Simple enough to explain in one sentence. Rigorous enough to withstand expert scrutiny. Here is every step — nothing hidden.
Every other trust system either relies on self-reported data, allows the business to influence the process, or has no statistical standard for what enough evidence means. IBT fixes all three problems at once.
Submit your client count, industry class, and average contract value. You provide your full client list and sign a Completeness Declaration — a legal affirmation that the list is complete and honest. IBT cross-references your list against two independent sources: billing records and CRM data. Both must confirm a client relationship before that client is included. Discrepancies greater than 5% or 10 clients trigger a Certification Committee review.
IBT constructs the statistical sampling plan specific to your client count (N). We determine n — the minimum number of verified responses needed — and c — the maximum allowed negatives. The outreach sequence is randomized by IBT. You do not know the order, and you cannot pre-contact clients before we reach them.
IBT reaches out via email and SMS using the standardized instrument: one question, three response options. Every respondent undergoes two-layer identity verification — Stripe Identity plus record cross-check — before their answer is counted. The business has zero access to individual responses during this window.
At day 90, the evidence window closes. The acceptance sampling model runs automatically. The Certification Committee reviews the report — they verify procedure was followed, but cannot override the mathematical outcome. Pass or fail is determined entirely by your clients' verified responses.
Passing businesses receive a Standing — Bronze through Platinum — based on the volume of verified positive responses. Higher Standings require both higher satisfaction ratios and more verified positives, proving trust at scale. The certificate is valid for 12 months. Failed businesses receive a full statistical result report.
Renewal is a full re-assessment from scratch. No expedited tracks. No legacy standing carryover. N resets to clients served in the 12 months before the new application date. Failed renewals revoke the existing certificate immediately.
The IBT survey instrument is standardized across every assessment. It cannot be customized, modified, or administered by the business. The deliberate simplicity is a feature — it eliminates scale interpretation variance and produces a clean outcome suitable for statistical processing.
Read the full methodology or start your application.