Dec 1, 2011 -- PCI-PAL, a contact centre solution, has entered into a partnership with SecureTrading, an leading independent payment processor provider in the UK, to allow call centre agents to take card payments safely and securely.

The solution de-scopes the call centre PCI risk by permitting callers to enter sensitive credit card data using their telephone keypad whilst remaining in conversation with the call centre agent at all times. The encrypted card holder data is sent securely to SecureTrading's PCI-DSS Level 1 infrastructure.

PCI compliance for contact centres is an on-going process. It is time-consuming and costly and if not obtained, it can lead to data security breaches which may result in significant reputation and financial loss for organisations. PCI-PAL allows businesses to overcome this challenging area of compliance by restricting sensitive card data from entering organisations' premises and networks, which bears significant cost savings for the call centres.

Both PCI-PAL, which is a division of IPPlus PLC Group, and SecureTrading have large client bases which affords a mutually beneficial business relationship. PCI-PAL hopes to add real value by utilising their bulk buying power to allow customers to access SecureTrading's extremely competitive rates, as well as high levels of customer service.

William Catchpole, CEO at PCI-PAL comments: "We are very excited about the prospect of working with SecureTrading for PCI-PAL. The need for contact centres to achieve PCI compliance is a challenge faced by operations and technical teams across the sectors. Together we can supply a simple customer and agent friendly data gathering service with secure, competitive payment processing."

Tim Allitt, Head of Sales & Marketing at SecureTrading, comments: "It is always satisfying to work with a business that shares our passion for customer service and technical innovation. We look forward to working with PCI-PAL over the coming months as they seek to enhance their clients' customer experience through reduced PCI costs and increased customer service."

Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: http://www.finextra.com