Is IM Archiving Part of Your Compliance Plan?
January 18, 2018
By Maurice Nagle, Web Editor
For those who believe IM is a millennial manifestation, they would be mistaken. Instant messaging touts a history of more than 50 years, while today it is a key component in business communications, serving our real-time digital era well. However, with new compliance regulations coming to pass, it is important to remember best practice in protecting your business from lofty fines.
When it comes to compliance, mandates are affecting a great number of verticals with the likes of education, government, financial services and healthcare touched most. In May, GDPR will come into play, but currently legislation like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act target call accounting scandals. Viewing IM as a correspondence, it is vital to keep records of these interactions.
This is where IM archiving comes in. Creating an easily searchable and discoverable repository is a strong step in creating a compliance plan. When the need arises to access these files, one can pull them up in the same interface as video or audio recordings via searchable HTML/rich text and gain the ability of piecing together conversations.
For example, your contact center receives an IM from Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith is already having a rough day, and now there is something wrong with the product or service you sold her. As Ms. Smith moves through the omnichannel chain of communications, the “paper trail” is illustrated in a digestible manner and, more importantly, in compliance.
IM archiving offers insight into team behavior. By engaging in an internal communications audit, companies can correct any actions not in compliance, ensuring operations are on the up-and-up before any outside parties are involved.
All communications should be recorded and archived in this highly regulated business landscape. Protecting patients, customers and prospective clients can go a long way, and I don’t simply mean avoiding hefty fines. Building a loyal customer base is pretty cool too!
What measures is your organization taking to ensure compliance?
Edited by Erik Linask