For many companies, IVRs are the cornerstone of an effective customer experience (CX) strategy. IVRs have the ability to provide seamless and cost-effective CX, meeting customer desires for more self-service options, and improving team efficiency by handling routine queries, so your team can focus on other tasks and high-priority interactions.

But while IVRs are desirable for both contact center leaders and customers alike, they can also leave your business vulnerable to potential risks if not properly monitored and tested. 

In recent years, customers and regulatory bodies have increased their concerns regarding data privacy and the risk of cyberattacks.

As a result, it’s up to your business to ensure your systems are equipped to protect your customers’ sensitive data and mitigate potential vulnerabilities that can leave the door open to bad actors. Businesses that fail to properly test and optimize their IVR channels may put their reputation and customers at risk.

Understanding IVR Security Vulnerabilities

When interacting with your brand, your customer may be required to share sensitive information such as names, addresses, payment information, contact details, and more.

And, as hackers and cybercriminals look for new ways to exploit vulnerabilities, it’s important to understand the security risks that your IVRs may pose.

For example, a customer may use your IVR to request a refund for a clothing item. During the interaction with the IVR, the customer would be asked to share information such as their order number, address that the item was delivered to, their payment method and card number, and more.

All this information is sensitive and demands strict security to ensure that it isn’t leaked or at risk of falling into the wrong hands.

Your customers have faith that they can trust your business with their information. But what happens if that trust is broken, and they find out that their information has been compromised? In the example above, the customer shares their payment information under the pretense that it’s secure and safe from bad actors or any misuse.

Target of a Cyberattack

If your business is the target of a cyberattack and their information is leaked, the customer will likely feel a deep sense of distrust in your brand. Instead of feeling that their information was protected. They will likely have misgivings about trusting your brand again and may make the switch to a competitor.

At the end of the day, security is about more than just keeping any bad actors out. It’s about protecting your customers and preserving their trust. As soon as your customers believe that your brand isn’t prepared to secure their sensitive data, it’s more likely that they’ll seek out a competitor that can meet their expectations. And that means that you’ll lose out on key business and face increased churn.

Taking a Proactive Stance with Automated IVR Testing

If your brand experiences an incident, it’s already too late to recover the damages. Your customers depend on your ability to protect their information. Any security-related risk has the potential to tarnish your reputation and drive away necessary business. That’s why it’s critical to adopt a proactive stance when it comes to your IVR’s security.

However, traditional and manual processes for testing are incredibly time-consuming and can put a drain on your contact center’s team time and resources. Compared to manual testing, an automated testing solution can provide many key benefits, including:

Testing Scalability:

When conducting manual processes, your team can only test a small portion of your infrastructure. Comparatively, automated testing solutions enable a more thorough assessment of your system’s performance. 

Frequent and Consistent Testing Cadences:

Compared to manual testing, which can take hours to verify only a small portion of your infrastructure. An automated IVR testing solution enables teams to schedule tests at regular intervals, without the need for intervention. 

Faster Issue Detection and Remediation:

Often, your team is unaware when CX-related issues occur. In many cases, you may only be notified of a defect through a customer complaint. But by that time, it’s already too late, and your brand’s reputation and business has already been damaged. Automated IVR testing solutions send immediate alerts—as soon as an issue occurs, you can begin troubleshooting and reduce the time your customers will be exposed to vulnerabilities.

Reduced Cost:

Manual tests are expensive, costing your team time, energy, and resources, for minimal return. By contrast, automated testing solutions help you cut out unnecessary expenses. Allowing your team to reallocate their time and lowering your overall testing expenses. 

Automated IVR testing solutions empower you to regain control over your CX development and minimize security risks that can leave your business vulnerable.

The Cyara Advantage

When it comes to improving your IVR’s security and mitigating potential risks, there’s no time to wait. Cybercriminals are constantly building strategies to take advantage of your business and customers. Any businesses that fail to proactively test and monitor their CX channels. Putting their customers in harm’s way and can face serious consequences in the event an incident occurs. 

Cyara’s automated IVR testing solutions are designed to help you regain visibility and control over your entire CX development lifecycle. When you choose Cyara, you can leverage real-time data to drive better CX performance. Receive real-time alerts when CX errors emerge. It assess your systems with a wide range of load, functional, and regression tests.

As data privacy and security has become an increasingly hot topic in recent years. It’s up to you to ensure your infrastructure’s performance. And equip your contact center with the necessary tools to identify potential risks. When you make security a priority, you will earn your customers’ trust and secure your business’ future.