Keeping Your Customers’ Personal Information Secure
Customers can have some apprehension when it comes to sharing personal information with a company, especially online. Accordingly, it’s very important that your website reassures customers that their personal information is secure with you. In fact, security is a top priority for many customers, and even if your product offering is stellar, and your security is top-notch, if you can’t convince a customer to trust you, you may not be able to make the sale. So how can you reassure your customers that their data is safe with you?
- Have a professional website
A shoddy website that takes a long time to load will not inspire trust. Customers are more likely to trust an easy to navigate website that loads quickly, with a fully developed contact page so that customers know how they can reach you. It’s also a good idea to have pictures of your team on the website, because many customers inherently develop trust when they see the people behind the business. Another great way to inspire trust is by having active social media accounts, testimonials and reviews, which build social proof for your business.
- Clearly display your security logos
There are plenty of points across a CC number’s journey, from the computer of your customer, to your merchant account, where the information can be sniffed by hackers. One of the first targeting points for cyber-attacks is between the user and your website. This is where SSL certification comes in. SSL ensures that all data transferred between your customer and your website is encrypted and secured, which is why it’s a good idea to let the customer know that you are SSL certified, either by displaying the logo on your home page or your check out page.
- Address customer concerns ahead of time
It is often wise to mitigate customer risks by addressing any potential concern they may have ahead of time. Things such as return policies, free shipping (or displaying the cost of shipping), and preventing redirects when credit card information needs to be shared, all serve as reassuring, trust-building features, which can lessen the perceived risk of the transaction for your customers.
- Accept multiple payment options
Having only one payment option can cause you to lose you a lot of sales from customers who would prefer to pay another way. Some customers may be worried about sharing their credit card information with you, but they’d be more willing to pay using eChecks, or vice-versa. It’s smart to offer as many options as possible, any of which might appeal to your audience. Multiple payment options also mitigate the customer’s perceived risks by allowing them to choose to pay using what they believe to be the most secure payment option.
For more information on how to improve payment security and build customer trust, or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.
