Call center compliance means that your organization’s agents and third parties are abiding by the laws and regulations set forth by the government, including Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), Customer Identification Programs (CIPs), mandated disclosures, and more. While there are some regulations specific to certain verticals, such as debt collection, there are rules that any organization must be aware of in order to stay call compliant.
Regulations Around Call Center Compliance
Mandated Disclosures
Recorded Call Disclosure
Under Federal Law, it must be disclosed to consumers that their phone call is being recorded. A recorded call disclosure is simply a statement letting the consumer know that the call will be recorded. Often times for incoming calls, a recorded call disclosure is played before the caller gets on the phone with an agent. For outgoing calls, however, it is the agent’s responsibility to make this disclosure.
Mini-Miranda Disclosure
The Mini-Miranda disclosure requires debt collectors to advise the consumer that they are calling to collect debt, and that any information given in that call will be used to do so.
Prohibition of Unfair, Abusive or Deceptive Tactics
Call center agents are prohibited from using any unfair, abusive or deceptive tactics or language in sales calls, collections calls, customer service calls and more. This is covered under a broad range of regulations, including the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), Fair Debt Collection Practice Act (FDCPA), UDAAP, Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA), Regulation Z and TILA.
Customer Identification Programs
Under the USA Patriot Act, the Customer Identification Program provision (CIP) requires that before any financial-related topics are discussed, agents must confirm the caller’s full name, date of birth, SSN, account numbers, email address and more to confirm that they are who they say they are. In simplest terms, the agent must know who they are speaking with on the phone in order to fight against fraud.
READ: Automating CIP Compliance Monitoring In Your Call Center
TCPA
Under TCPA, any organization using autodialers (such as automatic dialing systems, pre-recorded messages, text messages and fax machines) must have permission from the consumer to contact them via automated technologies.
Many companies will use third parties for lead generation, and these third parties are required to make TCPA disclosures and confirm that their client is allowed to contact them.
Dodd-Frank Provisions
Dodd-Frank requires call centers to record calls and save them with timestamps. There is also some overlap between Dodd-Frank and unfair, abusive or deceptive tactics.
Business-Specific Guidelines and Scripts
Outside of regulatory requirements set forth by the government, agents should abide by brand guidelines and adhere to the scripts they are provided with. This will ensure that your agents are representing your brand correctly and servicing customers the way they should be.
Benefits of Monitoring Agent Performance
There are several benefits that come with monitoring agent performance, including:
- Gain insights needed to make data-driven decisions
- Identify areas of compliance risk
- Discover best practices
- Update and improve agent training
PerformLine Can Help
PerformLine is an end-to-end solution for call center compliance that empowers enterprises with the tools they need to gain comprehensive analyses and visualizations about their agent performance and compliance data.
PerformLine provides a SaaS solution for sales performance and regulatory monitoring. Monitor agent performance against industry standards, and customize the rules for your specific brand guidelines.
If you want to learn more about PerformLine’s Call Center Monitoring solution, our experts are ready to help.
