Security Policy & Compliance
A call center software is a product that is meant to take care of the business phone conversations, and that is what we specialize in at LiveAgent. It is possible to use the software to perform outgoing calls, attend incoming calls, track various parameters about each call, and provide automated scripts for the team. Even with the presence of different communication channels like live chat and social media, the phone remains an integral part of business communication. Yet, there are a couple of challenges that are associated with the call center software and every user needs to be aware of the same.
1. Call Center Security
(1) Personal data threat
(2) Internal Threat
(3) External Threat
b) Reasons to Improve Call Center Security
2. PCI Compliance
a) Changes Brought About by PCI Compliance
b) Practices to Avoid for PCI Compliance
Call Center Security
The security component of call center software is very important. We can perpetually end up with a large vulnerability like knowledge management systems, employee entry portals, and email. It is important for the call center to have the latest generation security protocols so that it is possible to store the company details in a virtual data room, which in turn helps ramp up productivity and lower operating costs.
Personal Data Threat
There are breaches that occur at various companies like healthcare providers, financial institutions and even in consumer service companies. However, these breaches tend to affect the call centers in the aftermath, as the call centers usually have Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to double check on the credentials of the caller. If these details, which contained information about the bank cards, email addresses, and date of birth, has been previously leaked, there is a danger of the call center customer details being vulnerable to a great extent.
Internal Threat
There are multiple internal threats to a call center security policy. They may be of different types:
Temporary Employers
Every institution has a set of temporary workers that may be looking to get the most out of their small working time at a company before leaving the position.
Accidental Clickers
There are individuals who inadvertently expose customer data, which is quite sensitive, by clicking on malicious links.
Employee With A Grudge
This threat comes from an employee who may have a deep grudge and they are often compared to a Trojan horse when they try to access sensitive data.
Internal Hacker
These threats are likely to emerge within the IT department, where clever hackers will be looking to manipulate the vulnerability or exposed sections of the data center.
Basic Cleaner
These threats are from people who use USB sticks in order to load keyloggers and other malice software so as to steal private data.
External Threat
There is more. A huge rise in external threats has been seen lately, which look to exploit new technological vulnerabilities within a company. The criminals have been able to come up with a large number of ways in order to bypass endpoint and network security technology, which has grown a lot in the last few years. For example, the growing security features within the debit and credit cards has led to an increase in direct mobile fraud.
Discover on your own
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Reasons to Improve Call Center Security
There are several reasons to work and improve the security status of a call center. The common reasons are:
- Avoid losing reputation built over several years
- Potential for attracting fines or penalties for not adhering to the regulatory standards
- Bad customer experience could result in lost business
- Inability to retain staff or grow the business
- Potential to be victimised on social media
PCI Compliance
We have seen a digital transformation in all industries, but it has also left a hole in terms of cybersecurity. The PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) came about as a means to improve payment data storage. This compliance has become very important in our business. The PCI standard is applicable to all sectors that hold data of the cardholder. As a result, it is important for achieving call center compliance. If not, there could be a damaged reputation, loss of business, and even penalties that start from as high as $5000 a month.
Changes Brought About by PCI Compliance
We have to achieve six goals in order to be considered as one of the best in terms of handling data. The Security Standards Council are behind these goals, which are:
Building & Sustaining a Secure Network
Every sensitive information with us is to be stored behind strong firewalls and safety controls. This ensures that prying eyes are kept out of reach.
Developing a Vulnerability Management Program
Software programs need to be up-to-date. These should also be protected by the use of an antivirus program.
Product Data of the Cardholder
The encryption of customer information is one of the first steps to be followed before storing the data on our system. It is no longer an accepted practice to write the information on a paper.
Use of Strong Access Control Measure
The cardholder data should not be offered physical access. Every agent at the call center should be given a unique ID before the access a computer.
Using an Information Security Policy
This focus is on the provision of information safety to the contractors and employees.
Practices to Avoid for PCI Compliance
There are also call centers that do practices that compromise security – including the idea of reading out sensitive data. There are certain practices that need to be weeded out with PCI compliance. They are:
Voice Transactions without Encryption
It is not advisable to collect cardholder information over the phone. If the situation cannot be avoided, it is important to use encryption technology.
Payment Information Access Provision
This should not be provided even when the customer is on the phone.
Sharing of Cardholder Data
Even agents should not receive access to the information without the right security measures and a justified purpose.
Writing Down of Sensitive Information
The cardholder data should not be written down on a paper under any circumstance.
Usage of Mobile Devices
This is a strong way to increase the incidence of information leak.
Final Thoughts
Running a business is a demanding adventure, and taking care of customers the right way is way harder than one might think. Call centers are definitely the way to go for enterprises, but a security policy and a powerful compliance strategy are mandatory for anyone who is looking to tackle challenges the smart way. This article hopefully serves as a strong reference for executives looking for quality information in this domain.
