Multi-factor authentication is prevalent in today’s world. From email to bank logins, many companies have employed tools like 2-factor verification to make their services more secure. As the world moves to one where the majority of interactions may happen online and through the phone channel, out of necessity, the proper identification of users and customers brings itself to the forefront as call volumes spike and capacity issues stemming from absenteeism, sickness, and country-wide shutdowns continue.
In this post, we will explore multifactor authentication, and it’s growing importance in the era of Coronavirus.
What is Multifactor Authentication and What is its Application in The Call Center?
Multifactor authentication is the use of multiple disparate data points to authenticate or verify identity. In practice, its application in call centers means the utilization of numerous data points to ensure the caller is genuine. Voice, device, and behavior are 3 common points used to authenticate callers. Using technology to assist the agent in authenticating the caller reduces the cost per call by reducing the time agents are on the phone and can improve NPS by delivering personalized customer experiences.
How to Employ Multifactor Authentication For Your Call Center
Employing multifactor authentication and reducing customer agitating practices like KBAs that slow time to validate the caller will shave precious seconds off of each call, improving customer wait times, experience, and improve security posture. Below are four considerations for you concerning multifactor authentication in your call center:
4 Considerations for Call Center Identity Authentication
- Consider Your Metrics. Multifactor authentication should reduce your call handle time by authenticating customers faster than your current processes. Passive authentication options can begin to verify identity before the phone rings. Pindrop PassportTM, for example, reduces call handle times, a significant boost to handle time metrics. Employing a solution that hardens your call center to attack while also improving customer experience is a win-win for your security and your brand.
- Consider Disaster Recovery. In a post Coronavirus world, we should all be more focused on business continuity. Your call center authentication solution should be one that scales and adapts with any rapid changes happening in your call center. Authentication solutions that cannot be managed in the cloud are less flexible and should be avoided if concerned with faster scale and disaster recovery.
- Consider Your Agents. Reduced productivity and capacity due to environmental changes are to be expected in companies that have had to take their first work from home steps in the past few weeks. Changes in available technology, internet bandwidth, and even personal space can negatively impact productivity and ultimately call center capacity. Employing a multifactor authentication solution that requires no human interaction helps agents move through calls more efficiently—quickly resolving issues without the stress of authentication.
- Consider Effectiveness. Any authentication solution that requires human interaction to enroll will be less effective than its counterpart that does not require that interaction. Passive authentication enrollment requires no cognitive or time burden on the customer or the agent and results in higher authentication rates. With no time commitment required, every customer can be automatically enrolled based on a company’s own policy.
In short, multifactor authentication and more so passive multifactor authentication is the future of call center optimization. The passive approach offers many benefits concerning security, operations, and customer experience. Call center leadership looking to increase capacity, improve customer experience, reduce agent stress, and address fraud costs should seriously consider multifactor authentication as a solution.
Pindrop® multi-factor authentication solutions help contact centers authenticate legitimate callers quickly and accurately, no matter where you or your agents are located. To learn more about passive authentication, visit our product page. To gain actionable insights, access to exclusive research and curated content for call center leaders join Pindrop Pulse, our curated content community.
