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No, I am not changing my spots and supporting the Attorney General for the State of Indiana; however, he is chasing fellow politicians away from using automated calls to push campaigns. That is kind of cool. Imagine a world in which politicians look down on each other’s use of our channel before they look at us. This is a strange irony. Steve’s point is that Indiana’s law makes no distinction between types of calls. The ATA has made a series of arguments in Washington that actually support this concept. We explained in the courts that the telephone cannot judge who is making the call, and neither can the consumer until they pick up the phone. For this reason, consumers that claim annoyance from unsolicited calls are equally annoyed by political calls (maybe even more annoyed) than commercial calls.
Educating politicians about the double standard they have and will continue to impose does not make a lot of sense. Instead, we should deny them access to the channel that they deride. It is hard to get outsourcers to make the decision to not take business during the political season. I understand how the outsourcer thinks. It feels like good business, with low friction and therefore it is “found money.” As someone that has done millions of these calls, I can only mention that there are a number of fallacies in the previous statement. It is high friction, complicated and low margin work that creates wear and tear on the organization. Walk away from it for your own good and for the good of the industry. The last thing we as an industry need to do is annoy consumers and remind them why they don’t like teleservices through the abusive practices of political consultants and candidates. Just walk away! We look forward to seeing everyone in Orlando during our upcoming Convention. Convention time always provides an opportunity to reflect on the milestones that the ATA has reached and the future of the channel’s prosperity. It’s very appropriate to showcase “ICE” this year – the Ideal Customer Experience, since it is top of mind for businesses, regulators and consumers. Until Orlando, I am on the line.
Tim Searcy Come visit my blog at www.ataconnect.org
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Maybe Steve Carter has a point
