Sytel Limited, a specialist in contact centre technology, is calling on UK regulator Ofcom to reaffirm its longstanding dialling rules under its Persistent Misuse Policy to bring clarity and confidence to the outbound dialling industry.
Michael McKinlay, CEO of Sytel, commented,
“For some time, there has been uncertainty around what is and isn’t permitted in outbound dialling,”
“A clear public statement from Ofcom would remove the ambiguity, strengthen Ofcom’s position on consumer protection, and give responsible users the confidence to operate within clear, enforceable guidelines.”
“We call on Ofcom to reaffirm its original intent,” said McKinlay, “That diallers may operate up to a maximum of 3% abandoned calls (as a percentage of live calls), provided that all other requirements are fully observed, in particular the prohibition of cancel dials and silent calls. We believe, as originally intended, that the guidelines strike the right balance between protecting consumers and enabling businesses to run profitable outbound campaigns.”
Sytel has been a consistent advocate for responsible predictive dialling, widely used to enhance the efficiency of outbound contact centres. The company firmly supports Ofcom’s current guidelines, last clarified in 2016, which were reached following extensive research and public debate, and mirror comparable regulation under the US TeleSales Rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission.
These guidelines specifically address:
• Abandoned calls
• Silent calls
• Cancel dials (calls terminated within 15 seconds of live ringing)
Ofcom has previously recognised the need for proportionate regulation, acknowledging that a small number of abandoned calls may be necessary for diallers to function effectively. However, recent trends show some market players increasingly using cancel dials and silent calls to boost productivity, practices that Ofcom has rightly ruled out on the grounds of consumer harm.
Sytel applauds Ofcom’s global reputation for championing consumer rights and urges the regulator to publicly confirm that users adhering in full to its published guidelines will not face enforcement action. Such assurance, the company believes, is critical in discouraging market actors who may feel pressured to work around the rules and will ensure a transparent, well-regulated dialling environment.
Sytel provides intelligent, cloud-based contact centre solutions that enable organisations around the world to automate the management and blending of all agents and queues, for all media types, in realtime, reducing operational costs and providing excellent CX.
