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Best Practices for Secure Digital Messaging for Financial Services

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Industry Verticals

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Digital messaging is becoming ever more critical for all industries, including the financial sector. In addition, because you are responsible for handling sensitive information, secure digital messaging is both a vital service for existing customers and an excellent selling point for potential customers.

OutPLEX can assess your business goals and design a suite of messaging solutions that fits your needs and budget. Such a plan may make it easier for you to meet your business objectives and grow your business.

Keeping Customers’ Data Safe

According to Tata Consultancy Services, digital security is a team effort: both customers and their financial institutions should take proper precautions when conducting business over digital channels. Your responsibilities in this regard may include:

  • Monitoring accounts for signs of criminal activity (fraud, identity theft, etc.)
  • Alerting customers to potential fraud linked to their accounts
  • Instructing customers as to what they should do if they are a victim of criminal activity
  • Confirming a customer’s identity before conducting sensitive interactions (e.g., by asking for a predetermined password or PIN)
  • Educating customers about what they can do to protect themselves

The digital world is expanding, not contracting. It is, therefore, more important than ever—and it will be even more critical in the future—for you to use secure digital messaging systems with your customers.

OutPLEX Can Facilitate Secure, Efficient Digital Interactions

We offer a diverse array of communication solutions that:

  • Allow you to meet your business goals faster
  • Optimize your customer service experience
  • Identify areas for improvement
  • Increase upselling
  • Increase customer retention
  • Decrease labor costs
  • Improve KPIs
  • Increase overall profitability

Below are brief synopses of some of the services we offer. A member of our team would be happy to provide you with additional information on any or all of them.

SMS texting

Smartphones allow customers to bank on the go. Text conversations can make it easy for you to:

  • Allow customers to request information, such as status updates or balance inquiries
  • Remind customers about upcoming appointments, fund transfers, site maintenance, and so on
  • Inform customers about special promotions and offers that are relevant to their interests
  • Allow customers to maintain an ongoing contact channel with your brand

Chatbots

Conversational AI chatbots are an automated feature and an incredible asset to your CX strategy. They provide customers the ability to:

  • Get immediate answers to simple queries
  • Easily access other information sources or channels (e.g., a chatbot can provide a call center number if it cannot resolve the customer’s issue)
  • Direct their own customer service experience

Email

Though “primitive” compared to newer forms of digital messaging, email is still a helpful communication platform. This is especially true for banking and financial institutions, which may need to provide customers with lengthy replies about complicated topics. For example, you can email customers with:

  • Responses to information requests concerning a product, service, or action
  • Robust file attachments such as account summaries or legal documents
  • Instructions for performing a particular action (e.g., opening an account)
  • Updates concerning the products or services you offer

Email is both fast and convenient: you give the customer the information they need without putting pressure on them to respond immediately.

Social Media

Put simply, when it comes to social media, you should meet your customers where they are. According to the Pew Research Center, different demographics prefer different social media sites. OutPLEX can figure out:

  • How your customers use social media
  • Which sites are most popular with your customers
  • Which platforms get the highest engagement rates
  • How customers and the public are rating you

This information can enable you to improve and increase social media interactions and tell you what parts of your business customers like and which they think could use adjustments.

Integrating Digital Messaging for Financial Services

You and your customers may be able to get more out of your customer service offerings through the proper integration of digital channels. This could mean:

  • Consolidating vendors: Let OutPLEX handle all of your omnichannel communication needs rather than using multiple vendors for your call center, chatbot, back office, and more.
  • Enabling diversion to a different channel: For example, if a customer texts about an issue that cannot be solved via text, provide them a web address or a phone number that gives them what they need.
  • Coordinating streamlined messaging: Make sure that information provided by one channel does not contradict information given by another and that messages across all channels are up to date and accurate.

By allowing OutPLEX to supply your digital messaging and call center solutions, your business may:

  • Save money: Our customers save an average of 40% on their labor costs when they partner with us.
  • Experience less confusion: Your business only has to interact with one vendor rather than juggling many contacts, contracts, meetings, and so on.
  • Have more time to spend on other projects: With OutPLEX handling your CX operations, you are free to tackle other business goals.

Do Call Centers Have a Place in a Digital World?

Digital messaging continues to grow in usefulness and importance in the financial sector. However, it cannot replace the human touch provided by traditional call centers. In fact, you may get more out of a call center and secure messaging services by using them in tandem.

OutPLEX maintains call center facilities nearshore in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. These facilities can provide you with:

  • Trained, empathetic live agents: We teach our agents to communicate in ways that correspond with your business goals. This could include promoting a particular service or expressing sympathy when a customer gets frustrated. Your brand’s standards drive our agents’ training.
  • Great talent at low cost: It is less expensive to operate a call center in Latin America than to do so in the United States.
  • Agents who understand your customers: By nearshoring rather than offshoring, we can provide you with agents who speak excellent English and who share cultural elements with your customers.
  • Availability: Because our agents share time zones with the United States, they are alert and active when your customers are most likely to call in.
  • IVR deflection: Interactive voice response may be a valuable addition to your call center. It can identify the reasons for every customer’s call and direct them to the person or resource most helpful to them.

Just like your digital messaging channels should work in concert to provide the greatest value to the customer, your digital and traditional communication services must also work together. OutPLEX can help you do this.

Overcoming Reluctance Around Digital Messaging

Despite the many benefits of digital messaging, some companies remain wary. As the Conversocial State of CX Trends Report 2021 shows, there are many reasons why a business might be reluctant to adopt digital messaging. They may be plagued with uncertainties regarding:

  • Budgetary constraints: “Do we have the money to implement digital solutions? Will the benefits be worth the costs?”
  • Confusion around technology: “How do these technologies work? What benefits can they really provide?”
  • Employee resistance: “How do I convince my employees that adopting secure digital messaging solutions is best for our customers and for us?”
  • Confusion around vendors: “Who offers the best deal? What should the contract look like, and how can I negotiate a good one?”

OutPLEX would be more than happy to sit down with you, go through each of our service’s benefits and inner workings, and answer any questions you have on any subject. We work closely with all of our clients to:

  • Clarify goals
  • Design and develop software
  • Solve technical problems
  • Adjust messaging or channel usage based on customer needs and business goals
  • Understand available solutions, including pros and cons
  • Advise clients about which solutions may work best for them

Get a Free Quote from OutPLEX Today

To learn more about how secure digital messaging can help you achieve your business goals, call OutPLEX and request a free quote. We would be happy to tell you more about the services we offer and how they can help you grow critical parts of your business.

Learn more about our Banking & Financial Services CX Solutions.