Two-factor authentication (also known as 2FA), adds an extra layer of security to make sure that only permitted agents can access your Talkdesk account. Agents will still enter their username and password however, instead of immediately gaining access, they will be required to provide another piece of information. This second factor could come from one of the following categories:
- An access code, generated by an authenticator app on their mobile device.
- A physical USB security key.
This means that, even if someone steals an agent’s password, they still wouldn't be able to access the account without their mobile device or security key.
Enabling two-factor authentication isn't required to access Talkdesk, but we highly recommend it!
What happens after I enforce two-factor authentication?
When you enforce 2FA, you make it mandatory for your agents to enable the two-factor authentication on their account settings.
By enabling this setting, upon save, any agent without a two-factor authentication (2FA) method will be logged out and will have to configure at least one 2FA method on their next login to use Talkdesk. They can either install a verification app (such as Google Authenticator) on their smartphone or choose to use a physical USB security key.
To help your agents make a smooth transition to using their new sign-in process, we recommend that you inform them about this security process and include instructions on how to get started. You can point them to our Two-factor Authentication article to help them get up to speed.
Consider also setting up a deployment day when your agents have confirmed they have their phones and authenticator apps installed and/or security keys at hand.
Requiring two-factor authentication
To enforce two-factor authentication on your account, follow these steps:
1. Log into your Talkdesk account as an Administrator.
2. Select the Admin section [1].
3. Select the Security Settings tab [2].
4. In the Authentication section, select “Require two-factor authentication” and choose whether to disable or enable the feature [3].
5. Once ready, press I understand and click Save [4] to apply your changes.
To stop enforcing two-factor authentication, follow the described steps above.
A warning message is then displayed, to let you know that any agent without a two-factor authentication method will be logged out, and will have to configure at least one 2FA method on its next login in order to use Talkdesk:
6. Once ready, press Ok and click Save [4] to apply your changes.
Stop requiring two-factor authentication:
If you stop enforcing two-factor authentication, it will still remain enabled on the agent’s accounts where it had previously been enabled, but they can now choose to disable it. New users, however, won't be required to enable two-factor authentication during signup.
To stop enforcing two-factor authentication, follow the same steps as outlined above t in step 5, but this time, switch the toggle to the left, to its OFF position.