Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Key Takeaways
- Protecting confidential data builds trust and reputation. Businesses must prioritize cybersecurity tools, practical safeguards and clear communication about how sensitive information is protected.
- Data breaches, misleading claims, broken promises and a lack of transparency can cause lasting reputational damage and financial losses.
- When mistakes occur, businesses should acknowledge them honestly, communicate clearly and take meaningful corrective action to demonstrate that they value their clients.
Confidentiality is essential. Without proper protection, sensitive personal or business information can become public. Cybersecurity tools and practical safeguards are critical for protecting confidential data. What assurances do your clients need before trusting you with sensitive work?
Every company seeks credibility. Building a strong reputation takes years, but a data breach or employee error can erase it instantly.
Why earning a strong reputation is difficult
Business plans are drafted with intricate details on how a service or product will be offered. Features and benefits are discussed at length, alongside profit projections. However, few business proposals address building and protecting the company’s reputation. Why? Because entrepreneurs assume if they provide a quality product or service, that consumer trust will follow.
When I started my transcription company, I quickly realized protecting sensitive data would be our top priority. Our service is not a simple transaction. Clients entrust us with audio or video files containing sensitive information. Whether the content is for a select audience or public release, we safeguard every file as if it were confidential.
Handling sensitive data requires safeguards both inside and outside the company. Companies often require new hires to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), but reputations can still be damaged if employees violate these agreements and share confidential information.
Recent headlines report charges against a foreign national accused of planting listening devices in a corporate boardroom. This case involves unauthorized recording of confidential information at a major AI company planning to go public. Both executives and future shareholders need assurance that sensitive information will remain secure.
Building credibility should come first
Clients need assurance that their information will be protected. While some businesses still accept cash, most rely on electronic payments, and customers expect trusted vendors to handle their data securely.
The same applies to transcription. Secure file upload and transfer are essential. I frequently remind clients not to email files. Work for legal and medical clients must comply with CJIS and HIPAA requirements to protect sensitive data. Any breach would harm our reputation.
Industries like legal, medical and technology must protect sensitive data, but every business should prioritize customer data protection. Safeguarding information, from credit card transactions to medical histories, matters just as much across all sectors.
No matter your industry, reassure customers and clients that protecting sensitive data is a top priority. Here are a few ways to convey the importance of safeguarding customer info:
- Dedicate a page on your website outlining security features
- Write a blog post and give examples of how clients can securely transfer information
- Make certain that external and internal sales and marketing teams emphasize security
- Have your PR/marketing team or agency highlight security features
Why clients lose trust
Clients and customers lose trust in companies for various reasons. Often, companies don’t realize this erosion until sales decline or complaints rise, making recovery harder. Key reasons for lost trust include:
- Misleading marketing claims; not delivering on promises
- Ethical decline
- Transparency issues
- Misusing consumer information/data breaches
Unfortunately, many customers are skeptical of marketing claims because products or services sometimes fail to meet expectations. When this happens, customers incur extra costs to resolve issues, and companies lose revenue through replacements or additional service.
Ethical decline is another concern. Clients become frustrated when companies fail to deliver on their promises, which underscores the importance of consistent, honest communication.
When discussing service commitments, I strive for clarity in writing, email and phone conversations. However, clients may sometimes overlook or misunderstand service details, either by not listening or reading disclosures. Following up and confirming information by email helps protect both parties.
Customer privacy is another critical issue. Data breaches remain a huge concern. On average, industry reports claim that the average ransomware attack costs companies about $50,000. I disagree with that figure since I believe the intangible costs are much higher.
The greatest cost of a data breach is reputational damage. While ransom payments and IT expenses are straightforward to calculate, the long-term reputational impact can cost millions over several years.
Minimizing data breach risk should be a top priority for every company. For this reason, my company employs only U.S.-based individuals who undergo comprehensive criminal background checks.
Many hackers and scammers who obtain confidential information operate overseas. I am often surprised when competitors use contractors abroad to transcribe files. Clients should know who can access their data and where those individuals are located.
Do you have a data breach plan?
Every company, regardless of size, should maintain an up-to-date data breach plan. Hackers often target small businesses as entry points to larger networks. I recommend a six-step plan:
- Preparation: Do you have access to the necessary tools?
- Detection: Understanding any attack
- Classification: What type of attack are you dealing with?
- Traceback: Where is the attack originating, and how is the network impacted?
- Reaction: Understanding your options
- Postmortem analysis: Preventing future attacks
Developing a comprehensive data breach plan requires specialized expertise. However, I recognize the importance of data security and take extensive measures to protect the sensitive information our clients entrust to us. Ultimately, all data is important to your clients and customers.
What happens when you drop the ball
Regardless of the cause, how your company responds to failure is crucial. Mistakes happen, and even the most diligent employees or companies can “drop the ball.”
When mistakes are made, transparency matters. Be honest and admit your mistakes. Even the most irritated customer can moderate their views when a company admits its errors.
Recently, I was dining at a restaurant with high ratings for its food and service. Nonetheless, four- and five-star reviews aren’t worth much when your experience is going south. From the moment I entered the restaurant, nothing went well.
First, the host could not find my reservation, even after I provided the confirmation number. After being seated, we waited 10 minutes for our server. To speed things up, we ordered all courses at once, and the server assured us he would pace the meal appropriately.
Despite these efforts, the dining experience did not improve. When the server noticed my frustration, he brought the manager, and both apologized. The manager comped our meal, offered a premium bottle of wine and gave me a $100 gift certificate. This response changed my perspective, and when I returned the following week, the manager personally thanked me for giving them another chance.
Understanding the minors and the majors
A disappointing restaurant experience is minor compared to a multi-million-dollar mistake or data breach. However, the fundamentals of response remain the same.
Transparency and honesty are essential, but customers will only give companies a second chance if they believe their mistakes can, and will be corrected. Most importantly, customers want to feel that your company genuinely cares about them.