Agents can now take card payments securely from customers with the new mid-call IVR services from NewVoiceMedia (News - Alert). The service transfers the customers to an agent free IVR service for providing the sensitive card data.

The caller is automatically transferred back to the agent to conclude the call after the payment. This ensures that maximum customer service for the customers. PCI (News - Alert) compliance and a positive customer experience are therefore no longer mutually exclusive in the contact center.

In a release, Jonathan Gale, CEO of NewVoiceMedia said, “Many of our customers use our stand-alone PCI compliant IVR service; the next logical step was to integrate that level of security within the day-to-day running of their contact centers. Our customers are really excited about this approach as it allows the agents to deal with callers throughout the transaction, providing a personal touch, but not having to take their sensitive card data.”

According to Gale, the security of an automated payment solution can be now combined with the improved customer experience of dealing with an agent.

Since October 2010, compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or PCI DSS is mandatory for any company that takes credit card payments over the phone. High penalties of up to $311,868.16 per breach need to be paid by companies in case of non-compliance.

Companies are therefore achieving compliance by updating contact center infrastructure. For the first time, mid-call IVR functionality is being delivered by the integrated contact center solution, ContactWorld. PCI Level 1 compliance for card payments is allowed by ContactWorld which operates entirely from the cloud.

Gale said, “Because our service is completely cloud based, it can be deployed quickly, scaled up immediately and just requires an agent to have a phone line and Internet connection. We’re pioneering a revolution in the way contact centers operate so that service can be more personal and agents can be turned into real ambassadors rather than be shackled by cumbersome technology.”

True multi-tenant cloud architecture is used to deliver the enterprise-class contact center from NewVoiceMedia, ContactWorld. Contact centre capabilities can be accessed in a fast, flexible and cost effective manner by the customers with ContactWorld.

In other news, NewVoiceMedia is using its cloud-based telephony solution, ContactWorld, to help a new company, Communic8BPO, get under way.