Call center security is more crucial than ever, as more contact centers switch to a remote or hybrid working style. The good news is that the issue of security can be resolved in a variety of ways by following the crucial security checklist.
Why is Call Center Security Important?
Every data breach costs your company money. The average cost of a data breach, according to a report by IBM, is $3.92 million, and that figure is rising. Also, your contact center houses a variety of sensitive data. On home PCs and business servers, you can find names, contact information, and even social security numbers. Because of this, data breaches can seriously endanger the security of your customers as well. Remote work exposes many devices to the Internet and spying eyes, thereby making contact centers more susceptible. Fortunately, there are resources you may employ to reduce risk and safeguard your assets.
Use these call center checklists or best practices to protect your data, and be sure to involve your staff in your security initiatives as well. In a climate where staff work remotely and IT staff are overburdened with network and external service demands, a comprehensive approach is even more essential.
5 Call Center Security Checklist To Protect Customer Data
1. Prevent login-time attacks
The login webpages for your services are the first security gates you erect between the internet and your company’s data. In the modern workplace, employees are tempted to repeat login information or rely on passwords that are simple to remember and also simple to guess. Both scenarios pose risks.
Today, providing a streamlined user experience underpinned by potent security measures is the key to protecting data. Single sign-on is available from cloud service providers and is supported by field-tested guidelines; these cloud services include SAML, multi-factor authentication, and SCIM. Your employees and data security will benefit greatly from single sign-on (SSO). When your IT staff and cloud providers deploy it correctly, you gain access to improved threat detection and reduced password fatigue.
2. Establish role-based access
Another technique to increase security is to isolate the resources that an agent interacts with after they start using your software. The same rule applies to software and cloud resources: you would never give a new, low-level employee access to company-sensitive secrets, the business checkbook, etc.
Over 84% of hackers include social engineering in their attack plans. They expose the flaws of your employees to access passwords rather than exposing your technology. This is a challenging problem to manage and was the cause of previous breaches at Verizon and Twitter.
Role-based access restricts access to information based on necessity and job title for employees. With time, you may gradually give employees more access based on your confidence and their status in the organization. After a promotion or vulnerability is discovered, they enable you to instantly revoke access. Any effective security strategy should include quick responses to attacks and limiting access to resources that are crucial.
3. Make use of encryption
Your weaknesses go beyond just your remote agents or in-house employees. Threats might be found in your database as well. Hackers can spy on data traveling across your intranet or over the Internet using spoofing and man-in-the-middle attacks. Unencrypted files can be easily seen by an attacker if they gain access to your computer.
Encryption aids in fending off these dangers. TLS, SSL certificates, and virtual private networks all serve to secure data as it travels from one point to another.
4. Monitoring of threat in contact centers
No system is error-free. Even SSL has vulnerabilities that are constantly being found. It can be difficult to keep an eye on every transaction and act promptly when a threat emerges due to the abundance of attack vectors. Leverage on cloud services and third-party solutions that use artificial intelligence to detect real-time risks. Advanced threat monitoring tools are available from Google, Azure, etc.
5. Keep stern security guidelines in place.
Whether your agents are in the office or working remotely, make it clear to them that call center security is not something to be taken lightly. Every year, conduct an audit of your call center and include security in your training. The combination of implementation and review fortifies your call center against a security breach.
Conclusion
Remote employment exposes numerous systems to attack, from insecure logins to storing customer data. Follow best practices, streamline and protect your login portals, assign roles to your remote agents, encrypt your data, keep an eye out for risks, and adopt and review security rules to stay on top of your data security.
Many organizations are afraid to outsource their customer service base because of the fear of releasing their sensitive data and also protecting their customers’ information. However, businesses that have trusted and worked with us at EmpireOne Contact Center have not regretted it, as we safeguard every bit of data from internet attacks. We make use of cloud services and the latest tools to ensure that your data is safe. Not only that, our team is in compliance with these principles, and we keep an eye on them to ensure they are compliant. If you are looking to outsource your customer service department, reach out to us today.
