Most of today’s sales teams interact with customer data in some form, so they must know how to keep it safe. Educating them on the topic is crucial for helping them gain people’s trust, which should lead to more conversions.
1. Create a Data Usage Framework
Organizations should establish rules for how team members can and cannot use data. The specifics will vary depending on a company’s size, type, number of customers and more. Additionally, executives should treat the information within a data usage framework as subject to change according to needs or other specifics. Giving it that flexibility will keep the content maximally relevant to how staff use data during sales calls or other activities.
Deciding what should go in a data usage framework can be initially challenging, but one applicable best practice is to link each rule to a core principle. Then, sales employees feel confident that leaders did not arbitrarily create them but have created policies that contribute to overall success. People should also give regular feedback about the existing framework, mainly since they likely use data daily in their roles.
2. Use Good Password Hygiene
Whether a sales professional logs into a customer relationship management system or their corporate email account, they will use passwords to gain access. Establishing and maintaining associated best practices will reduce data breach risk and protect information as many people access it throughout the workday.
Ensure people set unique, hard-to-guess passwords for each platform they use. Look for opportunities to use multifactor authentication and other safeguards so compromised passwords alone are insufficient to get access. Another tip is to use password managers. They are beneficial for salespeople who frequently feel overwhelmed while trying to remember so many distinctive credentials.
3. Know the Latest Phishing Scams
Cybercriminals’ attempts to get valuable customer data often begin with phishing emails. These messages may appear to come from reputable institutions, making them more believable. Some even include the brand names of tools sales teams may use. For example, one study of phishing content showed 20 million mentions of Office 365 — the Microsoft software suite.
One of the best preventive measures against phishing attacks is to avoid acting under pressure. Messages often insist recipients must respond immediately, making them more likely to fall for the misleading material. When sales teams receive suspicious emails, they should maintain a doubtful attitude and try to establish the content’s legitimacy. For example, they can attempt to contact the supposed sender by using a method other than that email to reach them.
4. Activate the Appropriate Data Controls
It is also a good practice for managers or others with administrative authority to verify workers can only access customer information relevant to their jobs. Otherwise, it is more likely that they could make mistakes that reduce the information’s security. Fortunately, many commercial platforms allow setting access permissions for each person or team.
Implementing data controls and permissions enablees specifying which parties can see or work with sensitive information. Besides safeguarding customers’ files from malicious parties, this step minimizes cases where too few people can access too much information, creating power imbalances. Additionally, it thwarts cybercriminals’ efforts by restricting what they could access if they manage to infiltrate a system.
5. Establish Relevant Onboarding and Offboarding Processes
Sales teams’ data access will likely begin when they join a business, and it may increase the longer they remain. That is why the onboarding process must include training for handling data and the associated platforms. Relatedly, parties must consider the most efficient ways to remove access privileges once someone decides to leave.
Even when sales professionals are genuinely satisfied with their jobs, they may still be open to opportunities elsewhere if the conditions are right. Consider a 2024 study that found 64% would leave for similar jobs with higher pay. One straightforward way to keep customer data protected when sales representatives leave is to use an access management platform that can automatically revoke or grant privileges based on particular parameters administrators set.
Treat Data Security as a Constant Concern
These tips will help staff keep customers’ data secure yet accessible. As they apply them, they should simultaneously pay attention to organizational or industry changes that may require altering current data protection measures. Staying abreast of those developments and responding quickly will keep the company nimble and ensure consumer details are safe with the salespeople that see them.
As the Features Editor at ReHack, Zac Amos writes about cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and other tech topics. He is a frequent contributor to Brilliance Security Magazine.
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