Securing the Contact Center: Deliberate Friction or Seamless Service?

By: Carissa Upshir, MVP, Contact Center Strategic Initiatives, Velera

Members contacting their credit union expect a seamless interaction – and security measures that introduce excessive friction can lower their satisfaction. Fraudsters, however, recognize this and increasingly seek to exploit the human elements of member service with methods that grow increasingly more sophisticated, industrialized, and automated.

In U.S. contact centers, fraud attempts now strike every 46 seconds. Attackers no longer rely on manual impersonation; they use bots, spoofed numbers, and AI‑generated voices to scale attacks. Deepfake voice technology enables attackers to mimic tone, cadence, and background noise convincingly. And as generative tools become cheaper and more accessible, high‑quality impersonation will become the norm. Pair that with massive amounts of leaked account data, and attackers have all the tools they need to pass traditional knowledge‑based verification.

So how do we fight back while providing low-friction, efficient member service?

Effective contact center security relies on multiple complementary controls; no single method stands alone. The most effective contact center security strategies deliberately apply friction, both in front of and behind the scenes, for a balanced experience.

Deliberate Friction

While minimizing friction is important, eliminating it entirely is neither realistic nor responsible. The goal isn’t to remove friction; it’s to apply it intentionally based on risk. At Velera, authentication is not one-size-fits-all; we leverage capabilities such as one-time passcodes and dynamic call risk scoring to determine when additional verification is needed – and as risk indicators increase, we introduce additional layers of authentication to protect the member and the account. 

For legitimate members, much of this happens seamlessly in the background. For higher-risk interactions, friction is applied where it matters most, which ensures the right level of protection without slowing down every interaction unnecessarily.

Behind-the-Scenes Protection

Modern security measures that employ artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning play a pivotal role in identifying and mitigating fraud in the contact center. Drawing on a comprehensive data ecosystem, these technologies analyze patterns and anomalies in real time, enabling contact centers to respond swiftly to potential threats.

Conversational authentication allows trust to be established naturally during the interaction – evaluating risk, device, voice patterns, and behavioral signals to assess legitimacy in near real time, with decisions governed by a flexible policy engine that builds profiles for authentic callers. Using AI and machine learning, Dynamic Call Risk Scoring provides a single, comprehensive risk score for each call, from the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) through the agent call stage. The system uses Deep Voice™ analysis, phoneprinting, and Toneprinting™ technology, which recognizes vocal patterns and can detect bots and reconnaissance to identify attackers gathering information.

Conducted in the background with hassle-free multifactor authentication (MFA), behind-the-scenes checks help reduce operational costs, lower average handle time (AHT), and allow agents to focus on helping genuine customers.

Processes and People

Of course, even robust systems need a human layer of protection. While technology is a powerful ally in the fight against fraud, well-trained, insightful, and vigilant agents and analysts are essential to a secure and seamless experience.

As contact centers increasingly decentralize, processes have evolved to create controlled, secure environments from anywhere by leveraging desktop and software controls. Virtual desktops, endpoint security, and encryption help control the flow of sensitive data, while industry-leading attack experts analyze vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and threat data to deliver guidance and intelligence that proactively inform, build, and improve security programs.

Comprehensive screening and training programs help ensure agents are trustworthy and equipped with the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to security threats effectively. Access controls, MFA for system and data access, and keystroke and call monitoring further support team performance. 

Security Without Compromise

Strong security should improve the member experience, not get in the way of it. It reassures members, protects their assets, and reinforces brand trust. Today’s technology enables real-time monitoring and authentication, so agents can stay focused on helping the member rather than navigating the process.

In the modern contact center, trust is no longer built through a single verification step; it is earned continuously throughout the interaction. The goal is not to challenge members more, but to apply the right level of protection at the right moment. That shift requires security models that adapt in real time, allowing legitimate members to move forward with confidence while fraud attempts are quietly identified and contained.

For a deeper look, see the Velera white paper Balance in the Contact Center: Robust Security and Frictionless Service.

ABOUT VELERA
Velera is the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated financial technology solutions provider. The company serves more than 4,000 financial institutions throughout North America, operating with velocity to help its clients keep pace with the rapid momentum of change and fuel growth in the new era of financial services.