Why data security is critical to the future of CX

Computer, enhance.

Rotate. Enhance.

Zoom in. Enhance.

Breach identified and resolved.

Ah … would that it was this simple to fix a leak of sensitive and business critical information.

In real life, data breaches are messy and the cleanup rarely smooth. That’s why it’s critical that companies pay attention to the role of data security and that customer experience teams formulate strategy with security in mind.

How do companies avoid embarrassing themselves, their shareholders, and most importantly their customers with poor security and malware attacks? And can organizations gain insight into the customer experience without crossing the line from considerate to creepy?

CX means designing software with data security in mind

It’s important to design systems that allow the customer to opt in when gathering feedback. The organizations that lead the way in voice of the customer research have software designed to act responsively on the digital journey.

In practice this means the most sophisticated data tools will use artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze whether customer feedback potentially contains sensitive personal information. As the customer progresses through a survey they may be asked questions such as “Are you sure you want to enter that?”.

The system may also redact what looks like private information. This has the dual purpose of keeping customers accountable for what information they provide as well as allowing the organization collecting the data to be more mindful of what they are gathering. By making the customer a partner in the feedback process sensitive data is less likely to be exposed.

Enter the dragon: Shadow risks

Sometimes, however, the threat lies within.

“Otherwise well-intentioned employees may create systems of gathering feedback that aren’t in compliance with what’s generally expected. This can spell disaster in terms of data governance, and exposing the company to risk, as well as controlling the after-shocks of a leak of sensitive or confidential data,” said Stephanie Thum, Chief Advisor of Federal Customer Experience at Qualtrics.

According to Adam Marre, a former FBI special agent and now Qualtrics Information Security Operations Leader, companies that don’t clearly outline staff responsibilities on how data is gathered and distributed are asking for trouble.

In a webinar he outlines 5 main risks of employees going off-grid with data practices:

• If staff use a tool without the knowledge of IT or HR there is zero visibility. You don’t know what’s being collected, gathered or tracked.
• IP can walk out the door – any intellectual property leaves with whoever controls the account.
• No brand control – the company has limited control over messaging, and compliance requests for data or control are very hard to enforce.
• Distribution issues – with no oversight or methodology around sending feedback, the potential for customer complaints on being ‘spammed’ can increase exponentially.
• Most importantly sensitive Data is out there, and you don’t know who has access to it.

It’s a matter of trust: Why data security is critical to the future of CX

Without building consensus at all levels, keeping an organization compliant with their internal data policies and external legislation (for example GDPR) will be an uphill task.

Thum wants CX security to be elevated to “the same level as discussion of finances and human resources. You need that customer voice at the table to get that airtime. I would love to have the CRO and CXO looped in and advocating for customer feedback in a way that sets the agenda for the entire organization.

At the end of the day, it’s about more than just data. It’s about the customer experience, and that’s a human endeavor.”