Looking for a secure live chat? Check what makes livechat solutions secure, and what to take into account when choosing one. Read on to learn more and make your informed decision.
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Using live chat may be a concern for some. And this is understandable, as it means obtaining all sorts of personal info. Businesses attempt to find and run a secure live chat solution to deal with these concerns. Do you feel the same way?
Today you’ll find out what is secure chat software, how to choose it, its benefits, and more.
Secure live chat - what is it exactly?
Secure live chat is a technology that makes it possible to connect customers and perspectives with agents in real time. And most importantly, all the security procedures are kept. It is about implementing secure methods and technologies to protect sensitive data that you and your customers or prospective exchange.
When providing customer care, it happens that customers share sensitive information. Be sure to keep everything confidential and secure.
Choosing a piece of solid software is not that easy. First, there are a lot of providers, and second, the level of security varies widely between them.
But before we give tips on choosing chat software, take a look at what features a provider should offer. Let’s cut to the chase!
Features of secure live chat
Live chat is a valuable tool for both customer support and for ecommerce (but not only). Find out how.
GDPR compliance for a more secure data environment
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation implemented by the European Union. Its purpose is to protect the privacy of the personal data of its EU citizens wherever the business is located. And in other words, it is the set of rules for businesses on handling personal data.
Always check if a live chat provider is GDPR compliant (for example, Smartsupp). For other regulations, it may be worth getting the advice of a CLE trained (e.g., NBI) expert.
👉🏻 Key takeaway: GDPR and its essential component of EU law
Data privacy for better security
Data privacy is one of the top priorities in any business, and live chat software is no exception. The term (data privacy) refers to the protection of the personal information shared during chat sessions. It might be names, phone numbers, email addresses, and other details provided when a customer chats with an agent.
👉🏻 Key takeaway: Choose live chat software with solid data protection. But wait! How about using a safe, cloud-based solution from Smartsupp?
User authentication for risk detection
Before engaging in sensitive or confidential conversations, you must know whether a user is verified. And this is why your software should provide you with a user authentication feature. It gives extra security and helps to protect against unauthorized access to confidential data.
👉🏻 Key takeaway: User authentication helps to verify customers’ identities and gives more protection.
Chat activity tracking for increased security
With the tracking feature, you can catch any suspicious activity - for example:
- unauthorized access
- sharing private information
- or abusive language
Watching the chat activity allows you to react much faster, and also, it’s easier to prevent potential damage.
👉🏻 Key takeaway: Chat tracking assists in detecting unusual actions. Smartsupp offers many tracking capabilities, such as response time, chat duration, and satisfaction ratings.
Possibility of blocking malicious users for extra control
If you want to keep a respectful and professional environment, you can block a user who spams or misbehaves. Thus, you protect your business, employees, and your audience.
👉🏻 Key takeaway: You can block a user who is offensive or spammy. In the Smartsupp platform, you can do it with a few clicks.
Conversations and transcripts history for secure storage
Operators can look up and check the response and interaction quality thanks to the transcripts. But not only. Having access to past chat discussions lets agents and managers adhere to the company’s security policies and protocols.
👉🏻 Key takeaway: You can access the conversation history from three years back when subscribing to the PRO plan from Smartsupp.
Data encryption for preventing data leakage
All confidential information is safe if you implement live chat software which provides data encryption. It works like a cipher that only you can understand. It helps businesses to protect information from misuse and data leakage.
👉🏻 Key takeaway: Encryption hides data so only authorized parties can decipher it.
Take a look at some more help desk software features for business.
Risks of unsecured live chat
Here is what may happen when the live chat provider does not reliably transmit data.
Cyberattack vulnerability
Cyber attacks are actions that make individuals or organizations harmed. They take many forms, for instance, financial losses and stealing sensitive data.
Loss of customer information
When there are flaws in the live chat software’s security, data loss is possible. There’s a risk that the information can be stolen or manipulated by someone else. It might be sensitive customer data login credentials, financial information, or personal details. If the system fails, companies could permanently lose the data.
Unreliable perception of your business
Unsecure chat may affect how people perceive your brand. The danger of privacy breaches makes people not risk. They will probably choose the other company to work with that provides a more trustworthy solution.
Phishing attacks
Phishing is a kind of online fraud. The fraudsters send messages that look like they’re from legitimate companies or websites. Its purpose is to persuade recipients to share personal information like passwords or credit card details. The data is later used to steal someone’s identity or carry out fraudulent purchases with their credit cards.
An unsecure live chat system might be vulnerable to phishing attacks in many ways.
You might get into trouble if you don’t authenticate users or you don’t encrypt or modify data. Then, an attacker could potentially intercept or change the chat messages to start phishing.
Moreover, the ability of the system to identify chat agents is crucial. As a result, an attacker cannot impersonate a legitimate operator to trick users into getting their sensitive info.
