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When it comes to making important decisions that streamline the services you provide to customers, security is often the first measure that requires special attention. Text messaging as a communications and payment solution is rapidly being adopted across every industry – from restaurants and pharmacies to nonprofits, utility providers and beyond – due to consumers’ determination to stay safe and stay contactless in the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are key concerns that need to be considered when making an important business decision that can potentially expose customer information. Ensure that you select a partner that adheres to these key security considerations:
Select a Certified Platform
Business owners must rely on their partner platform adhering to certified security standards. These certifications protect the customers’ information just as much as they protect your business and services.
SMS Opt-In Rules and Tips
Partners will sometimes take the easy route of bulk messaging without attaining prior consent. While these are a surefire way to anger and lose customers, some carriers will even block bulk messages as spam – meaning your communication never reaches them.
Your text message solution partner should fully support SMS Opt-In guidelines. This means recommending that you issue an inaugural message inviting customers first with something along the lines of: “For your convenience and safety, we now offer the option to pay your bill through text message. Reply STOP if you would like to decline this convenient option. To reinstate pay by text, call the office at any time.”
Healthcare providers can include Opt-In language for text messaging in the organizations standard Release of Information form to streamline the process.
One such regulation in place to ensure consent is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). TCPA is a governing framework that affects how businesses can send messages to consumers. More specifically, it’s a federal statute enacted in 1991 created to safeguard consumer privacy, placing restrictions on voice calls, SMS texts and fax. Its main intent is to prevent consumers from receiving unwanted auto-dial calls and text messages.
TCPA’s legislature outlines that a consumer’s opt-in to receiving text messages must be documented and that they are able to easily opt-out at any time. It also specifies that text messages can only be sent between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in that consumer’s time zone, unless otherwise authorized by the opt-in agreement.
Authenticate and Verify
Two-factor authentication (2FA) provides an extra layer of security that ensures the individual trying to access an account is actually that person. The first layer is a username login and password, which is fortified by a second “factor” instead of immediately granting access. The second layer can come from a few different categories:
The double layers of authentication ensure that an account can’t be accessed if the username and password become compromised, there is still a second factor which is highly unlikely to be compromised as well.
Likewise, payment verification ensures the data used to make a payment is identical to the information on file. This could be something as simple as your billing information matching that which is on file with your credit card company. It’s a critical part of successfully paying by text message for both consumer and business owner.
Your partner should take data security very seriously. Incorporating the above considerations along with a fully encrypted authentication access method and other security measures should be built into the design and management of their solution. They should keep the protection of sensitive integrated partner and customer information top priority.
This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author.
Alexander Boehm Chief Executive Officer at PayRate42
02 September
Azimkhon Askarov Co-partner at CONCRYT
Edvards Margevics Co-partner at CONCRYT
30 August
Ellen Roberson Global Marketing Advisor, Risk, Fraud & Compliance at SAS
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