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Let’s face it, preserving compliance in communications has never been easy. There are countless standards and regulations dictating everything from how teams share information internally, to how you should protect the data given to you by customers.
Now, however, investing in compliant communications is becoming even more complex, as we have more ways to connect than ever before. Consumers and team members aren’t just sharing information over the phone or via email. They’re using tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom for conferencing, experimenting with messaging apps and more.
SMS, in particular, can create a minefield for companies to navigate, with various rules for employee SMS, mass messaging, and text-based marketing to consider.
Here, we’ll introduce just one of the ways you can achieve compliance in communication via SMS, by leveraging the power of restricted keywords.
What are Compliant Communications?
To achieve compliance in communications, you first need to understand what “compliant interactions” actually are. Ultimately, to adhere to regulatory standards and consumer expectations, companies need to ensure they’re taking various steps to protect sensitive data, avoid legal issues, and treat customers ethically.
Some of the key areas you’ll need to consider include:
Regulatory Standards for Communication Channels
Each communication channel is governed by its own set of mandates and rules, governing how companies can communicate safely. In the SMS landscape, for instance, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act requires all companies planning on connecting with customers over the phone to follow specific rules.
You’ll need to obtain consent to send marketing messages to customers, invest in effective archiving practices, and implement security measures to protect data. (Find our TCPA compliance checklist here for more insights).
There are also specific rules for companies using certain types of numbers for SMS communication. For instance, as you’ll see in our 10DLC registration guide, to use a 10DLC number, some companies will need to jump through various hoops.
Regulatory Standards for Specific Industries
When it comes to regulatory compliance and communications, you don’t just have standard channel rules to consider either. Various industries have their own regulatory guidelines impacting how companies need to protect data during conversations with colleagues and customers.
HIPAA, for instance, places specific restrictions on the kind of data healthcare companies can share on any communication channel. SEC text messaging guidelines in the financial sector require organizations to implement access controls and security strategies for communication platforms.
There are also strict rules about how you should archive and store messages. That makes choosing a communication platform that integrates with tools like Global Relay or Smarsh for text archiving crucial if you’re using SMS.
Marketing Communications Rules
Staying compliant with marketing messages can be particularly difficult for a few reasons. First, you need to ensure that you’re not sharing too much sensitive information with customers over text, while simultaneously attempting to optimize and personalize text messages.
Secondly, you need to think about specific mandates, like the CAN-SPAM guidelines, which require companies to obtain consent to communicate with every customer and ensure contacts have the opportunity to opt out of receiving notifications.
On top of that, if you’re leveraging a platform for bulk A2P messaging campaigns, you’ll need to ensure you aren’t automatically sending messages to customers at inappropriate times. This means segmenting your audience carefully based on their time zones and preferences.
Why is Compliance in Communications Important?
Compliance in communications is challenging. From figuring out which regulatory compliance communication standards apply to your business, to familiarizing yourself with ever-changing rules implemented by groups like TCR, SEC, FINRA, and more, there’s a lot to get your head around.
Sometimes, it’s tempting to simply treat compliance as an afterthought – but doing so can be dangerous. Legal and regulatory frameworks are important when it comes to making sure everyone in a business follows communication rules. These frameworks are there to make sure individuals and organizations communicate in a way that’s honest, fair, and secure.
Making sure you invest in compliant communication helps to:
- Minimize the risk of regulatory repercussions: Ignoring regulatory guidelines can expose you to huge financial fines and serious legal repercussions. Fines can cost you millions of dollars, and potentially prevent your company from growing.
- Preserve your brand’s reputation: Being slapped with a fine because of non-compliance isn’t good for your company’s image. Non-compliance tells customers you’re not committed to securing their data or following pre-set rules, which leads to a serious loss of trust.
- Protect your business: Compliance guidelines are there to keep you and your company’s data safe. Certain measures, like archiving your conversations with tools like Smarsh text archiving, can even help you defend yourself when customer complaints or issues lead to regulators taking your business to court.
Simply put, non-compliance is not a risk worth taking, as the consequences can be severe and long-lasting.