Benefits of secure live chat
Choosing the right software reduces the chances of data breaches and sensitive data loss. On top of this, cybersecurity brings other advantages. Here they are 👇🏻
📈 Customer trust goes up
Online security is imperative, and it is the base of customer trust. When prospects are 100% sure that their data is secure, they will feel comfortable and trust you more. That is why you should double-check how safe is the software of your choice. You can check it by asking customer support or looking for this information on their website. Head to the website’s footer - the help tab is probably there.
🧍🏻Visitors find you more reliable
If you run an e-commerce store, you may get a lot of questions about:
- shopping
- status order
- changing the address
or other related things. And this is all confidential information. Customers often ask agents about payment information or other personal information. Providing your prospects with a reliable live chat is essential in these cases.
💻 Security for customers’ interactions is improved
With GDPR compliance and data encryption, the text is securely transmitted. It is a must when you want to provide trustworthy chat communication with visitors.
There’s a lot to be gained from online security for both consumers and your business. Assuring all the crucial protection features will enhance your credibility and also help you build relationships and trust with visitors. Apart from a live chat, you can also use tools like Arcules to take care of security in your company.
Choose a secure live chat provider
Not sure how to start? Here are a few tips on choosing the right live chat provider.
1️⃣ Evaluate its security measures
Take a thorough look at the security measures the software takes. It might be data encryption, access control, authentication, vulnerability testing, GDPR or HIPAA compliance (depending on the industry), or incident management. Decide on your priorities.
2️⃣ Compare different tools
If you’re about to choose your software, research and compare the available options. There are plenty of them on the market, so selecting one it’s not easy. And they all vary in terms of features, functionality, prices, and data privacy.
But to be happy about your live chat software, take a moment and read the reviews, or try them out in practice.
3️⃣ Read the reviews
Review websites where users express their opinions is a place you must visit before investing your money. You’ll find out what other users think about the software if it’s worth the price, and most importantly, if there are no red flags about the safety aspect.
Tips for live chat agents
Take a look at these tips for agents.
Avoid sending sensitive information via an unsecured channel
Sensitive data is any type of information that, if disclosed, could cause harm or damage to an organization or an individual. It might be personal information or financial details.
Ensure your agents use secured software
Your customers might expect you to use secure software so that their personal information is kept secure. Also, a data breach would be disastrous for your brand. With proper software security, you can avoid it.
Report abuse and scammers
When using Smartsupp, agents can report a scam and get support from the Smartsupp team. Blocking a user who behaves inappropriately is possible as well. A notable thing is also reporting such behavior to the agents’ supervisor.
Limit live chat access
Reduced access to the live chat system will protect you and your customers from unwanted or malicious chat activity. Chat operators and managers should give access only to authorized workers so they can provide reliable customer service.
❗Maintain a habit of reviewing and auditing the access level of live chat agents.
Check out 15 best practices on how to chat with customers on your website for more tips.
Start chatting with visitors only when live chat is secure
Don’t risk your audience’s trust. Prioritize security in any online communication.
Choose a tool that gives the features that make chatting secure. Do the research, compare the options, and if necessary, ask customer support questions about what security measures they take.
Still don’t know what to choose? Maybe Smartsupp?
Smartsupp as a secure live chat solution
Focus on visitors, and let Smartsupp do the rest!
It is a chat software that enables companies to communicate with prospects and customers securely. You can implement a live chat and a chatbot to support visitors whenever needed. It works perfectly as a marketing tool and shop assistance.
Moreover, Smarstupp provides all the security features. You and your visitors don’t have to worry about the risks such as cyber-attacks. Want to see how the system protects data?
Smartsupp is GDPR compliant
Data is stored safely only in the EU. Also, Smartsupp works with a data protection officer. Thanks to working with a specialist daily, you can be sure that everything is safe and secure. What’s more, Smartsupp consults with the officer about GDPR procedures regularly.
You can report a scam
If you suspect that somebody’s a scammer, you can write to the Smartsupp support team. They’ll react immediately and help you to block the user.
However, some legal restrictions make it impossible to check conversations and domains for content or activities. Smartsupp will help you to some point, but to draw the consequences, call the police.
When you create an account, Smartsupp turns off the storage of IP addresses and other sensitive data. It is possible to adjust the settings within your account.
SSL Certificate
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol used to encrypt data. It means that the information that agents and visitors send via live chat is securely protected. SSL is a standard security technology for establishing encrypted connections between servers and clients.
Businesses use SSL to encrypt their data every day. There’s no better time than now to implement this solution.
Video Recording
Video recording feature lets you track a user’s sessions. You can see:
- what they do on your website
- where they click
- and how they behave when navigating your site
Also, you can watch the session to catch any suspicious activity.
On top of that, Smartsupp is equipped with many other tools that make communicating with visitors a breeze! Check out its features and pricing plans.
Secure live chat at your disposal
Without proper security measures in place, attackers can intercept and manipulate your data. Make sure the information you exchange with the visitors is secure. Don’t wait! Use the proper chat tool to protect visitors’ privacy and confidentiality.
Smarstupp is one of the best options. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by! Sign up for a free trial, and try it out yourself.