KPIs and metrics , such as CSAT , FCR , FRT ( First Response Time ), CPC ( Cost per Call ), ASA , AHT , calls blocked , abandonment rate , active waiting , peak traffic , and schedule adherence .
BUT WHAT IF YOU KNEW THAT AT LEAST 10 % OF YOUR VOICE TRAFFIC IS NOT FROM CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS SEEKING SUPPORT , BUT FROM UNWANTED SPAMMERS , SCAMMERS , AND FRAUDSTERS ?
Results from these measurements drive management and resource allocations , so the integrity of your call data has a direct impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization .
But what if you knew that at least 10 % of your voice traffic is not from customers and prospects seeking support , but from unwanted spammers , scammers , and fraudsters ?
• How would this skew your call data and their corresponding metrics and KPIs ?
• And how would that bad data affect decisions around resource allocations ?
• Finally , when a significant portion of those calls are actually nefarious in nature , do you really want your agents to be the single line of defense against skilled cybercriminals seeking to infiltrate and do harm to the businesses you represent ?
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The irony is the integrity of your operations is directly impacted by the integrity of the traffic traversing your networks . And the voice channel is , by far , not only the most vulnerable channel , but the most unprotected .
KNOW YOUR ROBOCALLS
To better understand the impact of unwanted traffic on your organization , it ’ s important to recognize the problem in its many forms , starting with the ubiquitous robocall .
Robocalls are auto-dialed calls delivering a pre-recorded message to both targeted and random numbers . While many of these calls are legitimate alerts and reminders , well over half are from unwanted telemarketers or actual scammers , mostly using spoofed ( digitally manipulated ) caller IDs to mask their true identity .
According to robocall blocking software developer YouMail , more than 50.3 billion robocalls were placed nationwide in the U . S . last year with continued growth that , despite curbing efforts put forth by Congressional actions and the FCC , sees no signs of abating .
Robocall campaigns , themselves , vary in form and so impact call center operations in a variety of ways .
... THE VOICE CHANNEL IS , BY FAR , NOT ONLY THE MOST VULNERABLE CHANNEL , BUT THE MOST UNPROTECTED .
1 . SPAM STORMS A spam storm is a sudden influx of robocalls coming into an organization . These events are mostly generated by scammers and , if hitting a call center , have multiple impacts , including overwhelming the network and degrading response times for legitimate callers .
Many of these campaigns also target an organization ’ s internal DID numbers with sequential dialing : so agents with internal DIDs are at risk of disruptions on their direct lines .
2 . DEAD AIR CALLS While organizations that use IVRs to route incoming calls may get some protection from common robocalls that fail to pass through the keypad prompts , for many systems , incoming calls go directly to call queues .
If these are robocalls , the messages have likely already played when the calls were first connected . The responding agents , then , are greeted by “ dead air ” but must still waste precious time confirming that there is , indeed , no person on the other end .
3 . TOLL FRAUD Bad actors using autodialers are exploiting contact center inbound and outbound call lines for illegal gains through several types of toll fraud . Toll fraud is a kickback scheme perpetrated by a threat agent or criminal organization in partnership with a rogue carrier .
High-value toll-free numbers , such as those used by call centers , are often the targets . Calls to those numbers are free to the callers , while the organization utilizing the number pays a per-minute per call fee to the number provider . That provider , in turn , distributes a portion of that fee to every carrier in the call path .
The criminal goal , then , is to simply keep the calls “ alive ” for as long as possible in order to generate the most revenue . In some cases , the automated incoming call is programmed to generate random keypad inputs once answered that keep the call circulating through the center ’ s IVR .