Restricted Keywords for Compliance Communications
Since ensuring compliance in communication is complex, the right approach does require a multi-faceted strategy. We recommend taking various steps to boost your chances of success, such as:
- Choosing the right communication platform: An effective communication platform, like Clerk Chat, will help to protect your business, with access controls, end-to-end encryption, customizable automation strategies, and integrations with archiving tools.
- Creating compliance policies: Implement policies for how employees should share, store, and protect data. Make sure everyone knows how to leverage tools like Global Relay for archiving purposes, and keep track of the data you store.
- Invest in continuous training: Train your team members on compliant communication best practices, and keep them up to date about evolving regulations and rules. Ensure they know the dangers and risks of non-compliance.
In the SMS and messaging landscape however, there’s another strategy you can use to strengthen your compliance strategy: restricted keywords.
Restricted keywords are like the traffic officers of communication. They’re specific words or phrases that can’t be used in certain situations. For example, in advertising, some keywords may be restricted due to advertising regulations or ethical guidelines. On social media platforms, some keywords may be restricted to prevent cyberbullying or hate speech.
The Benefits of Restricted Keywords for Compliance
Understanding which keywords should be avoided at all costs in your compliant communications isn’t just a great way to avoid trouble. By identifying prohibited words and phrases, organizations can:
- Proactively prevent inappropriate behavior.
- Ensure that employees understand the standards of conduct expected of them.
- Monitor communications and flag potential violations, allowing them to quickly address issues before they escalate.
With clear guidelines and expectations in place, restricted keywords help promote a culture of integrity and accountability. In compliance communications, you can use restricted keywords as a safety net for your messaging strategy.
You can even train AI SMS solutions on words they need to avoid during discussions with customers, reducing your risk of negative repercussions from automated conversations.
Implementing Restricted Keywords in SMS and Communication
Leveraging restricted keywords in your SMS and messaging campaigns is an excellent way to ensure you adhere to industry regulations and specific mandates, like CAN-SPAM text messaging guidelines.
At Clerk Chat, we know how important it is for companies to preserve compliance when communicating both internally, and externally with customers. That’s why we developed a feature for our messaging platform that helps administrators keep their staff and AI tools aligned with regulations.
Our “restricted keyword” functionality helps businesses to ensure their employees refrain from using inappropriate or unprofessional language when communicating with customers through SMS. This feature not only safeguards the company’s reputation but also promotes a professional and respectful environment for customer interactions.
How to Use Restricted Keywords with Clerk Chat
Whether you’re using SMS as a way to deliver enhanced customer service to customers, or improve the results of your marketing campaigns, restricted keywords are an excellent tool.
With Clerk Chat, you can optimize your customer service and SMS marketing compliance strategies by creating a custom list of restricted keywords according to their specific industry requirements.
For instance, in the finance industry, you might block specific keywords related to user account numbers or terms that may place undue pressure on customers when you’re collecting payments.
When you add your list of restricted keywords to our conversational messaging platform, Clerk Chat will automatically block those terms from appearing on outbound messages.
This offers an instant way to reduce your exposure to potential compliance communications issues. Even if team members forget their training and accidentally use the wrong term in a message, this mistake won’t have a long-term impact on your brand’s reputation and is less likely to lead to significant repercussions, like legal action and fines.
Administrators and compliance officers can even receive notifications whenever someone attempts to send a message with a prohibited keyword. This allows for immediate intervention, and provides an insight into which team members may need additional training or supervision.
Stay Compliant in Communications with Clerk Chat
When it comes to compliance, communications issues are common and complex. There are countless hurdles companies need to overcome to ensure they’re protecting their customers, their data, and their reputation (as well as avoiding fines).
Fortunately, Clerk Chat’s messaging platform makes managing compliance easier. Our platform offers access controls, end-to-end encryption, and customizable policies for automated messages, to help you minimize risks. Plus, our restricted keyword function helps to reduce the risk of accidentally sending prohibited terms to consumers in outbound messages.
Give yourself an edge when it comes to mastering compliant communications. Schedule a free demo of Clerk Chat today, and discover how you can optimize your messaging strategy, without compromising on compliance.
