Inside the CyberSmart customer support experience with Francis Kontor, our Technical Support Lead.

One of the things we are most proud of at CyberSmart is the feedback we get from our customers about the personal support we offer them. We work hard at it because we know how important it is for our clients. We are working with small businesses, some with only a few employees and no real IT staff or expertise.

The world of cybersecurity can look daunting from the outside and our job is to make the process of protection as easy and understandable as possible. We do this in a few ways.

We get all kinds of requests from our customers and over time we've had to expand the skillsets we use to respond to them. That has meant creating both a general customer support team and a more technical one for product-specific queries. During the course of my career, I have noticed the misconception end users have in regards to what technical supports role is within an organisation and what customer support role is and if they are the same.

Of course, from a customer experience perspective, these appear as one and the same. After all, customers don’t mind who they speak to about their issue, they just want it resolved as quickly as possible so they can move on with their day.

In this article, we give a bit of a behind the scenes look at how we process customer queries at CyberSmart so we can make sure the right expert is addressing the right questions as quickly as possible.

Customer Support vs Technical Support

Our customer support is split into two main areas: Customer Success and Technical Support.

Customer Success are the friendly team answering our phones and online chats. They do the initial fielding of questions and offer support on everything non-technical within the non-technical customer experience (payment, planning, general questions).

Any questions relating to our product (how to install it, how to configure, etc.) are answered by the Technical Support team in order for our customers to get the best value out of our product.

First-line support

When a customer gets in touch, the first level of support they receive is from the Customer Success team. They manage our FAQs page and knowledge base and use it as a tool to help customers find the answers they need for common queries. First-line support handles 40%-60% of end-user queries. They have a basic understanding of the product and the business but they aren't technicians so if there's a question they can't answer about the product, they pass it on to the second-line of support.

Second-line support (Complex Queries/Problems)
When a ticket is escalated to second line support this usually means the query or problem requires more in-depth technical knowledge of the product.

Third-line support (Bespoke support)
Third-line support largely deals with tickets that require a bespoke solution for the organisation which is experiencing technical difficulties with our product. This means we might work directly with the engineering team to build a solution to a problem for a customer. After all, if they have that need, it's likely others do too.

What is Technical Support?

Technical support is what product-focused organisations like CyberSmart use to help our MSPs & direct partners get the most out of our product. Typically, we receive queries via live chat, emails, or phone calls. We resolve technical issues such as installation (PC, MAC & mobile), dashboard login errors, and other technical issues that are causing headaches for our customers.

A third-line of support question might be something around need to do a mass installation of our app to many sites but not knowing how to configure their RMM. If we got a request like this from an MSP, we would work to build them a custom solution for mass installation that they could use for our apps and others.

In summary, CyberSmart's support team is not a call centre stocked with rote answers to simple questions. We also have the capacity to help the vision of our customers come true by making the CyberSmart product fit their needs.

Cyber security is essential for business today but the process of protection doesn't have to be difficult, time-consuming, or expensive. CyberSmart was built for non-technical businesses to serve as a full cyber security team in one product with top-notch customer support. Start protecting your business today.

A new survey has revealed many small business owners are still clueless about GDPR. The results suggest small businesses could be in breach of GDPR without even realising it, as half of the participants appeared confused when answering questions surrounding data protection and privacy regulations.

A worrying 4/10 didn’t know that losing paperwork could be a data breach, or that emailing or faxing personal details could potentially be breaching data regulations also.

Are you being extra careful when sending that email?

Scarily, 45% of businesses did not know that the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) needed to be informed when data was breached and individuals' rights were affected. It also showed they were unaware and failing to ensure confidential paperwork such as signing in and visitor’s books were kept in a protected environment.

It’s essential as a business owner you stay well informed and aware of GDPR and data protection to ensure you continue to create trust in your employees and consumers. By staying up to date with the changing data laws, you will show that you are consistent in protecting personal and private information.

Breaking GDPR is easily done within a business - it's as simple as storing files with personal data outside of a defined structure. Many SMEs are digitally renovating their businesses with more intricate technology, however, this essential move is increasing their exposure and vulnerability for cyber-attacks.

The fact that new threats are constantly evolving and developing - and 43% of cyber-attacks are aimed at SMEs - highlights the lack of knowledge surrounding GDPR. Small businesses now need to look at investing more time in digital security. This will not only prevent any future attacks but show that you are being proactive with your digital approach.

What can you do?

By maintaining your security and safeguarding your business, you are able to protect your organisation long term. Utilising Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and IASME GDPR Readiness certifications, which are compliant with the Data Protection Act (2012), you can ensure that you are prioritising your business and data while giving your employees and consumers that added assurance.

