Call centers manage a lot of sensitive and private information regarding the potential customers they reach. It is important to ensure confidentiality and privacy to protect consumers and company partners. Clients want to feel like their cases are being handled with care. However, many call centers have administered remote working strategies to reduce costs and expenses, which makes it difficult to ensure compliance with legal regulations. If legal regulations are considered irrelevant, it can cost the company its reputation and lead to hefty fines.
What Is Call Center Compliance?
Government regulatory authorities such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission have determined a set of rules for call center companies to adhere to. This will ensure that proper procedures are followed, and confidentiality is maintained. Call center compliance refers to compliance with these regulations. Lack of compliance can lead to fines, a botched reputation, and even legal action. These rules are laid out specifically to be followed.
What Laws Need to Be Followed?
Call center companies are made aware of laws such as TCPA, HIPAA, and PCI DSS to protect the rights of consumers and partners. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) states that telemarketing calls need to obtain the consumer’s consent before proceeding to sell; it prevents companies from using automated calling systems and limits the number of calls recorded. If a consumer asks a telemarketer to stop contacting them, TCPA protects the consumer’s rights by eradicating contact. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) states that any medical information shared by the consumer needs to be protected under technical safeguards and security policies. The employees must be well-trained in HIPAA policies and know how to conduct risk assessment tests. Lastly, the company needs to build an unbreachable firewall to prevent hacking. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) states that call centers cannot record sensitive payment details and cannot record credit card security numbers or pins.
Compliance Checklist
To ensure that your company is a regulatory-compliant call center, a manager can use the following checklist to confirm compliance. Limit the number of people accessing system hardware and software. You should especially limit remote employees’ access since they are less likely to adhere to privacy regulations. If you have remote employees, it is ideal to visit their remote workstations to ensure they meet compliance requirements. If it is impossible to visit or your employee isn’t comfortable, you can video call them and ensure the procedure is followed.
Make Sure Everything is Being Followed
Call center agents need to record phone calls. This will allow the manager to check if agents are maintaining quality and adhering to external and internal regulations of the company. Your agents should disclose if the call is being recorded and how the information provided by the customer will be used. This will allow the customer to retract their consent if they feel uncomfortable. Ensure the privacy of the client and employee. Ensure that agents are aware of their limitations and do not disregard consent, privacy, and other rights of the consumers.
Conclusion
Understanding and strictly implementing these regulations can help your company grow and consistently improve itself. An ethical brand image is bound to attract more customers rather than dealing with fines and legal proceedings. These rules are federal law, they are required to be followed. If they aren’t there’s a risk of receiving a big fine. Plus, it could ruin the reputation of your business.
