Call Center Compliance

Call center compliance definition

So, what is the definition of call center compliance? Compliance means following a set of rules/orders. Thus, it is basically following certain rules of a call center. For instance; call center security and PCI compliance.

Call center security

It is important for the call centers to have the latest generation security protocols. We can perpetually end up with a large vulnerability like employee entry portals and email. Thus, it is possible to store the company details in a virtual data room.

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. Call centers usually have Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to double-check on the credentials of the caller. If the details, which contained information about the bank cards, email addresses, and date of birth, have been previously leaked, there is a danger of 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:

Knowledge management systems

Knowledge management systems also pose significant risks if not properly secured. Ensuring these systems are well-protected is crucial for maintaining the integrity of company information. This, in return, helps ramp up productivity and lower operating costs.

Temporary employees

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. This is 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 to steal private data.

External threat

There has been a huge rise in external threats lately. It looks 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 debit and credit cards have led to an increase in direct mobile fraud.

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 victimized on social media

PCI compliance – Call center

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. It is important for achieving call center compliance. If not achieved, there could be a damaged reputation, loss of business, and even penalties that start as high as $5000/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 with an antivirus program.

Protect data of the cardholder

The encryption of customer information is one of the first steps 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 accessing any 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 for the call center. These 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.

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