How to Reassure Customers That You Take Data Protection Seriously

Customer trust is one of your most valuable business assets. This is especially true when it comes to data protection. It takes time to earn that trust. However, it can also be lost in a heartbeat. After it’s lost, you’ll have an uphill battle to win it back.

Show your credentials

The first way to win trust and assure customers you take data protection seriously is to show them your credentials.

Don’t be afraid to display them prominently on your website. You can also display them in your marketing materials and in other documentation. Your security credentials aren’t just a matter of compliance and risk management. They’re also a badge of honour that can give you a competitive advantage in a tough market. This is especially true if budget players are attempting to undercut you. Perhaps they haven’t made the same investments in internet security, data protection and data recovery.

Invest in new technologies

Let your customers know when you’re investing in new technologies, improving processes or gaining certifications. You want to assure them you’re ever vigilant when it comes to data protection. They need to know you’re on a path of continual improvement rather than simply treating security as a checklist item.

Along with your own certifications, this can include those of your technology partners. It’s not just about your office internet security. It’s also worth pointing out that you’re using a trusted name in cloud computing, like Microsoft Azure.

As well as hosting services in the cloud to take advantage of enterprise-grade security, the ability to reliably back up and restore data from the cloud is a key element of a robust data protection system.

Communicate openly

The next step is to ensure you remain proactive, open and transparent when it comes to your data protection, data recovery and internet security efforts.

When new security threats and other issues arise, reassure your customers that you’re on the job and not asleep at the wheel. Even if you don’t have all the answers, reassurances and regular updates do far more to engender trust than staying silent. Without them, your customers may assume the worst.

This open approach should extend to your customer policies and other public statements. Let customers know the kinds of data you handle, especially when it comes to their sensitive information. Be upfront about how you use that data, where it’s stored, and which third-parties it’s potentially shared with. This is much better than creating a culture of ambiguity and secrecy, which leads to mistrust.

Honesty is the best policy

Finally, the best way to reassure customers that you take data protection seriously is to be upfront and honest when things go wrong.

When major data breaches and other security incidents make the headlines, the businesses involved tend to come under fire less for falling foul of a breach and more for trying to sweep it under the carpet. When businesses keep quiet about an incident, it often puts their customers at greater risk of their own security breach.

Your best chance of winning back customer trust after a data security incident is to come forward as soon as is practical. You should reveal the extent of the breach and let customers know what they need to do to protect themselves. You should also let them know about any data recovery steps you are taking.

To do this, you need processes in place to assure security incidents are handled quickly, effectively and in a professional manner. Also, let customers know the results of your investigations and what you’re doing to ensure such an incident won’t occur again.

The best way to reassure customers you take data protection seriously is to put all your cards on the table. You need to prove you’re worthy of that trust.

Want to learn more about cloud computing services like Microsoft Azure and how they can help you and your customers with data protection? Contact TechBrain for all your IT needs today!