Hostcomm is working closely with clients to ensure they know how to keep their hosted dialler Ofcom-compliant. As new legislation comes into effect giving the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) more power to intervene, Hostcomm’s support helps call centres avoid hefty fines for nuisance calls.
The new initiative will include information designed to make it clearer what constitutes a nuisance call and how they can be avoided with sensible predictive dialler use.
“Predictive diallers are a powerful way to boost efficiency and improve customer service,” says Chris Key, Director at Hostcomm. “But they have a tarnished reputation. Many people believe that a predictive dialler is used to make unreasonable levels of recorded calls per day, but this is down to individual misuse. We know that our clients want to stay on the right side of Ofcom, and use their diallers with confidence. Our new educational material and support should help.”
There are numerous reasons that consumers report calls as a nuisance. These include repeated silent calls, cold calls to numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), calls made after 21:00, and many more. However, the ICO could historically only intervene if the complainant proved ‘substantial damage or substantial distress’.
Since 6 April 2015, this threshold was removed from legislation. Now, all a consumer needs to do is make a complaint. As a result, the ICO has more power to intervene and investigate a larger number of cases – increasing the risk of huge fines for call centres.
“Every client wants to stay Ofcom-compliant, but the regulations are complicated,” says Key. “Often, it’s a lack of understanding that leads to so-called nuisance calls. We have always provided our predictive diallers pre-configured for Ofcom-compliance, so clients can start quickly and easily. But we are now taking new steps to educate customers about the demands of compliance, and how to eliminate the risk of investigations and fines.”
Now, with a renewed pledge to help clients remain compliant, Hostcomm will be providing more detailed information including a free eBook with step-by-step guides to configuring a dialler appropriately.
As a result, clients can use their diallers with confidence, not in fear of accidental misuse.To find out more about Hostcomm, visit www.hostcomm.co.uk
