What is an automated IVR and how will it remove your PCI DSS risk?

If you’re a business owner looking to replace your call-answering system, then there’s a chance that you sometimes feel flummoxed by the options out there and daunted by finding the right system to suit your business operations.  An automated IVR solution will probably be something you’ve looked at, but what is it? And could it help your business remove it’s PCI DSS risk?

What is an automated IVR?

An automated IVR (interactive voice response) solution enables callers to navigate through a range of options using their telephone keypad or voice. We’re all familiar with ‘press 1 to go to this’ or ‘press 2 to do that’ – well, our AUTO IVR™ solution does that but with the added extra of being able to interact with the caller and carry out automated tasks without the need for a member of staff to speak to them. For example, callers can respond to a survey or a yes/no question, enter passwords and account information or make a credit card payment by inputting their card details, which is where PCI DSS compliance comes in.

So how does AUTO IVR™ remove your PCI DSS risk?

Firstly, because AUTO IVR™ does not require an agent to answer a call, it removes the risk of secure information falling into the wrong hands. According to statistics obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office, 62% of data breaches reported were as a result of human error which included information being sent to the wrong person and the loss and theft of paperwork (‘Human error causes more data loss than malicious attacks’, ComputerWeekly.com, June 2016). Removing this risk greatly reduces the chances of your business suffering a data breach and falling foul of PCI DSS regulations. Needless to say, it also saves you money on staffing costs.

Secondly, AUTO IVR™ plays a vital role in making sure that every step in your payment process is reliable and robust and in turn PCI DSS compliant. At PCI Telecom, we create bespoke solutions that work for your business, interfacing directly with your own databases and CRM systems, maintained either internally or using our secure hosted servers.  We believe AUTO IVR™ is the most adaptive, responsive and configurable solution on the market as it enables you to capture, integrate and process card payment information using a system that has Level 1 PCI DSS compliance accreditation, closing any potential cracks and weaknesses in the payment process and descoping your business from its PCI DSS responsibilities. For larger operations, we can link AUTO IVR™ with interactions and transactions being made through other means such as call centres (using PCI Agent), online and out in the field. This consolidates your payment systems and removes the risk of duplications, particularly useful if you’re dealing with items of limited stock and selling across multi-platforms.

Visit our Solutions page to find out more about AUTO IVR™ or any of our other services. Alternatively, please do get in touch here.