Privacy and Security Issues: Building Customer Trust
There are many considerations to make when conducting business on the Internet. One such consideration is the issue of establishing customer trust on your organization's web site. Organizations spend thousands of dollars on the design, navigation, graphics and content when building web sites hoping that customers find it useful and engage in its offerings. However, if customers do not feel that they can establish trust with a web site because the site lacks certain web design techniques, then the site is worthless. So why are organizations still struggling with customer trust issues?Establishing Customer Trust
Ninety percent of web businesses have not yet developed meaningful privacy policies. One of the best ways to establish trust on the Internet is to develop and post a privacy policy on your web site that allows visitors to easily review. Fazila Nurani, a privacy and technology lawyer at PrivaTech Consulting, states that: "reviewing and revealing one's personal information-handling practices in a privacy policy makes good business sense. This is true not only because all businesses in Canada will soon be required by law to protect privacy, but primarily because privacy policies provide reassurance - they build customer trust and loyalty."
Privacy Authorities
A number of privacy authorities such as www.secureassure.org and www.truste.com , state that privacy policies should include the following information, however it's recommended that your organization not limit itself to the following, because in the end, every business is unique.
- State what data you are collecting, why you are collecting it, and how you are going to use it.
- Provide your organization's contact numbers and email addresses.
- Describe the methods you use to protect the data during transmission and storage.
- If you collect personally identifiable or confidential information, you should explain how you will protect it from unintentional disclosure.
- Provide a way for users to correct information or op-out of any lists or mailings.
Secure Socket Layer Technology
Many organizations feel that Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology is limited to or expressly concerned only with e-commerce and large banking institutions. This is not so. SSL allows customer data to remain encrypted as it travels from your web site to your organization's database, thus eliminating a potential hacker from intercepting sensitive information. Your organization can build trust by using SSL technology for all sensitive data. Using SSL when providing a login and password to gain entry into a secure area of your web site (Extranet) or when exchanging other personal information will ensure security and boost user trust.
eCommerce and Privacy
Very few web development companies understand the necessity of privacy and security when implementing e-commerce functionality into web sites. If your budget does not allow for the essential security and hardware infrastructure required to handle e-transactions, a third-party transactional service such as Internet Secure is highly recommended. These companies specialize in offering small-and medium-sized businesses an easy and inexpensive way to integrate e-commerce into your web site. They have spent millions on the security infrastructure to handle accepting, processing and storing credit card numbers. They have the partnerships with all the major banks and credit institutions. Outsourcing your e-transactions is a smart move.
How important is Privacy and Security Today?
You must realize that establishing customer trust is not an exercise of good faith towards your customers, but a distinguishing factor that your business can use to position itself apart from your competition. The climate on the Internet is shifting toward an increasing awareness of privacy and security. Whether or not your business is motivated by the concern for your customers or by good business practices, the bottom line is to become proactive and recognize the value of a privacy policy and essential security initiatives.
