Businesses, owners, politicians and CEOs are being held to increasingly high standards when it comes to transparency. As an organization or as an individual, you may now be expected to divulge sensitive information such as your yearly earnings and tax payments, or your employee policies and supply chain. In some cases, this scrutiny can lead to unwanted media attention.
Financial concerns
Releasing your yearly earnings or tax payments information to the public can improve customer trust. However, it can also be damaging, often simply because the finances of any business or individual are highly contextual and based on a huge number of factors. All of those factors will rarely be considered if the media discusses your finances, and this can lead to a lot of misunderstanding. It is very easy for the media to say that your business should not have certain problems because you have sufficient money to resolve them, when the reality is usually far more complicated.
Ethical supply chain
The ethics of the way you or your organization operates will also be the subject of considerable scrutiny. Modern consumers want to know their products are made in safe, healthy conditions by people who are paid a fair wage for their work. They also want to know that their products are made sustainably with an effort to minimize and compensate for your carbon footprint and any other damage to the environment your supply chain could cause. This includes taking steps to minimize shipping distances and plastic usage, as well as actively seeking more environmentally-friendly production methods and materials.
Customer service
Every business says it has excellent customer service. According to consumers, not many actually do. It is understandable then that customers expect to see some evidence to prove your customer satisfaction claims. If you want potential customers to really have faith in your service, you need to show them your statistics on customer satisfaction and successful issue resolution as well as making it easy to read and write reviews and feedback about your business.
Unfortunately when it comes to media scrutiny, especially online, no information is often taken as an admission of wrongdoing. Proactively improving your transparency without being forced by bad press sets a more positive tone for discussion about that information, and shows you have nothing to hide, making it #4 of our 10 commandments for online reputation management.
ReputationDefender are experts at managing online reputations and can help you improve the transparency of your business without damaging your reputation. For more information, get in touch by calling +44 800 131 0700, or e-mailing [email protected], or follow us on Instagram.
