The Interchain Lab Ep. 12 — Ledger
The Interchain Lab (TIL) occurs biweekly on Fridays at 3PM ET (20:00 UTC) in the Osmosis discord lounge. On this episode of The Interchain Lab: Togg, Waterspinner, and Arcmosis from Osmosis Support Lab host a discussion with Ben and Steve from Ledger to delve into the experience of supporting users in the cryptocurrency space.
Ben and Steve work as Customer Support Specialists at Ledger and share a strong belief in the blockchain ethos of self-custody for digital assets, which drew them to work for Ledger.
Ben: Self-custody and secure custody goes hand in hand the whole crypto ethos. If if you’re not self-custodying in one form or another you’re not really doing it.
What is Ledger?
Ledger itself is a hardware wallet that provides secure and offline storage for over 1,000 cryptocurrencies and assets. Its notable feature is cold storage which means private keys are kept offline to reduce the risk of hacking. The user-friendly companion software, Ledger Live, provides an interface for managing supported cryptocurrencies, tracking portfolios, and engaging in activities like staking and lending. While browser wallets offer convenience by not requiring an external hardware device, they also carry higher security risks compared to Ledger’s hardware wallet. Be sure to watch this video to learn more about hot and cold cryptocurrency wallets.
Ledger serves as a reliable solution for individuals seeking secure and convenient management of their digital assets, with a focus on minimizing the risk of unauthorized access or theft. The company’s emphasis on self-custody and users having ownership of their private keys resonates well with the blockchain ethos and Ledger support team.
Steve: It’s particularly nice to be working for a company that places an emphasis on self-custody and users actually owning their private keys so that they always have access to their assets.
Supporting Users
Both Ledger and Osmosis prioritize supporting users in the crypto space. During the TIL episode, the teams provided insights into their respective support operations.
Ledger Support operates from two physical locations and follows an established role hierarchy, offering assistance on weekdays during North American and European business hours. With support for thousands of blockchains and assets, Ledger Support relies on its team members’ diverse knowledge to address user queries.
Steve: If a day goes by and I’m not amazed at some new piece of information that I’ve found, I would say it’s pretty rare. That is one of the most exciting aspects of the job.
Osmosis Support Labs is a fully remote and asynchronous team available 24 hours a day. The support specialists often specialize in specific areas and maintain team communication through private Discord and Telegram channels. A live support chat is available to all users.
While the strategies employed by these two teams differ in some ways, one common thread is the enthusiasm, altruism, love of learning, and dedication displayed by crypto support professionals in improving the user experience. As the crypto space continues to mature, it will be interesting to observe how these support teams evolve and collaborate with each other.
Educationing Users
Education plays a significant role in the support function for both teams, particularly in terms of scam prevention and private phrase security. Users are educated on the importance of never sharing their 12–24 word private phrase or entering it online. The private phrase grants access to assets, making it crucial to educate users on secure storage practices and how to avoid falling victim to scams.
Togg: Society took quite a few years to understand how plastic money (credit and debit cards) worked. It’s going to take just as long, hopefully a little bit less, time for people to understand how digital money works.
Ledger devices take this security a step further by keeping the private phrase offline at all times. Unlike private phrases generated on hot wallets, Ledger’s cold wallet approach ensures greater security. For instance, if a computer is infected with malware or viruses, the private phrase could be compromised during its creation or when entered to recover a wallet. Using a cold wallet like Ledger eliminates exposure to the internet-connected device, enhancing security.
Ben: If you have serious value that you want to secure, the absolute best thing you can do is secure it with hardware.
To delve deeper into Ledger and gain insights into the crypto support experience of these two talented teams, be sure to watch the full recording of this episode of TIL. For ongoing updates from Ledger Support, follow their Twitter and join the Ledger Discord and Reddit.
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