December 2022 Summaries

An outbound call is a call initiated by a call center agent to contact a customer on behalf of the agency or client. Outbound calling can be used by companies to reach and serve customers, fundraise, renew services, offer reminders, perform market research, update contact lists, and follow up with new customers after a sale. To improve outbound calling experience, businesses should effectively track metrics and data, adhere to legal requirements, consider using a VoIP termination service/platform, and find the right outbound calling provider for their needs.

Microsoft Teams offers three options to add Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connectivity: Calling Plans, Direct Routing, and Operator Connect. Operator Connect is a Bring Your Own Carrier solution with Software-Defined Branch (SBC)-as-a-service that allows organizations to add PSTN connectivity from the Microsoft Teams Admin Center using third-party carriers or "operators." It offers benefits such as user-friendly telephony management, pure cloud deployment, unified communications, higher quality calling experiences, and better support. To deploy Operator Connect, you need a Microsoft Teams License that includes Phone Systems, activated TeamsOnly mode, a Microsoft-certified Operator (SIP provider), and a Microsoft-certified E911 Provider.

Financial institutions are increasingly facing cybersecurity threats, making it crucial to implement strong security measures such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA). These methods involve verifying users' identities through multiple factors like something they know, something they have, or something they are. 2FA and MFA help protect sensitive data by requiring customers to use multiple forms of authentication, reducing the risk of stolen money and identity theft. Despite some users finding these methods annoying, security professionals continue to improve authentication processes to make them more seamless and effective in protecting user information.

The first text message was sent on December 3rd, 1992 by Vodafone developer Neil Papworth. Today, an estimated 5 billion people worldwide use texting as a primary communication method. In the '90s, texting services were limited and expensive, with only Nokia device users able to send and receive messages. By the mid-2000s, more consumers began using texting for casual communication, leading to over 250 billion messages sent worldwide by 2002. Today, businesses use text messaging for various purposes such as healthcare communication, e-commerce marketing, customer service, two-factor authentication, and travel communications. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has implemented multiple regulations to maintain the integrity of the channel.