Safeguarding your data should be your priority. Considering crisis incidents such as extortion, cyber attacks, and industrial espionage are just a click away, it is critical that SMEs assess their ability to survive a cyberattack, and there are steps to take to prevent and manage this if the worst were to happen.

How confident are you that your business is fully compliant?

CyberSmart has become an official supplier on G-Cloud 11, a major government procurement framework. 

G-Cloud, created in 2014 by the Crown Commercial Service and Government Digital Service, makes government procurement easier, transparent and much more efficient, reducing the usual lengthy procurement processes from weeks/months down to days. It is straightforward and well guided.

After making it through a rigorous tender process, which ensured our products and services fit in with the needs of G-Cloud, we were confirmed as a supplier from July 2019, ensuring cybersecurity compliance and assurance are easily accessible to everyone on the framework.

The framework allows the central government, local authorities, NHS Trusts, Ministry of Defense and other public sector bodies (including agencies and arm’s length bodies) to access a central website and purchase cloud-based services. 

With CyberSmart Active Protect in G-Cloud 11, the tools are in place to ensure full cybersecurity compliance and assurance in public sector bodies and meet recognised cybersecurity standards across full organisations. 

From ensuring all devices are continuously compliant; to achieving certifications, often on the same day, such as Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus or IASME GDPR Ready, the opportunity is now clear and much faster than before.

Jamie Ahktar, CyberSmart’s CEO said: “ Cybersecurity in the public sector is a matter of great concern, so we are happy to be able to provide our innovative platform and products, to support and safeguard key British organisations. Being included in G-Cloud 11 is yet another endorsement of CyberSmart’s platform, and is testament to our already successful and growing relationship with the public sector.”

Can you purchase via G-Cloud 11? See here for government guidance or contact us.

CyberSmart has a bold mission to protect and empower SMEs. In order to do so, we need to provide continuous compliance through the entire organisation. This is no small feat, as today's organisations have diverse systems and modern ways of working. We are extremely excited to announce the next big step in our journey is now live.

A mobile world

The world has gone mobile, and SMEs are more than ever, relying on their mobile phones and tablets to do business. After all, they are pocket-sized computers, connected to fast mobile networks, with all the applications we need to be productive. The smartphone has allowed us to get the most out of these devices including handling and storing sensitive data, processing payments and communicating with others.

The ability to carry such devices in our pockets is driving growth and efficiency on a scale not seen before, allowing SMEs to do business, anywhere, everywhere. But like any internet connected device, this is leaving users open to mobile security threats.

Every device. Every user. Everywhere.

CyberSmart Active Protect is already protecting thousands of devices for hundreds of organisations in the UK, and now that protection and assurance can be deployed on mobile devices. Our new mobile application brings the best of our desktop app to every device in your organisation, securing every user, wherever they are, so your business can focus on what it does best, with peace of mind.

CyberSmart Active Protect

Active Protect checks mobile devices are configured to the recommended security practices, as per the requirements of Cyber Essentials. It guides users on how to protect the device and themselves. It also supports policy distribution to make sure users comply with their company's internal policies. As it’s an app instead of a profile, it supports both user-managed and corporate provided devices.

Why does my organisation need the mobile app?

• Ensure all devices within the organisation are checked for compliance with Cyber Essentials, preventing potential cyber threats such as mobile spyware and malware.
• Guides users through remediation if they need to address any issues.
• Real-time information feeds back into the CyberSmart dashboard for a single view of compliance.
• Allows users to read and agree on policies on their mobile devices.

What’s next?

The launch of Active Protect is just another step, albeit a very exciting one, in the CyberSmart journey towards our mission. Our team is focusing on rolling out many more advancements across our product range. This includes inspiring and educating SMEs on practices and strategies to combat cyber threats and further simplifying cybersecurity and compliance for organisations.

CyberSmart Active Protect is live in the following stores:

As CyberSmart turns 1 year old, we are taking a moment to pause and reflect. This year was huge for us, individually and as a team. We had a vague idea, built a platform, got our first paying customers and closed a Pre-Seed round. At CyberSmart we believe in transparency, not only in regards to data, but also transparency in everything we do, transparency towards our stakeholders and eco-system. Hence, without further ado - here is what happened in 2017 at the CyberSmart HQ in East London.

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Startup meets GCHQ - a personal experience

A few months ago we were applying for the GCHQ Cyber Accelerator. Today we have graduated. Full with gratitude, excitement and enthusiasm, we went back to London, continuing building our CyberSmart and our network.

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Oldie but Goldie - Our founders talking about CyberSec with Carlos Espinal (Seedcamp) before CyberSmart was born. Listen to the podcast here. 

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