Many small business owners think that protecting their customers’ privacy is not something they need to think about, that it is the kind of thing that only need concern large corporations like Apple and Facebook, but that could not be further from the truth.
The fact of the matter is, if you have customers and you collect any information at all about them, you need to ensure that you are looking after their privacy. If you fail to do so, not only will your customers lose confidence in you, but there is a good chance you could end up facing litigation too.
The good news is, we’ve put together some tips to help you protect your customers’ privacy starting right now…
Audit your company’s data privacy
You cannot hope to protect customer privacy if you don’t know what kinds of data you are collecting on them how you are using it and where you are storing it. So, before you do anything else, take the time to conduct a thorough data privacy audit so you know what’s what and so you can identify any possible areas of concern.
Invest in CCPA compliance software
CCPA compliance software is something that every business that collects customer data should be using. As the name suggests, it will help you to ensure that you are collecting, storing, and securing data in full compliance with the law. It will also make it easier than ever for you to manage customer data to a high standard, so it will pretty soon pay for itself.
Don’t collect as much data
It’s an obvious point, but the less data you collect, the less data can be compromised and the more privacy your customers can be afforded. Sit down and really think about the kind of data you need to collect about your customers in order to run your business as efficiently as possible and throw out the rest. So many businesses ask so many intrusive questions that it can be disastrous if they get hacked and it all leaks out, you really don’t need to put your customers or your business at risk like that.
Ensure data is secure
Any data that you do collect, whether it’s an email address or a credit card number, you need to make as secure as possible. This means putting up firewalls, installing antivirus software, encrypting your customer data, and ensuring that everything from your business website to your databases are as impenetrable as it is possible for them to be.
Keep your customers informed
Your business website should have a privacy policy as that is a legal requirement in most places. Not only that, but you should aim to give your customers as much choice about the types of information you hold on them. This will ensure they only give you the information they are comfortable with you having, which will help to keep their privacy intact.
Customer privacy is so important, so take it seriously or risk causing unnecessary trouble for your company.
