How Will SHAKEN/STIR Affect Contact Centers?

Last November 2018, Chairman Ajit Pai of FCC (Federal Communications Commission) demanded that phone companies must adopt a robust call authentication system for all carriers. The statement meant to target the increasing problem of fraud associated with spoofed robocalls. That’s how the phone industry developed the SHAKEN/STIR Standard to help address the said problem. This technology will work to strengthen the authentication processes used by Caller ID Systems.

For a deeper dive into SHAKEN/STIR, check out our last blog here.

Contact centers, which are mostly based outside the country, may experience some impact from this change. However, only those working outside legal bounds will find this new standard as an inconvenience. Contact centers usually have legal permission to deliver spoofed automated calls (robocalls) for customer service and telemarketing purposes. That’s why they will only need to adapt to the change.

The adaptation process will mostly involve changing or updating their call authentication systems to the SHAKEN/STIR Standard. Also, since many calls from contact centers are delivered through VoIP (Voice over IP) interface, the new set up will use the SHAKEN/STIR delegation feature for VoIP. Contact centers involved in white hat operations don’t need to worry. The new standard is designed to help protect consumers and build up their trust.

What Can Contact Centers Do to Prepare for this Change?

With the adaptation of the new SHAKEN/STIR Standard, carriers, and consumers will become more wary of automated calls, especially of those flagged by the system. It may also become commonplace for many legal robocalls to be flagged during the early phases.

To successfully adapt to this change, contact centers must focus on working on building trust with their customers. To help consumers trust your calls, you need to use a renewed approach that will distinguish you from the illegal spoofers.

Some of the things you can do to rebuild customer trust include:

• Changing or revising your scripts that may have been pirated by illegal spoof callers.
• Reinforcing the trustworthiness of your contact center’s main call-back number. You can do this by including it in customer messages sent through other channels like email, web content, or chat support interface.
• Increasing customer knowledge of the correct call-back numbers for customer services. This can be done by emphasizing them in product instructions, manuals, and labels.

The changes that the new SHAKEN/STIR Standard brings will affect both consumers and the call industry. It may cause changes in the way some contact centers operate, but it will be for the better of both sides.

CH Consulting Group provides unparalleled expertise in the Contact Center and Customer Experience (CX) verticals. We have a nationwide team of industry veterans that can assist you to achieve exponential growth, manage change, and generate profit. For a comprehensive CX assessment and strategic plan customized for your unique business needs, connect with us here today.