Benchmarking SMB Compliance – Turning Data into Direction
Data can be one of the most potent tools in compliance – if you know how to use it. For small and mid-sized businesses, benchmarking transforms raw numbers into key performance indicators that guide priorities, strengthen budgets, and demonstrate impact.
In the Benchmarking SMB Compliance session of the Fall into Compliance series, Anders Olson, Isabella Oakes and Rebecca Walker unpacked new findings from the 2025 State of Risk & Compliance Report and the Hotline Benchmark Report. Their conversation centered on how smaller organizations can use data to build maturity – one step and one metric at a time.
The big takeaway: only 17% of SMBs consider their compliance programs “optimized.” But that number isn’t discouraging. It’s an opportunity.
Benchmarking helps smaller programs see what good looks like – and where to focus next.
NAVEX
Anders Olson
Senior Manager, Data Science
Where SMB programs stand today
The session began with an overview of the 2025 data. Most SMBs described their programs as “developing” or “partially implemented.” The biggest barriers to optimization are limited staffing, fragmented reporting and reactive processes.
Anders Olson summarized the challenge clearly: “The fundamentals are there – policies, training, reporting channels – but integration is still evolving.”
Data from the Hotline Benchmark Report echoed that point. SMBs are increasingly proactive about incident intake and retaliation prevention, but fewer have consistent follow-up documentation. That gap, the panel said, is where data can create leverage.
Small-to-Medium-Sized Business Risk & Compliance Statistics
This report represents a special analysis of select SMB respondent data from the survey behind our 2025 State of Risk & Compliance Report, shedding light on some of the challenges and opportunities …
From reactive to proactive – using data as a growth tool
Rebecca Walker emphasized that benchmarking isn’t about comparison for its own sake. It’s about context. “Every organization is different,” she said. “The goal isn’t to chase averages; it’s to understand what your data says about your progress.”
When compliance teams can show measurable improvement – such as increased hotline engagement or faster case resolution – they can more effectively advocate for resources.
Olson agreed that data visibility often changes the nature of leadership conversations. “Once you can quantify the value of compliance, it stops being seen as overhead,” he noted.
The panel encouraged SMB leaders to start small: track the metrics you already collect, even if informally. Year-over-year trends tell a story leadership can understand.
Benchmarking is how smaller programs prove credibility – not by claiming perfection, but by showing direction.
Kaplan & Walker LLP
Rebecca Walker
Small steps, big impact
While the numbers reveal room for growth, they also highlight what’s working. The most mature SMB programs share three traits: clarity, consistency and communication.
- Clarity: Policies are accessible and written in plain language
- Consistency: Training and communication are steady, not seasonal
- Communication: Employees know where to report concerns and trust the process
Oakes noted that even small changes – like reintroducing reporting channels during team meetings or simplifying policy updates – can move an organization forward. “Progress doesn’t have to mean transformation,” she said. “It can mean doing the right things more consistently.”
Those small, intentional moves add up to measurable maturity.
Turning data into dialogue
The speakers agreed that data is most valuable when it starts a conversation. Benchmarking helps compliance leaders translate results into action: what’s working, what’s lagging and what needs buy-in from leadership.
Walker closed the discussion by returning to the human side of measurement. “Behind every data point is a decision,” she said. “If you can show that those decisions are improving, you’re already building a stronger culture.”
Behind every data point is a decision. Improvement happens when people see the value of making the right ones.
Rebecca Walker
Bringing it all together
Benchmarking isn’t just about metrics; it’s about meaning. For SMBs, it provides a framework to turn limited resources into strategic progress – to prove that small, steady improvements can build trust and resilience over time.
The Benchmarking SMB Compliance session reminded attendees that maturity isn’t a finish line. It’s a direction.
Benchmarking Small to Mid-Sized Market Compliance: Where Do You Stand?
With lean teams, every decision counts. This webinar delivers a clear, data-driven view using the latest NAVEX SMB-specific findings from the State of Risk & Compliance and Hotline Benchmark Reports.
