Even today, businesses find themselves with new compliance challenges; homeworking is a great example of this.
So, do you need to spend big (or spend anything at all) to become compliant? The answer is both yes and no, for the reason being that it depends on your company objectives. For example, if your business finds itself taking payments for a product or service, then you will need to become PCI DSS compliant to do so (due to the regulations that are in place to protect cardholder data). Not only will you have to complete the process to provide an attestation of compliance, but you will also need to employ the right resource to undertake this task. Ultimately this will take both time and money for it to be completed.
However, I’ve always been a firm believer that applying best practice shouldn’t have to cost you the earth. Here are my top 4 tips on what you can do today without spending big money:
1. Documentation
It’s usually the last thing on our minds, however documenting your processes and procedures is vital in not only demonstrating your standards, but also leaving a set of documented instructions for new employees or third parties. A simple flow diagram will suffice if you don’t possess any great writing skills within the business.
2. Assess Risk
After you have documented your processes and procedures, you should review these with key business stakeholders to identify any risks. If you do identify any risks, I would suggest logging these somewhere. There are plenty of risk templates online, a simple Google away. By logging risks, you’re halfway there in showing risk and compliance best practice. You then need to decide whether you address that risk or accept the risk.
3. Keep up-to-date
Make sure that you know your industry. There are updates all the time to regulations, laws and best practice, so make sure you follow and react to these changes. I would suggest subscribing to regular newsletters, be that the ICO for Data Protection Regulation changes or the FCA for all things financial. You will also find updates within this monthly Insights publication, along with the latest information from the world of contact centres.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask
Rather than cowering under your desk at the thought of any of the above, don’t be afraid to ask the question. Be that a colleague, a like-minded business or Contact Centre Panel! You will be surprised how receptive people are to a soul in need.
By adopting the 4 steps above as your mantra, you will put yourself and your business on the right road to your eventual destination.
Looking for support with your next compliance project? Drop us a message and let’s chat!
