Do Customers Trust You with their Data Anymore?

Which is honestly a really fair question, because do you trust businesses with your data? But really, just think about it, every few weeks there’s a new headline about some massive data breach and everyone just kind of rolls their eyes and goes, “of course that happened.” People are numb to it, but at the same time, they’re way more suspicious than they used to be. Plus, cybersecurity is needed; all businesses need it, but sometimes, hackers are just too good at what they do (so it seems). 

Back in 2011, for example, it was such a giant deal, and people would get emails that their data was breached, but nowadays you don’t get that information, you read it on the news if you’re lucky, and that’s only if a business or organisation even bothers disclosing it. So when a small business, especially healthcare-oriented ones like MedSpas shows up and asks for names, emails, phone numbers, card details, maybe even ID photos, well, it makes customers extremely skeptical. 

And again, maybe you’re no different, so how can you get that trust?

Everyone’s Understandably a Bit Paranoid About Data Now

Again, it’s entirely understandable too. Just think about it; people have seen way too much. Like the random login alerts, strange emails, weird charges, those “your data may have been involved” messages that don’t really help anyone feel calm. Well, that’s if you’re even lucky enough to get those emails. So by the time a small business turns up with a form or a checkout page, the default setting isn’t blind trust, and no, businesses don’t get a free pass (and a lot of scammers create fake businesses to get data too).

Just Take a Look at What Regulated Industries are Doing

Well, some businesses are in industries where there’s no choice but to be compliant (thankfully). So, healthcare, finance, legal, and education all of those sit under way more scrutiny. Actually, in healthcare, even the boring-sounding stuff, like healthcare payment processing or appointment reminders, has to be designed with trust and privacy in mind (and the software and tools need to prove they’re compliant too). It’s not much different for other regulated industries, too. So why not borrow some concepts from that?

It’s honestly just some fairly basic things, too, like clear forms, no redirect links (like Bitly, for example, that seems fishy), overuse of AI (like AI pictures and AI copy), plain language helps too, but just keep in mind that all those tiny details can and will add up. But keep in mind, unlike these regulated industries, you at least get to sound human rather than sound corporate, so you at least have an advantage there.

But there’s Simple Things You Can Try Too 

Sure, the tech aspect itself matters, there’s no doubt about that at all, but it’s not like that’s the only thing either. When it comes to trust, it’s about how everything looks, feels, and flows. Like, even a few small changes can shift the whole experience. 

For example, it can seriously be as simple as just having a clear, friendly privacy wording on forms instead of tiny legal text nobody can read, consistent branding, and not having that many third parties bolting in either will help. Sure, sounds generic, but these small things actually do make a difference.