Create a selling feature that puts you ahead of your rivals. That’s business 101, right? But sometimes it can be difficult to decide exactly what sets you apart. Your people are great. The service you offer is tops. The results you achieve are phenomenal. But what if your competitors are seeing the same returns? You need something to set yourself apart from the crowd – why not promote your commitment to security, and what you’re doing to protect the privacy of your clients?
It’s not that customers don’t care about security, rather they believe that every business is going out of their way to protect their files. Don’t leave prospects guessing on who is the most diligent at protecting their clients – assert yourself as an industry leader.
When you enter into a business relationship with a customer, one of your first discussions will center around the expected outcomes of the relationships. These could include timely completion of tasks, fees and expected results. While it might not be stated outright, an implicit need is the desire for privacy concerning their data. Your clients need to know that when they submit tax information, legal documents, or share medical details that they can trust all of their data is only being seen by authorized personnelle. Data breaches are on the rise – so it’s time to put security first. Here are some ideas to communicate your commitment to privacy and security with both prospective and current customers.
Develop a customer-facing privacy policy
Customers deserve to know the steps you’re taking to manage their information. Be prepared to discuss how you share sensitive documents internally, password protection, encryption methods, and other details that may be relevant. If there are areas you can’t discuss due to organizational security regulations let your customer know – they will appreciate your transparency.
Incorporate security into your company mission
All staff members should understand the importance of security and privacy. If a customer were to approach you newest intern or office manager, they both should be able to discuss the role that data protection plays in your organization. If they can’t speak to the finer points of your security policy, that’s fine – but they should know who holds the answers.
Plan ahead
What would your organization do if confidential data was somehow leaked? It’s imperative that you have a plan in place for your worst case scenarios. When would you inform clients? How would you let them know? These are just a few of the areas to be addressed. You should strongly consider including you emergency plan in your security policy document.
What steps is your organization taking to demonstrate that it’s dedicated to putting security first? Let us know in the comments section.