Trust: Built on Compliance and Accountability

Trust is the bedrock of successful business relationships. It's an element that must be nurtured well in advance of any customer engagement and remains paramount to enhance an organization's reputation and market position. Customers are more likely to engage with companies they trust, and this trust is an asset that can take years to build but can be shattered in an instant. That's why businesses must prioritize compliance and accountability as fundamental building blocks for trust. 

Compliance involves adhering to laws and regulations, while accountability demands taking responsibility for actions and decisions. In this post, we will delve into how compliance and accountability contribute to trust-building with customers and offer guidance on achieving these goals effectively.

The Impact of Compliance and Accountability on Trust: 

Maintaining trust with customers is pivotal to long-term success, especially in the digital age where trust is formed and broken without physical interactions. Compliance and accountability are central to fostering a culture of trust within organizations. Examples of Trust Erosion due to Privacy Lapses:

1. A customer receives multiple calls from various financial institutions immediately after approaching their bank. This intrusion into their privacy raises doubts about data security.
2. Customers grow tired of their web activity being tracked and sold for relentless marketing across apps and browsers. 

Digital Trust: In the era of digitization, trust has transitioned from face-to-face interactions, handshakes, and physical signatures to the digital realm. A study by ISACA underscores the importance of digital trust, with over 76% of respondents considering it extremely or very important for digital transformation. This highlights the significance of building and maintaining trust in retaining and expanding the customer base.

Compliance and Accountability:  Compliance in a business context encompasses adherence to laws, regulations, and ethical standards specific to the industry and location. It spans various areas, including legal obligations, data privacy, financial reporting, employment practices, and environmental protection. Accountability, on the other hand, signifies taking responsibility for actions and decisions by:

• Acknowledging their impact on the organization, stakeholders, and the community.
• Holding others accountable for their actions.
• Going beyond mere compliance to make ethical decisions and owning their outcomes.
• Creating a culture of transparency, integrity, and trust.

Challenges in Compliance to Digitized Regulations:

1. Exponential Data Growth: Data has grown significantly over the last decade, but poor security practices still expose organizations to data breaches.
2. Cost of Maintaining Data Privacy: Breaches can result in severe regulatory penalties. For example, companies dealing with European customer data can face fines up to 4% of Adjusted Gross Revenue or €20 Million. Similar regulations like GDPR, DPDP, HIPAA, and CCPA emphasize data protection.
3. Increasing Data Breaches and Vulnerabilities: Social engineering attacks, human errors, and external actors contribute to the rise in cyber threats.
4. IoT and Mobile Concerns: Security professionals are increasingly worried about IoT security.
5. Human Error Complexity: Everyday errors can significantly impact data privacy and security.

To enhance Customer Trust through Accountability for Compliance, you need to implement the following within the organization:

• Addressing digitization-related challenges.
• Establishing a robust governance model with well-documented roles and responsibilities.
• Developing and implementing clear policies, processes, and SOPs.
• Cultivating a culture of transparency, integrity, and ethics.
• Conducting regular training and awareness programs.
• Ensuring fairness, growth, and risk management.
• Monitoring and testing the compliance ecosystem.
• Conducting regular audits and reporting findings transparently.

Benefits of Accountability for Compliance:

• Increased Customer Confidence: Demonstrated commitment to ethical operations instils customer confidence.
• Improved Reputation: Accountability maintains a positive reputation, emphasizing transparency and honesty.
• Reduced Legal Risk: Compliance reduces the chances of legal issues and penalties.
• Better Employee Morale: Prioritizing accountability creates a culture of integrity and responsibility, boosting employee morale.

Building trust with all stakeholders, including customers, employees, third-party service providers, and regulators, is essential for an organization's success. Trust hinges on compliance with rules and regulations, data privacy, accountability, a culture of integrity, and social responsibility. It's a long-term process that, when approached diligently, paves the way for a thriving organization.

Check how your organization measures Trust building.  Check points with  YES/ NO/ Partially Yes

1. Do you conduct customer/ employee satisfaction surveys?
2. Do you track customer service / employee workplace issues raised ?
3. Do you monitor customer/ employee retention?
4. Do you monitor customer/ employee behaviour?
5. Do you conduct internal review of trust related practices?