Privacy: turning an issue into a U.S.P.

Consumers allow all kinds of apps to collect data from their mobile devices without reading the general agreement. We place our most personal information in a public Cloud, which we don’t check for security. We share personal details on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram without a moment of hesitation.

Nevertheless, we worry about our privacy the moment we notice that a company or government uses this information. In the media more and more articles discuss privacy issues on how companies and government use, for instance, Big Data to serve their clients and citizens. In Europe there is now legislation coming to protect customer on-line privacy. This is following discussions on actions of companies using online data without specific permission. For companies, this puts a strain on how to develop, keep up with, or use digital transformation in their way-of-business.

Can you refuse from using, for example, Google Analytics? No! You’ll most likely lose-out on your competition. You’ll have to find a way in which you are able to use all the benefits of technology and avoid the downside.

The greatest challenge of using technology/ Big Data is not how to collect and use information, but how the community perceives the company or government. Do customers trust you? The digital revolution brought impulsive, short-term contact moments with customers and at the same time the need to build an in-depth relationship with the customers. They have to trust you to provide them with the best services for their benefit. And that just might be the key in establishing customer loyalty again. Use the possibilities of Digital Transformation consciously to build a relationship with your customers in which they provide you voluntarily with the exact information you need to provide profitable products and services: a true win-win situation.