Every time a bank customer gets in touch, the bank must be absolutely certain that the customer is who they say they are. That service is provided via a complicated ecosystem of customer information management, communications technology, security technology, financial risk rules, customer service expertise, and customer experience design–just to scratch the surface. Banks design variants of authentication workflows for facets like channel, account type, risk scenario, and customer task. The processes are designed by hundreds of experts for thousands of other experts to execute. Naturally this all rests on shared understanding of complex and constantly evolving rules and requirements, as well as understanding the impact on customer experience.

My partner and I researched the rules, concepts, and policies governing authentication of customers within the contact center context. We documented the business process layered on top of the customer experience, based on call listening and customer analytics. Then, we used the publication as in instructional tool for over 100 partners and stakeholders in across the bank’s virtual channels organization. The resource is used to support internal initiatives such as WF’s effort to reduce reliance on knowledge-based authenticators (currently occurring in all services which rely on cybersecurity). Topics included authentication vs. identification, authentication levels, specific two-factor requirements, front-of-stage vs. back-of-stage service blueprinting, and customer empathy.