Protecting Data Through Secure Frictionless Experiences

In today’s competitive world, frictionless experiences are crucial for attracting and retaining customers. Whether it is your signup process or the search filter on your website, customers will probably not interact with it if it has friction. However, decreasing friction should not mean loosening your security controls. It is crucial to establish a delicate balance between customer experience and security.

Challenges faced while delivering frictionless experiences  

‍

During the discussion, different participants shared the challenges they were facing while building frictionless experiences for their customers. One participant said they find it most challenging to identify where the friction lies. Another mentioned that their company is growing through acquisitions, and it is often difficult to keep track of the merging customer bases and ensure tailored experiences for all customers. Other common challenges included:

• Establishing a balance between experience and security— being frictionless should not become a security hazard
• Lack of data
• Data compliance and regulatory requirements
• Getting the most out of customer data (preferences, buying history, etc.) and tailoring user experiences accordingly

Delivering frictionless experiences, post-COVID

‍

A speaker told the audience that COVID completely changed how they interacted with their customers. They used to sit down and talk directly with their customers. It was much easier to demonstrate value and gain customer trust when you were sitting right next to them. Doing the same electronically via conference calls etc., can be challenging. It is important to have a secure, digital way of demonstrating product/service features to the customers. The speaker added that they were fortunate enough to have the infrastructure ready to facilitate work-from-home. During the spring of 2020, they were running over 100,000 concurrent VPN connections. They provided their workforce with all the modern tools they needed to build and retain the trust of their customers and partners.

Securing frictionless experiences

‍

An executive remarked that it is crucial to implement a zero-trust model in today's remote, digital world. An identity management system with features like role-based access control, single-sign-on, short-term credentials, and adaptive authentication can help in this regard. Another exec shared that they have been using a layered defense approach to security. Using multiple security controls to protect the most sensitive areas of your infrastructure creates friction for the adversaries and stops them in their tracks.

Identifying where the friction is

‍

An attendee said that to identify where the friction lies, you must collect and analyze customer feedback. For example, they noticed a 50% return rate on orders placed at one of their websites that sells automotive parts. It seemed like many of the customers were choosing the wrong parts. To remedy this, they improved the product descriptions, revamped the search feature to provide advanced filters, and took other steps to help customers make the right choice the first time.