In a lot of ways, owning and operating an online business isn’t much different from owning and operating a traditional, brick-and-mortar business. You still have laws and rules to follow, you still have customers whose trust you have to earn, and you still have to establish and maintain an ethical standard.
Unfortunately, many feel the Internet allows them to bend those rules and shirk those ethical responsibilities. In reality, ethics are just as important with an online business, if not more so.
While there’s no need here to get into a philosophical debate about what “ethics” are and where they come from, ethics are the standards of behavior that govern society. While some standards are set by companies and individuals, some ethics are generally accepted as “true” or “right” in certain societies. And while there are ethical people who struggle to get by and unethical people who seem to be ridiculously successful, maintaining an ethical business and having ethical interactions with customers is a good indicator of the success of a business.
So how do you maintain an ethical standard online? Not much different than how you would do it offline.
When it comes to customers, you have a responsibility – first and foremost – to treat them and their information with respect. This means not using their private information for anything other than what was intended, and not trying to deceive them with offers that end up being too good to be true or scamming them into your business.
It’s also important to be upfront and honest about your products and services; don’t hide anything in the fine print or give false claims about what a product is capable of. You won’t be able to build up the trust of your customers you have low-quality products or sub-par service.
And while you may think, “Oh, it’s just one customer; how much harm could they do?” in the online world, they can do a lot of harm. If they’ve been wronged and can prove there was any illegal behavior, they can have your website shut down. They can also post about your business and their experience on various complaints websites.
Running an unethical business will also put strain on your ability to build trust with other businesses you may work with – distributors, clients, etc. If you’re unable to establish a positive, ethical relationship with them, they will likely not have any desire to maintain the relationship.
Running an ethical business takes more than establishing a set of business rules and hanging them on the wall; I’m sure Enron had a handbook of ethics on file. You also have to live and encourage those rules, and build a culture that supports an ethical business. Avoid the tendency to find loopholes or gray area, because it will only come back to hurt you.
{ 0 comments }
