Educating Customers and the Impact on Loyalty

Why is Educating Customers Important?

While customers should always be top-of-mind during contact center interactions, empowering them isn’t always the end goal. Contact center agents should, however, strive to educate customers in order to build a strong, loyal relationship. Customers rely heavily on contact centers to keep their personal data secure. Most customers don’t think twice before rattling off their sensitive data (think: social security numbers, addresses, etc.) because of blind faith in the agent and company adequately protecting this data.
 
This blind faith that consumers place in call centers is ungrounded. According to a recent survey, over 87% of IT organizations believe their security is up to par. Unfortunately, 71% of those same organizations suffered a security breach during the past year. Contact center agents themselves need to take on some responsibility for teaching customers to take reasonable steps to secure their data.
 

Educating Customers

What reasonable steps can your contact center take to educate customers?
The following are easy ways to implement sound security practices in customer interactions:
 
• Inform them of the risks in sharing sensitive information:
Even though customers generally trust contact center agents, it is helpful to demonstrate you are not taking advantage of this trust. Instead of having them give sensitive data to the agent, leverage a secure platform that enables customers to enter sensitive information via their phone keypad, where agents neither see nor hear what they enter.
 
• Inform them of data storage practices:
When customers know how and where their data is being stored, they’re more likely to be diligent about security protocols in the future. Assure them that their information is secure.
 
• Educate them about the advantages of automation:
Customers often feel uncomfortable using automated systems rather than a live agent. If they are hesitant, explain how automated systems add additional safeguards by reducing exposure to live agents who make mistakes that can lead to security breaches.
 

Impacting Customer Loyalty

With security risks and recommendations out in the open, your organization will build more loyal customers. Customers appreciate brands that focus on their protection and security, which lead to greater confidence and overall satisfaction. With a strong defense in place, your customers will feel confident that their data is in good hands.
 
To learn more about keeping customer data secure, review our software solutions comparison table, or speak with us directly to review your companies security policies. Compare Solutions
 
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