MBA Geek

What’s the worst thing that can happen to your business? Well, for some organisations, the loss of data can be critical. If strategic information gets into the hands of your competitors, it could spell a fatal blow for your business. And if you have consultants in the field, you can be particularly exposed to this risk.

So, how do you mitigate against this? Well, there are a number of companies that deal in computer protection like Alertsec who produce a full disk encryption package that locks a computer’s hard disk and prevents access to it unless the correct password is supplied. What this means is that if a laptop gets lost or stolen, your data will remain protected, away from prying eyes.

It’s one way to deal with unavoidable risk; if you can mitigate it, you can reduce the potential damage that can occur.

Interesting experience a couple of days ago when we placed an online order on Marks and Spencer‘s website. We ran into a problem where we had a couple of coupons to use and the website would accept only one. We sent an email to customer services and they took care of the problem for us.

The really interesting thing was one line that they added to the email response they sent:

Thanks for getting in touch and I must compliment you on your choice in kids wear.

I found that single line awesome. It wasn’t just a thank you for communicating with them. It showed that someone had taken the trouble to actually look at my order, and note what sort of products where in there. It added that touch a touch of personality to the email and gave it that human touch.

It doesn’t matter if you sell cheap clothes, or the top of the line walk in bath, adding that touch of humanity to your online presence can add that touch of class that will keep clients coming back for more.

Have you ever considered that your clients may get the wrong idea of what your business is all about? Perception is pretty important and the impression that clients get of you can be tantamount to getting new business. Whether you’re talking about your store front, or even something as simple as your office supplies, all aspects that your clients meet should have a consistent image that reinforces your brand.

Can you think of any good examples of this?