Protecting client data remains a significant challenge in the call center industry. Given the vast amount of data handled annually, it’s nearly impossible for any single person to ensure none of it leaks to the public.
Investing in high-quality call center software is one of the most effective ways to protect incoming data. Having sufficient and appropriate resources helps a call center retain the necessary information, thereby ensuring it isn’t used against the client.
According to Select VoiceCom, a brand’s reputation can be at risk and become tainted if the company leaks concealed information. It can certainly cause companies to lose current clients and worse, companies may be subjected to lawsuits.
With the numerous compliances that the company has to make in certain security acts, it is crucial for them to select the best call center software they will subscribe to protect data and ensure the privacy of the clients. Listed below are the compliance a call center company needs to adhere to for the Best Customer Experience:
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Compliance (PCI)
This involves clients who make payments through their cards. PCI is another type of security standard specifically designed for merchants to ensure that transactions, storage, processing, and transfer of credit card information are secured and kept down to a minimum. PCI has become a requirement for businesses and call center software providers that accept credit cards of any type of card for payments. Particularly, PCI is used in e-commerce and online shopping.
Furthermore, the call center needs to have technology that supports PCI compliance:
- Utilization of encryption in the process of transferring card information.
- An updated version of the call center software to make sure that no bugs or problems arise in unexpected situations.
- Regular monitoring for risks.
- Protected storage of data inside the company.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Compliance (HIPAA)
If PCI refers to keeping information related to payments made through cards, HIPAA, on the other hand, refers to keeping and securing the health information of the client or patient in private. The healthcare industry involves caring for the patient, ensuring that all staff is efficient and provides comfort, and ensuring the clients are safe. Thus, keeping the patient’s healthcare information, such as but not limited to insurance, name, and diagnosis. Diagnostic tests are very important to be kept private. The call center company must be able to narrow down the best software they can use to preserve the integrity and privacy of the client.
For a call center company to ensure that they are in touch with HIPAA Compliance, they must make sure that the following features can be done in the software:
- Access restriction is based on the role of the one accessing information.
- The ability of software to encrypt data in matters of transmission and use.
- Software’s ability to exceptional scripting to safely gather and handle consumer data.
SOC II Compliance
The SOC II Compliance is developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, commonly abbreviated as AICPA. This compliance stipulated the criteria on how companies must process and manage customer data. It follows specific criteria: security, availability, privacy, confidentiality, and processing integrity. SOC II explains the operational efficiency of systems.
In order for the call center company to assess the effectiveness of its SOC II compliance, the following features must be met:
- Encryption of data, specifically basic information, demographics, and cards of the clients involved.
- Access restrictions are based on the role of access.
- Covers all the principles that SOC II has, such as privacy, confidentiality, availability, processing integrity, and security.
Telephone Consumer Protection Act Compliance (TCPA)
The TCPA umbrellas calls, including telemarketing, auto-dial, prerecord, text messages, and unsolicited faces. The call center companies that utilize TCPA receive calls from time to time. The act ensures that none, even a tiny part of a call, can leak to protect the client and the company from data breaches.
Furthermore, the company must be able to meet the requirements needed for TPAC Compliance:
- Regulation of the software to ensure that it is up to date and may not potentially cause a data breach.
- Limiting the people with access to the prerecorded calls or text messages to avoid data leakage.
- Real-time encryption of the call or any prerecorded calls and text messages.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Compliance
Last but not least is GDPR. This European Union-specific regulation entails data protection, security, and privacy for individuals inside the European Union (EU) and those in the European Economic Area. The GDPR sets rules for how call center companies, or companies in general, can manage and share client data. Furthermore, it also includes transmitting files and data of the client across the globe. Therefore, the GDPR has become applicable for any business concerning client data storage outside and inside the European Union.
For a company to meet the requirements of GDPR Compliance set by the EU, the software must be able to perform the following operations:
- Automatic elimination of data allows authorized workers to delete any sensitive material.
- Must be able to perform encryption when personal data is transmitted or stored.
- Has the capacity for special security privileges for administrators with regard to content elimination.
When customers trust that their data is secure, a company can deliver high-quality, positive service. This can be attained by subscribing to the best call center software:
Conclusion
With technological advancements, data breaches are one of the greatest problems you can face. As humans, we need a constant reminder that an imaginary boundary is set to protect us from people who may cause us harm. If companies do not value protecting the client’s information, it may cause a bad reputation for the company and can be a factor why people will never trust the service provider again.
Trust is gained through time and a constant reminder that the client is in safe hands. You should be a living epitome that trust is not expensive; it just needs a little keeping and protection.
FAQs
Q: How can call center software protect my data?
A: The system installed in the software allows the company to store their client’s data in the most convenient and ensured way. Call center companies usually invest in software that caters to their needs and the client’s needs.
Q: What should I do if the company reports that identities in the system have leaked?
A: Most companies have a plan if unforeseen circumstances like this happen. You must call them and ask what happened and what is going to happen to save all the data from spreading.
Q: I’m afraid the company is sharing my information with other companies; what should I do?
A: The company in charge of your data can only share information if they have a valid and firm reason for doing so. Companies must have a lawful basis for data sharing and must be able to keep track of it to ensure that the data is not used in illegal matters. Moreover, consent must be given to the concerned person to make sure that the company is not committing a data breach or crime.
