The need for protecting sensitive customer communications is constantly increasing, and companies excelling in this area are gaining market dominance. Moreover, the companies that are getting good at it are also those that are coming to dominate the marketplace.
But if you’re a smaller firm with minimal resources, what should you be doing?
That’s where this post can help. It runs through some of the most popular strategies and tactics out there so that you can do a better job of securing digital communications, especially around sensitive matters, like customer pins, and so on.
Use End-To-End Encryption
At the very least, you’ll want to start with end-to-end encryption. These days, these systems are fairly simple to set up, so you should have much trouble.
For end-to-end encryption, you’ll need Transport Layer Security and some sort of encryption technology. Most firms use AES-256 because it is almost impossible to break via standard means.
Use MFA
Another approach is to use MFA whenever someone requests to access information marked “secure.” Multi-factor authentication requires the person trying to do the accessing to have a second form of verification that only they could have, like an email address.
Use Secure Communication Platforms
Taking your efforts up a notch from standard practices for protecting sensitive customer communications requires using secure communication platforms. These incorporate special technologies that make communication even more viable.
These days you can find secure digital mailboxes that improve security beyond conventional email and mail communications. These are often used by professional services providers, like accountants, but could come in handy in virtually any setting involving the sharing of private data.
Conduct Regular Security Audits
At the same time, you want to ensure that you conduct regular security audits to ensure that you’re on the right track and avoiding any obvious vulnerabilities. These can sometimes be challenging to detect.
If you don’t have the capacity to perform these audits in-house, see if you can get outside help. Asking for assistance externally can often be a great way to figure out where your weaknesses are and what you need to do about them.
Use Role-Based Access And Permissions
Another strategy smart firms use to secure communications is to use role-based access controls. The idea here is to provide stakeholders only with the level of access they require to carry out their function. For example, a sales employee needs access to the CRM, but they don’t require the ability to grab company data (which they could sell on the black market for a fee).
Use Privacy Policies That Are Transparent
You also want to ensure that any privacy policies you set up are transparent. These policies let your customers know how you’re managing and protecting sensitive customer communications and data. Generally, it is a good idea to follow best practices set out by legislation in jurisdictions that are ahead of the curve, like the EU, even if you aren’t subject to their laws.
So there you have it; how smart firms are managing customer communications securely and filling their clients with confidence. Technology has now gone beyond standard mail and email channels.
