Protecting the personal information of your customers is something call centers need to take seriously. Many contact centers are often surprised to discover they are not compliant in all areas of security when it comes to protecting both customer and employee data.
Whether you outsource your call center services, have your own in-house call center, or use a combination of both, it is worth your time to verify you are protecting your customers and employees.
Recording Phone Calls
If you record outbound and inbound phone calls, you need to make sure everyone on the call understands the conversation is being recorded. Employees can sign waivers acknowledging their calls will be monitored and recorded. You should also train employees to inform customers whenever they speak with them, for both inbound and outbound calls, that their calls could be recorded.
Processing Credit Card Payments
Storing a customer’s credit card information could violate credit card processing rules and regulations. Where most call centers tend to make this mistake is by recording the card number, expiration date, and three-digit code during the phone call. To prevent this problem, it is recommended to disable telephone recording while processing a payment using various methods.
Require Customer Verification
Customer service reps need to confirm the identity of the person they are speaking to when sharing personal and account information. Establish the practice of requiring customers to answer strong security questions to confirm their identity, which could include:
- The Last Four Digits of their Social Security Number
- Date of Birth
- Address
- Email Address on File
- Last Four Digits of Their Account Number
Encrypting Information Sent to Customers
If your employees have to email customers forms, information, or other files as part of their call resolution, ensure to use an email encryption program to prevent emails from accidently being hacked by unauthorized users.
Require Strong Passwords
For online access, as well as your employees, require strong passwords that require a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
By confirming these practices are followed, it can help reduce the risks of information being obtained by unauthorized users and hackers. For assistance in secure call center operations, please feel free to contact Always Answer at 1-800-606-9898.
