n response to the outburst of Covid-19 and the implementation of new health regulations, the workforce had to adjust to the changes. Millions of workers who used to work in the office had to find a way to bring the office to their homes.
Almost three years have passed since the pandemic’s start, and companies are finding it difficult to bring fully in-person positions back. As workers have had a taste of the benefits of working from home, it is unlikely that people will want to break those current habits and routines.
According to data collected fromcallcenterhelper.com, they found that 81.6% of contact centers that were surveyed remain remote or partially remote in 2022.
The benefits of working from home are numerous, but there are also many risks involved in remote work. This is especially true for contact centers that deal with sensitive information on a daily basis depending on the use cases involved. Due to the social distancing restrictions put in place and workers having to transition to a work-from-home environment, strict security regulations had to be implemented for WFH agents to protect customers’ data.
Risks to Customer Privacy
The State of Data Security in Contact Centers reports that 72% of contact center agents who collect credit or debit card information over the phone stated that they still require customers to read payment card numbers out loud. Moreover, 30% of agents said they have access to customer payment information even after the call ends. When agents were working in the office, there was a wide range of security measures in place to maximize the safety of customer information such as cameras and other compliant software. Agents working from home cannot be supervised like they once had in the workplace, putting the companies they work for at significant risk. Yet, there are a number of solutions that prevent the need for agents to be exposed to customers’ sensitive information. Agents could then offer customers a self-service option when needing to obtain any personally identifiable information (PII), therefore reducing risk and increasing customer trust.
Overcoming Work-From-Home Risks
In an era where 81.6% of agents work from home, there has to be a simple solution to preventing the risks associated with a lack of security. Companies have been investing in a multitude of high-level security measures for remote agents to still be able to take payments over phone calls. New solutions can integrate with the existing CRM and allow the agent to send over a link to the customer via email or SMS. This link would be accessible on any device. Once the customer gets the secure link, they will be prompted to insert their payment details like on any other e-commerce site. This way the customer is the only individual who would see the payment information. Once the transaction is completed successfully, the relevant CRM will be updated, and the agent will be able to confirm to the customer that the payment went through, without the agent being able to view the payment details.
Companies such as Zappix offer solutions like Agent Assist to their clients which enables secure transactions, reduces agent burnout, and lowers AHT, which in turn lowers the cost per call and provides more secure handling of sensitive data. On top of secure digital payments, Zappix Agent Assist can help agents send out smart forms, picture uploads, document downloads, and surveys. The Zappix Agent Assist solution provides businesses with a dynamic way to implement best practices and further improve and develop their business operations. Businesses optimize the handling of live calls while customers enjoy an improved customer experience.
