Your Online Reputation and How to Protect It

As a business owner or an employee of any company, I think we have all come in contact with a disgruntled employee of some sorts.  I know in my insurance career, I've definitely been around and experienced at least a handful of employees that truly felt like they were either not being treated fairly or that they were not valued enough.  Even if the accusations are false, the perception of the employee is all that matters.  

The tough part is when a disgruntled employees skewed perception ends up online or in the public eye.  How do you stop that employee from ruining your image?  How can you stop that person from blatantly lying about you or your business?  The truth is you really can't.  But, you can take the proper steps and make sure to protect your company's cyber image.  

The internet is an amazing value add to our lives. We can find a restaurant, get directions or find a review on just about anything in about .002 seconds.  But just as quickly as the internet helps us find positive things, it can also take a disgruntled employee or customer a short amount of time to post false or accusatory statements about you or your company.  If you're not a major corporation like Sony, Target or Taco Bell, you may not be able to shake off these accusations quickly.

In today's world, some smaller businesses only have two things they can rely on: their work performed and their reputation.  If a company experiences slander or criticism online, customer or employees may view the company as unprepared or even incompetent.  Some reporters use online chat rooms and message boards complaints as the basis for news stories, wreaking havoc on a company's image and reputation.  And to be honest, most generic insurance policies, such as general liability, do not cater towards the E-Risk type of business.

Since our world is in transition from tangible to virtual, insurance is morphing and changing with it.  Nearly ever single business now-a-days has an online exposure.  Make sure your taking the proper steps to minimize your online risk and exposure by talking with a knowledgeable insurance broker about e-risk insurance or cyber liability