“Can you resend me the file?”
“Should I click this link?”
“Is this the latest version?”
If you hear these questions a lot, here’s one more question for you — why are you using still using email to share files with clients? The ideal file sharing solution is simple, secure, and transparent. Email only checks one of those three boxes.
The problem with email.
Your clients love email because it’s simple. Create your message, attach your files, and send. It’s quick and easy, so why not use email for file sharing with clients? Three reasons. First, you can’t send large files over email. Second, it’s disorganized, with files scattered in separate threads strewn all over your inbox. Third, according to the IRS, FINRA, and every other professional service authority (and the FBI) email isn’t safe for business.
Email is the most popular target for phishing attacks because it’s noisy and crowded — an ideal setting to get you to accidentally click a malicious link or attachment. Our inboxes are constantly flooded with newsletters, flash sales, and travel deals that make it easy for scams to blend in. And it doesn’t take long for urgent business to get buried under that sea of spam and phish. Not a good place to work with clients.
What about encrypted email?
Anything “encrypted” has to be totally safe, right? Well, not necessarily. Firms that send encrypted emails to clients are likely to receive unencrypted responses. After all, how many clients will remember to use an encryption tool when sending files to the firm? When it comes to email security, just one slip is all it takes to let the bad guys in. A one-way security solution in a two-way relationship doesn’t cut it. And remember, we’re still talking about email here. Encryption doesn’t make the file size restrictions and cluttered inboxes we mentioned earlier disappear.
But it has “File” and “Share” in the name!
So if email isn’t a good fit, what about tools designed specifically for file sharing? Yes, these solutions let you send large files, but the files arrive blind, with no context. File sharing platforms without a built-in communication channel still rely on email notifications for the who, what, and why. And if you follow cybersecurity news, you know how ridiculously easy it is to spoof an email notification — company logo and all. Just follow the phishing stats. After email, file sharing tools are the most phished platforms. And the easiest way in is a spoofed someone-just-shared-a-file- with-you email notification. We wouldn’t classify exposing your clients to a data breach as a good client experience.
About client experience.
Speaking of client experience, think about this: even if you’re using a platform designed for file sharing, every time you or your clients want to share a document, it takes two platforms (file sharing plus email). That adds up to way too many busywork clicks. Asking clients to juggle multiple platforms for simple tasks is a messy and frustrating client experience.
The fix.
So what’s the ideal solution? How can you improve this client experience? Removing email from the file sharing equation is a great start. Whether you’re sharing files over email or using a file sharing solution that relies on email notifications, there’s simply nothing that can be done to make email safe enough for day-to-day client business. The IRS publishes new warnings every year explaining why email isn’t a safe way to share files with clients.
But if saying goodbye to email still sounds like a painful separation, here’s another reason it shouldn’t. Clients have left email once before. It isn’t new. Big banks and financial institutions moved their clients out of email and onto their own custom-built client experience platforms years ago. Even the most stubborn email loyalists can’t deny they love having a single go-to app for all bank business.
Now is a good time to move your clients to Liscio’s all-in-one front office platform. You can deliver an amazing online client experience with communication and collaboration tools that work smarter, look better, and cost less than anything the big banks and firms are using. If you want to learn more, join me in our webinar with Insightful Accountant on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, where we'll have a discussion on file management and learn how popular file storage platforms, such as Dropbox and ShareFile, can increase your exposure to phishing attacks, and create frustrating busywork for your employees and clients alike. Register here.