The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) refers to official security standards that were designed to ensure the secure acceptance, processing, and storage of customer credit card information. All companies, regardless of size or type must abide by PCI-compliant requirements. But now that many call center and BPO agents are working from home, companies need to find a solution that processes PCI-compliant payments from any location. Here, we’ll explore some of the top things to look for in such a solution.
Work-from-home agents pose non-compliance risks
As the coronavirus rages on, all workers who are able to work from home are doing so. To outsiders, it would appear that call center employees fall neatly into that category. But as industry insiders are well aware, it isn’t that simple. Most call center agents are accustomed to working from highly structured environments that give them access to compliant software.
However, when agents are working at home, they lose access to this compliant software, particularly that which enables secure processing of
customer payments. Start/stop software, which ordinarily prevents agents from recording credit card details, is not easily applied or enforced. Furthermore, agents at home lack the supervision they had at the workplace. Even if start/stop recording is in place, it’s not always precise, and agents have more opportunities that might tempt them to do things like copy credit card details.
Call center agents who work from home without the right provisions in place expose the companies they work for to significant risk. While in the past, credit card information would be collected from
customers without software in place, that was contrary to PCI regulations and is no longer acceptable. Today’s companies must find ways for work-from-home agents to process PCI-compliant payments from their homes –– or face the consequences.
Call centers need a PCI-compliant payment solution for WFH agents –– now
Now that record numbers of call center agents are relegated to their homes, companies must start a fast search for the right PCI-compliant solution. They have to choose carefully, though. The majority of solutions are clumsy, rely on outdated DTMF technology, and take months to deploy. Companies need a solution that can be onboarded quickly to support remote agents and their
customers.
Here are some of the characteristics of a strong payment solution:
- Secure and PCI-compliant
- Economical
- Fast to deploy
- Easy to scale
- Work for all agents, both remote and in-office
- PCI DSS compliant
Many
SaaS solutions fit the above criteria, as they were built for the needs of today’s modern workplace and end
customer. Ideally suited for a remote agent workforce without access to in-person IT support, they are designed to be simple and intuitive to use, ensuring technical issues won’t jeopardize the sale. The best of these solutions enable easy and secure mobile phone payments, including collaborative requests for payment and notifications if the payment was accepted or rejected.
The top solutions are economical as well, with no high upfront fees, no legacy integration issues, and a simple per-session model, so companies based on their volume of transactions.
In order for the solutions to be effective, it must be easy to deploy from a
business and operational standpoint. It must also be easy and intuitive for
customers to use wherever they are, without the need for anything but a smartphone. This will result in higher payment completion rates, higher
customer satisfaction, and improved agent satisfaction (and retention).
Lightico’s PCI payment solution solves WFH compliance issues quickly
Lightico offers such a modern, intuitive
PCI-compliant solution that’s perfectly suited for today’s WFH call center agents. It works by allowing call center agents to request payments from
customers in real time via a secure mobile environment –– the whole process can be completed via text message link. If needed, an agent can assist via phone conversation.
After the payment has been received, Lightico stores audit and payment information for compliance and easy future reference. This mobile-optimized, agent-guided model is proven to deliver significantly higher payment conversion rates than traditional systems.
The solution integrates with existing gateways, and plugs into
workflows and CRMs using APIs, ensuring existing systems can continue running with zero interruption or additional changes.
Lightico’s secure payment solution can be operational within just 48 hours, allowing call centers to transition their agents to work from home quickly and securely.
Operations Team Can Stay Compliant And Effective
During recent weeks, call centers have been struggling how to adapt their workforce to the coronavirus. On the one hand, requiring agents to work from a crowded office poses a major health risk. On the other hand, having them work from home without the right software in place poses a significant security risk. Thankfully, today’s cutting-edge PCI-compliant payment solutions allow companies to keep their employees healthy and credit card information secure –– all while ensuring business continuity.
The Takeaway: PCI Compliance Can Easy When Working From Home
Lightico offers a PCI-compliant payment solution as part of its platform designed to expedite customer journeys. Lightico’s solution has been proven to improve payment completion rates by up to 20% and eliminate compliance risk. Learn about Lightico’s offerings including secure payments, eSignatures, ID verification, digital T&Cs, and more at Lightico.com.
