In the last blog post in this series, we explored the first three steps to delivering an excellent and secure customer experience: starting with a CISO, involving senior leadership, and adopting a risk-based approach. In this blog post, we’ll pick up where we left off and explore the final three steps.
STEP 4: PARTNER WITH CUSTOMERS
“ConvergeOne is not a target because we are ConvergeOne,” said Buechler. “We are a target because of the customers we serve.”
Where traditionally CISOs were expected to possess keen technical knowledge, today they must also have strong consensus-building, influencing, and communication skills both inside and external to the organization.
Strong relationships within an organization are critical to implementing a successful risk-based approach. “I consider myself a consultant and a partner, offering our businesses and customers assistance and guidance,” said Buechler. He and his team work closely with ConvergeOne’s Customer Success Center (CSC) – a customer- facing contact center team – to address customer needs and concerns. “We are often the first to discover a problem on a customer’s network because we can track vulnerabilities on phone systems, working hand-in- hand with the CSC,” said Buechler.
While ConvergeOne is a large company, it has acquired several smaller companies over the years. Buechler noted that working with smaller companies brings its own challenges: “Smaller companies do not have the same emphasis on cybersecurity, though ironically it is actually easier for hackers to get in through the smaller door.” Buechler explained that establishing policies and frameworks for industry best practices—as well as a blueprint for how to interact with customers and their data—help to decrease the risk of being blindsided by serious security issues. “We have over 14,000 customers, so we partner with them to make sure we are meeting their security needs, constantly monitoring practices and controls, and listening to their questions and concerns,” Buechler added.
STEP 5: STAY ON TOP OF REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION
One of the most challenging aspects of information security management today is the shifting regulatory landscape. It is increasingly difficult for companies to stay ahead of how emerging state privacy legislation impacts not only their own systems, but also those of their customers and partners. To further complicate matters, each state has its own regulations that sometimes conflict with regulations in other states. Currently, over 100 different proposals regarding cybersecurity are being considered in statehouses across the country, and 15 states have passed data privacy laws.
Moreover, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation now brings forth the notion of privacy by design and potentially the need to also have a Data Protection Officer (DPO) in addition to your CISO has caught many organizations by surprise.
“There are 78 different regulations to consider, just for ConvergeOne, before we even connect with a customer who has its own unique regulatory suite to manage,” Buechler explained. A close partnership with legal and compliance teams – both internally and with customers – is essential to managing all touchpoints, assessing compliance, and understanding your liability as a company and with customers in the event of security issues.
STEP 6: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Biometric authentication – including facial, thumbprint, or voice biometrics – has recently been gaining popularity. Just a few short years ago, the accuracy rate for voice authentication was 86-90%. Now, it is anywhere from 93-97% accurate, depending on the audio length and if the recording is in mono or stereo.
With voice biometrics, authentication takes place in the first few seconds of the call. Both enrollment and authentication can be passive and happen in the background, without disrupting the flow of the call. Most, if not all, of the authentication process is therefore eliminated, saving an average of 40 seconds per call. Not only are you providing a more effortless and efficient customer experience, but you’ve also got a built in return on investment.
Use of AI – whether augmented or artificial intelligence – also bolsters the security of your contact center. As we shared earlier, most cyber-attacks are targeting human error, so if there is little to no human intervention, there is less opportunity for fraud to occur in your contact center.
Take Action.
Making the shift toward a more cyber-aware and secure culture can be a very onerous task for your company to take on. The same is true for determining the right technology to support a secure customer experience. That’s why you should work with a proven integrator like ConvergeOne to ensure you have the right mix of customer experience and cybersecurity solutions – ones that positively impact your security posture, are 100% compliant, use the latest field validated technologies, and reduce human error and breaches.
Topics: Customer Experience, Cyber Security
