Semafone Selected by Leading Online Real Estate Marketplace to Secure Phone Payments

BOSTON and GUILDFORD, U.K. – June 29, 2024 – Semafone, a provider of secure payment software for contact centers, today announced that it has landed a deal with a leading, U.S.-based online real estate market database. Semafone’s solution will secure this rapidly growing company’s phone payments by shielding card numbers from Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), simplifying Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance and reducing scope. It will also help this organization maintain the highest level of customer service and provide a positive user experience for CSRs. The company plans to implement Semafone’s technology in eight call centers with more than 400 CSRs across the United States.

Semafone’s solution met the online and mobile brand’s prerequisites and more, as it will remove payment card data from the call center infrastructure entirely. Real estate agents calling to purchase advertising on the online platform can simply enter their payment card information via their phone’s touchtone keypad. Meanwhile, CSRs can remain on the line in full conversation with the customer, carrying out wrap-up tasks and answering any questions. Dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) masking prevents CSRs from deciphering the tones, and therefore, the payment card details. The data is securely and directly sent to the payment gateway so it is not held in the call center infrastructure or other unsecured areas of the business. These capabilities will help the company mitigate risks associated with data breaches and dramatically reduce the scope of PCI DSS for the business.

Additionally, the Semafone solution enables a high level of customer service, ensuring streamlined communication without the need to transfer the caller to another system or department, or to re-route call lines to a different telecommunications company to complete a transaction. The technology is also easy to use and fits seamlessly with CSRs’ existing workflow – a benefit which stood out in the solution selection process.

“As this new client continues its growth trajectory, its call centers are handling an increasing number of customers and taking more payments – making data security and compliance even more challenging,” said Tim Critchley, CEO, Semafone. “By removing card holder data from the call center environment, we are easing PCI DSS compliance so the company can focus on expanding its business and best-serving customers. They will benefit from a solution that is intuitive and easy to use, allowing CSRs to perform their jobs more efficiently. We are looking forward to a successful deployment over the course of the coming months.”

For more information about Semafone, please visit: www.semafone.com.

About Semafone

Semafone provides software to contact centers so they can take personal data securely over the telephone. Semafone’s patented data capture method collects sensitive information such as payment card or bank details and social security numbers directly from the customer’s telephone keypad for processing. This prevents personal data from entering the contact center, which protects against the risk of fraud and the associated reputational damage, ensuring compliance with industry regulations such as PCI DSS.

The company was founded in 2009 and now supports customers in 22 countries on five continents. Semafone is vertically agnostic and its extensive customer base includes companies such as Aviva Canada, Amica Mutual Insurance, British Sky Broadcasting, Pethealth, Rogers Communications and TVG. Major investors of Semafone include Octopus Investments and BGF (Business Growth Fund).

Semafone has achieved the four-leading security and payment accreditations: ISO 27001:2013, PA-DSS certification for Cardprotect its payment solution, PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider and is a registered Visa Level 1 Merchant Agent.To learn more, visit www.semafone.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.