Choose How To safeguard Your customer’s Privacy Through Number Masking?

by Harish Thyagarajan | Aug 21, 2018

With about2.5 billion smartphone users across the world, the rate of online app markets are growing at a higher wavelength to match the expectations and cater to the needs of these smartphone users. Businesses strive to be on top of their game by providing 100% customer satisfaction. In the age of social media, accomplishing brand loyalty by safeguarding customer’s privacy is a great way to improve business ROI. Enterprises are focusing more on improving customer experience by providing step by step information to end users. Depending more on technologically sound platforms to bridge business communication gaps is the need of the hour. But how can customers be sure that their numbers are safe in the hands of the third party? Cloud telephony helps businesses address this issue through Number Masking. Cloud telephony providers help businesses connect with customers on a personal level by providing the necessary tools and platform to engage customers better. While providing customer satisfaction is the chief aim, businesses also need to focus on keeping customer’s data and privacy in mind. There are numerous situations in daily life where customers and other stakeholders need to be connected in real-time in order to achieve the successful exchange of information. Cloud Telephony providers like Kaleyra provide user-friendly platforms that help enterprises, startups to communicate in real-time through their Cloud-based Messaging and Voice platform.

How is Cloud Voice solutions helpful?

For some businesses, communication can be enabled through messages. But businesses that have the need to connect customers in real-time, Cloud-based voice solutions take the center stage. It could be for cab aggregators who are trying to connect riders and drivers in real-time to exchange information about location, or to convey the expected eta, etc. For e-commerce businesses, delivery agents can contact the customer to know if they are available to collect the delivery, etc. But the major issue was how to ensure that customer data is safe and privacy is not compromised. We’ve all heard of incidents that involved customers getting troubled by drivers to post the trip or delivery agents getting numerous calls on their personal number from customers to accommodate early delivery creating chaos in their work pattern. To address such issues, Cloud telephony providers like Kaleyra offer Call masking/Number masking as one of the main products to help businesses to safeguard customer privacy and provide them with a secure platform.

What is Call Masking/Number Masking?

Call Masking is a technology that is used to safeguard your customer’s privacy by connecting them with your agents without exposing their real phone numbers. Instead of connecting two people directly, Cloud telephony providers bridge the call between these two users through a virtual number. These numbers are usually active only temporarily and valid only for that particular instance.

How does it work?

For any cloud solution introduced, connecting the product to a real use case always benefits businesses to understand the platform and product better. For example, if a cab driver is trying to connect to the customer, Kaleyra’s platform will connect both these parties without revealing either party’s personal number. Once the driver clicks on the number to contact the customer for a particular ride, he will see a virtual number that connects him to the customer through Kaleyra’s voice platform. Similarly, the customer will not be able to see the driver’s mobile number and the number that is displayed is the virtual number assigned by Kaleyra. The number assigned is valid only for that particular trip and thus customer privacy is ensured. With a majority of people shopping online, e-commerce businesses have to rely on logistics partners to fulfill the delivery requirement. If Cloud messaging solutions offer communication to track shipment, order confirmation, cancellation, etc. Cloud voice solutions usually help to connect end users in real time. So masking customer and delivery agent’s number to safeguard privacy is very important. For these businesses, the delivery agents normally dial the number shown on the app and contact the customer through the virtual number assigned by Kaleyra. For customers, the virtual number is shared along with a 4-digit pin. Once the customer dials from the registered mobile number and enters the four-digit number, the call is automatically routed to the delivery agent through Kaleyra’s voice platform. This way both the delivery agent and customer’s identity is masked since only the assigned virtual number is displayed. To know how Kaleyra helped Flipkart using number masking for multiple scenarios, check out our case study about Flipkart by clicking here. Call masking is also used by independent medical websites like Practo, Credihealth that connects doctors and patients every single day by masking their personal numbers and connecting them through Kaleyra’s voice platform through a virtual number.

Benefits of Call Masking

Since we are now familiar with how Number masking works, Let’s take a look at how businesses can benefit by using this feature:

1. Cost-effective

Before cloud telephony voice solutions were used by businesses, driver, delivery agents had to incur high mobile bills at the end of month by calling customers from their personal number. But this can now be avoided completely since businesses have switched to cloud platforms that acts as a bridge to eliminate communication gap between end users.

2. Operate globally

Cloud telephony providers have strong network operator connections across the globe. This gives the advantage to procure local numbers and contact customers thus allowing the customers to believe you have a local presence while you operate globally.

3. Prevent getting spammed

The numbers that are provided by Cloud telephony providers are usually quarantined and verified. This not only helps businesses to prevent getting spammed, it allows users to stay connected by eliminating cross-talk.

4. Detailed reports

Through detailed call reports and call recordings that are made available by Cloud telephony providers, businesses can get a clear picture about agent productivity. Real-time reports also help businesses to know if the agent actually contacted the customer or not. Recordings also act as a feedback tool through which businesses can concentrate on improving their service to customers and achieve brand loyalty.

5. In-platform transactions

Call masking helps businesses to keep their transactions within the platform and prevent buyers and sellers to engage in transactions that are off-platform. This helps businesses to monetize better. To have a modern approach to businesses, call masking is very essential since businesses deal with sensitive information on a daily basis. Number masking not only allows businesses to show that they are willing to go that extra mile to keep customer identity intact by protecting their identity and not sharing any sensitive data, it also sends a clear message that as brands you care a great deal about customers too. Due to the massive amount of growth in the online platform sector, customers share a great deal of information in public platforms. Businesses have millions of customers to cater to every second from all over the world. It becomes the business’s responsibility to keep the customer’s information and data safe. To cater to growing business demands and achieving 100% customer satisfaction it’s important to explore solutions that can give businesses the much-needed push to serve their growing customer base better.Cloud telephony solutions such as call masking does exactly that. It offers unique solutions according to business requirements and thus bridge communication gaps.