Rob Crutchington of Encoded explains how to transform frontline teams into the best defence against card payment fraud.
The greatest fraud and security threat to an organisation is its people. From opening rogue emails, clicking on links to visiting dodgy websites, staff pose a significant security risk. In a few simple steps, organisations can turn this to their advantage and help contact centre agents become valuable security assets.
These steps include:
1. Keep a close eye on legislation
Organisations that follow PCI DSS, GDPR and other regulatory guidelines such as ISO and Cyber Essentials, are doing all they can to keep their customer data, and corporate reputation safe. Continued protection depends on keeping up-to-date with regulatory changes and then communicating them effectively to staff.
2. Make security awareness an intrinsic part of training
Regular awareness training will enable everyone from experienced team members to new joiners create a healthy security culture. Help agents recognise the threats and give them coping strategies in the event of a security breach. Prevention is better than cure so publish a short ‘how to’ guide on digital safety so they don’t fall victims to rogue links or dubious websites.
3. Keep a record of everything
Organisations might consider taking out an insurance policy to mitigate their liability should they fall prey to a security breach but a piece of paper is not enough. Keep a clear audit trail so that in the event of a claim when the insurance company asks ‘have you followed the right security protocols?’ organisations have the hard evidence to obtain compensation.
4. Go digital to protect customers and remote teams
Networks and equipment are largely out of the control of remote-working agents but modern de-scoping products are the answer, collecting payments outside the agent’s immediate environment. Make de-scoping part of a Digital First strategy that maximises the benefits of eCommerce to protect customers and enable agents to meet corporate security goals.
5. Be safe and inclusive at the same time
Successful brands recognise their customers have different needs and focus on delivering a safe, frictionless phone card payment experience for everyone. Add touchtone capabilities to existing out-of-hours IVR or agent-assist services. Allowing customers to share their card details using a telephone keypad is one of the simplest ways to boost inclusivity.
