No business wants to receive a data protection complaint! The best method to avoid this from happening is to always put prevention in place first. This means assessing data policies, training employees on how to respect data and reviewing technology security to ascertain if there are any vulnerable data loopholes.
Should a business receive a data protection complaint, then here are a few helpful steps to deal with the situation appropriately.
Data Protection Complaint Assistance
Acknowledge Receipt – Before your business takes the matter further, you should immediately acknowledge the data protection complaint by means of receipt to the customer. This will give the customer peace of mind, that the business has received the complaint and that they are dealing with it accordingly. The customer should be notified of next stages and any formal business complaints procedure.
Validity and Enquiry – Check that the data protection complaint is valid and that it hasn’t come from a third party and then investigate the complaint to understand how the situation has occurred. Communicate with employees and if necessary, also discuss further details with the customer.
Provide regular updates – Investigating a data protection complaint can take time, especially if businesses need to gather evidence from various parties involved. Throughout the time, provide the customer with regular updates and indicate as to what will happen during the next stages of the investigation.
Document all actions – This is extremely important, not only to demonstrate the effort made by the business to rectify the situation, but could also be required as proof should a legal situation arise. Keep track of all telephone calls and email conversations.
Complete the complaint – When an outcome to the findings is completed, notify the customer and be clear on the outcome, plus outline any steps conducted to rectify the situation in going forward.
Finding Further Help
Remember, your business brand is extremely important and that any negative testimonials can be detrimental to a company’s success. Often, customers understand that mistakes can occur but won’t have any patience if they are treated unfairly or disrespectfully. Keep the lines of communication open at all times and provide a positive outcome. For further details on dealing with business data protection and cyber security breaches, please refer to the ICO.org.uk website.
Our team at WeAnswer treat data extremely sensitively and work closely with customers on behalf of retail businesses, engineer support teams and charities to provide order, delivery and UK customer service support wherever needed. To find out how we can help your organisation to become more accessible to your customers, please get in touch.
