Keeping up with the law and effective communication

With so many different effective means of communication, there definitely will be certain rules and regulations to look out for. Ethical and legal communication ensures the best practice in any business and improves credibility and reputation. It is important to know the legal obligations for communication on a business scale.

"The spam act"

The spam act makes sure that businesses that send online messages to the public follow the legal procedures, and businesses that use unethical practices of spamming are punished. Here are the regulations for the act:

1. When sending customers a message, the email must be identified clearly

2. Emails must include an 'Unsubscribe' option, allowing customers to choose not to receive any more mails.

Ethical Trade

Businesses must be honest when dealing with customers and their transactions. These are some keypoints to note when dealing with customers shopfront.

• All items sold and described on your website must be guaranteed to the customer.
• Electronic records and transactions must be kept by all businesses for future reference.

Collecting Information

Many businesses now collect personal information from customers and stored electronically for their reference. It is vital that this information is treated sensitively and ethically and not misused for any other purposes.

• Companies must let customers know why they need this information and guarantee privacy
• They must also keep the information in a secured place where it cannot be violated by anyone else.
• Information cannot be passed down without the clear permission of the customer.
• Similarly, employee's information must be kept private and stored in a place inaccessible by others.

Management Responsibilities

As the manager of your own business, it is your duty to oversee processes to make sure employees are adhearing these procedures when communicating with customers. This is a hard job, but here are a couple of pointers to make sure everyone is following these rules.

• Drafting a "Code of Conduct" will help to clearly set the ethical standards of the business so both customer and employees are aware know exactly the correct procedures.
• Having policies (eg "Use of internet"/"Use of e-mails") can inform employees of the legal requirements of communication within the business.