That trust drives innovation, alignment and results that compound over time. In the end, that’s what creates true stickiness. Not contracts or features, but shared success built on trust.

For finance and payments leaders, the takeaway is clear. Your customer conversations are not just touchpoints. They’re opportunities. Listen deeply. Partner intentionally. And above all, build trust. It’s the most powerful lever you have to drive long-term value and strategic growth.

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