A call center is a place where customers’ problems are addressed with timely responses, and sales leads are generated. The contact centre industry is one of the most advanced and proactive sectors that has embraced automation in the early days. It is even expected that the revenue of the call centre software market will surpass USD 40 billion by 2024.
Indeed, the call center industry is opting for technology with open arms, but when 1506 data breaches were recorded in 2019 – just only in the US, it is a warning sign. Furthermore, when IBM discloses that the global average data breach cost is $3.9 million, you have to watch for the call center security trends in 2021 without any delay.
Call Center Security Trends of 2021
If you are part of call center life, you need to plan ahead of time and prepare a strategic roadmap to curb cybercriminals. That’s because the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global data center security also; thus, you should follow the latest call center security trends and keep your business protected.
1. Keep an Eye on Authentication and Authorization
If you have been following call center security trends from the last few years, you will find authentication and authorization always on the top. With the wildfire of smart gadgets and internet connections, the reach of cybercriminals has expanded dramatically. Today, there are approximately 4.57 billion internet users available in the world, and you never know which user is evil-minded.
Thus, in 2021, you have to elevate the level of authentication and authorization. You have to move from the basic KYC questions like ‘What was the name of your first pet?’, ‘Where your father was born? etc. Instead of this, you have to adopt highly secured methods such as face recognition, iris recognition, fingerprints, and so on.
However, if you don’t want to use biometric methods, social media authentication is yet another amazing solution. Just ensure that your customers are authentic and authorized to maintain high standards of security.
2. Protect your Employees from Phishing
If you are wondering that phishing is no longer a security threat as people are nowadays smart enough to pinpoint email scams, you are wrong. According to Verizon’s 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report, 22% of breaching cases revolve around phishing. Now, if you know that broken language and loads of grammatical mistakes are warning signs of phishing emails, how much time it takes to create a crisp email to target your employees – not much.
Thus, you have to protect your call center employees from phishing attacks by providing them training, including –
- Aware them of the recent tactics of hackers.
- Educate them to identify red flags such as manner of greet, urgency, grammatical errors, weird URL, unprofessional formatting, etc.
3. Be Transparent
This might sound weird call center security trend, but in the long run, it is very effective. When you don’t hide any facts from your employees, customers, and other business associates, you can develop a feeling of trust among them. Your transparency will be considered as an act of honesty, which helps in retaining your people. If you have gained the trust of your employees and customers, no amount of security breaches can tarnish the reputation of your business.
4. Control your Technology
Automation is the necessity for call center businesses; thus, you have to ensure that your tools and software are up to the mark. Your outdated software and third-party tools give a red carpet welcome to hackers. If your employees are using apps, which are banned by the government due to security reasons, it can bring lots of illegal stuff your way.
In September 2020, the US Department of Commerce has revised a list of unsafe apps, which you should immediately check. Furthermore, check the advisory issued by your local or international government before using the software. Technology is your friend, but it is a naughty friend, so you have to extra careful with it.
Stay Updated, Stay Secure
There are plenty of different call center security trends that you should watch to stay safe and secure in 2021. However, one of the crucial security tips would be staying alert. You need to install all the latest security barometers in your operations because one loophole can be very dangerous for your business. So, stay updated and secure.