Zero-rated Secure Call on app expected to boost customer safety

In a pioneering move aimed at further bolstering the security of customer interactions, FNB has introduced Secure Call on the FNB App to allow its customers to make safer voice calls to its customer service areas. This is in addition to its existing Secure Chat feature, which was introduced a few years ago and allows customers to use chat functionality for inquiries.

Secure Call uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which allows you to make voice calls using the Internet. FNB has zero-rated Secure Call with major network operators, meaning customers will not use their own data when making calls. This feature is especially important considering fraud modus operandi such as ‘Vishing’ (phishing via voice), in which consumers are duped by fraudsters posing as officials of financial institutions to get personal information such as their username, password, and PIN. FNB reminds customers that it will never request such sensitive information, and this new Secure Call feature is yet another way it protects customers.

Jacques Celliers, FNB CEO, says, “Secure customer interactions are integral to our strategy to build a trusted digital platform. Our aim is to give our customers the comfort of knowing that they’re communicating with the right institution without the vulnerability that is often associated with off-platform communication channels. We started this journey with our Secure Chat feature, which has been hugely popular with our customers. However, we recognise that some customers prefer to talk to a person. Therefore, it’s crucial for us to enable this interaction at no cost to the customer through a channel that requires proper customer authentication.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to improve two-way communication with customers, we also aim to deliver a better experience in outbound communication in future to provide our customers with even more protection against risks such as phishing and vishing. We’ve made significant progress over the years in enabling customers to perform a wide range of tasks on our platform, such as approving online shopping payments, viewing activity notifications, and cancelling a card and ordering a new one using our App,” adds Celliers.

In its interim results earlier this year, FNB revealed that it continued to see record digital logins and interactions on its platform. Millions of its customers are using its platform to not only access financial services but also a growing offering of lifestyle services, such as managing their telco needs, buying pre-paid services such as data and airtime, and getting affordable smart devices.