As a business owner, you are well aware of the importance of text messaging to your company’s communication. SMS messaging is indispensable, whether it’s for reaching out to customers, business partners, or your employees.
However, because texts are often used for transactions and may contain customer information, they are heavily regulated by organizations such as SEC and HIPAA. Businesses sending messages through any digital medium must comply with established rules. This is why message archiving is a common practice by firms, and if you’re not using one yet, you will have to consider doing so now.
What Exactly Does Archiving Mean?
Archiving messages is the practice of keeping records of every message sent and received by the company. These can be savedasscreenshots, photos, or digital files stored in a database to be recovered later. Because they are treated the same way as company emails and physical documents, it is mandated by law to archive messages enterprise owners and employees have on their respective platforms.
These messages aren’t being kept for the sake of collecting them. Since they contain valuable information concerning company practices and transactions, text messages can be used as evidence in the event of an investigation.
Why Should You Archive Messages?
There are many reasons why you must never overlook archiving the text messages generated by your business regularly. Legal repercussions are something you do not want, along with a damaged reputation. Keep reading to learn more.
Ensure Company Compliance
No business is exempted from the consequences of neglecting to keep records of their messages unless they stop using digital communication altogether. Then again, it is impossible to drop messaging permanently. Organizations like FINRA require firms to archive messages for the sake of safety. Countries across the globe also have different laws regarding text messaging, so you may want to keep records. Failure to archive texts will result in fines that can damage your brand’s name.
Irrefutable Evidence
Either party can delete text messages, and there’s no way to recover them once they’ve gone into the void. Texts can be the proof you need to present if transaction anomalies occur. In certain cases, you can use SMS messages as a shield against disputes since once they are stored in the archive, no one can tamper or manipulate them. They are your source of truth, so be sure to record everything.
Effective Supervision
Employees might sometimes mistakenly use official communication channels for personal use, resulting in possible leaks of critical information. In some cases, staff could take advantage of unsupervised text messaging to harass a co-worker. To prevent unethical behavior or data leaks, enact company policies regarding text archiving and inform your staff about it. They’ll be more mindful of what they type before hitting send. Moreover, archiving will deter harmful acts between employees.
Do you find text message archiving a little complicated? Don’t worry; we got you. LeapXpert can teach you the basics of keeping SMS records and provide effective archiving solutions, so your company remains compliant.
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