 The ATA SRO Comment Period is Now Open!
Dear Members,
We are in the midst of the ATA Comment Period relating to the SRO Standards released during our recent Legislative Conference, and the interaction is exciting! We have received hundreds of hits to the Standards site and look forward to gathering everyone’s feedback, suggestions and comments. The SRO Steering Committee is committed to meeting at the conclusion of the comment period to work through all feedback before our Annual Convention at the end of September.
While our timeline is aggressive, the momentum felt by our members and the channel community is inspiring and fueling the committee’s objective of reviewing and releasing the next draft in time for our annual fall gathering.
These next few months are important communication opportunities. The long-term success of the channel’s SRO will require a broad, supportive community of channel users to commit themselves to placing the consumer in the forefront of their objectives and the preservation of the Teleservices channel at the center of their communication best practices. The rally of support that we have received tells us that the channel community is up for this challenge. Business realizes that the telephone plays an important role in servicing and selling to its customer base and that customer satisfaction drives customer retention, loyalty and revenues. The two parts are linked to corporate success with the flip side of overly-burdensome legislation being the obstacle to avoid. This “formula” is aiding the industry (which we now more broadly refer to as a channel community) to come together and have a say in its future.
ATA Member Spotlight:
Contact Center Compliance, the leading compliance technology provider to the teleservices industry, has produced an audio CD with everything you and your staff needs to know about compliance. This CD is packed with content by leading industry experts like Mitch Roth and contains commentary by the CEO of the ATA, Tim Searcy.
To receive a free copy of this audio CD click here: www.dnc.com/ataspotlight
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How often in business are you a part of an initiative that will change the entire dynamic of an industry? Or a driving force for positive change in the image and delivery of a communication vehicle?
Almost 30 years ago a group of entrepreneurs changed how consumers interacted with business via the telephone. The pioneers of inbound and outbound teleservices changed how the telephone was used for business. Consumers were connected to goods and services without leaving their home with a simple transaction completed via the telephone. The telephone brought new products to new markets and helped to create a global economy.
That type of lasting mark is present again today. The group of business executives that are leading the Teleservices channel for their businesses around the world have a forum to create lasting change to preserve the telephone as a key tool to communicate with consumers. The SRO brings together business leaders from numerous vertical markets, customer applications and geographical locations to create a set of leading standards to guide how consumers are serviced and marketed to via the telephone. Again, I ask, how often are you part of such change? Unless you were present and active 30 years ago, this is your opportunity to make your mark. Your contribution to this effort is crucial and your reward is the knowledge an individual and corporation gain by working in a collaborative manner with fellow industry members. The only way to adopt a best practice and generate a
competitive edge with consumers is to know what that practice is. Your involvement with the SRO can give you access to just that.
So, I welcome your feedback and your active participation in shaping the future of the Teleservices channel. Throughout the summer, ATA will be hosting a series of regional meetings to share the updates involving the SRO milestones. We begin by hosting the Compliance Seminar in Chicago on June 4. We will follow this with a series of Chapter Meetings and Compliance Seminars through September. I look forward to participating at the Chapter & Compliance Meetings in Philadelphia (Mid-Atlantic) on June 21st, Fort Lauderdale (Florida) July 19th, Omaha (Nebraska) on July 25th and Phoenix (Arizona) on August 15th. During each meeting, I will be available to answer questions regarding the SRO and look forward to meeting with members and getting your feedback!
Remember to submit your SRO comments! You can find the link to the entire Standards document at the ATA web site.
We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your continued membership and support!
Regards,
Lisa DeFalco
Chair, ATA Board of Directors
For more information, visit http://www.ataconnect.org.
Comment on self-regulatory standards before they are submitted to the FTC: www.bryancave.com/ata-sro
Upcoming Events
- June 4, Great Lakes Compliance Seminar. Uncover the mystery of compliance with some of the ATA's leading minds on the hottest compliance issues. (Schaumburg, IL)
- June 14, SCATA Summer Social. Atlanta, GA. It's that time again! Come party FREE with leading customer-focused professional associations in Atlanta! More info coming soon!
- June 18, Arizona Compliance Seminar. Uncover the mystery of compliance with some of the ATA's leading minds on the hottest compliance issues. (Phoenix, AZ)
- June 20, West Coast Compliance Seminar. Uncover the mystery of compliance with some of the ATA's leading minds on the hottest compliance issues. (Los Angeles, CA)
- June 21, Mid-Atlantic Chapter Social & Networking Event @ Campbell's Field. More info coming soon!
- July 25, Midwest Compliance Seminar. Uncover the mystery of compliance with some of the ATA's leading minds on the hottest compliance issues. (Omaha, NE)
- July 28, Salt Shaker Foundation's Team Margaritaville or Bust:
2nd Annual Fundraising Event. Join us for food, drinks and Silent Auction at PJ Whelihan's Pub & Restaurant to raise money for Lance Armstrong Foundation's LiveStrong Challenge. Help us raise money in support of cancer research and awareness. (Cherry Hill, NJ)
- Aug. 26, Lance Armstrong Foundation's LiveStrong Challenge. A weekend long event culminating in a 5K walk, 5K/10K run, or 10/40/70/100 mile bike ride in Philadelphia. Help us raise money in support of cancer research and awareness. (Philadelphia, PA)
- September 30- October 3 Scottsdale, Arizona, 2007 ATA Annual Convention & Expo
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Featured Articles & Best Practices
Industry News from ATA Members
- Sen. Obama asks FTC to review DM policies Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL, sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on May 21 to step up efforts to protect elderly consumers from telemarketing scams, in a move that might affect the direct marketing industry.
- ATA Supports Senator Obama’s Comments On Telemarketing Fraud. The American Teleservices Association (ATA) responded to comments made by Senator Barack Obama concerning telemarketing fraud. Senator Obama commented that, while telemarketing and electronic commerce “represent important ways for many seniors to participate in the economy as merchants and consumers”, he is concerned about. . .
- The direct marketing industry needs to act - now. This could be 1997, 1987 or 1977, but it's 2007 and yet the mainstream media reports from the same old material: that the direct marketing industry is not above board. . .
- Rise in multi-channel retailing drives growth of SOA deployment in retail sector. Retailers face increasing pressure to offer customers a fully-integrated multi-channel experience where products can be bought online and collected in store, for example. Traditional IT integration can provide this service but the evolution of service oriented architecture (SOA) offers retailers an approach where they can achieve competitive advantage...
- Overcome 6 Challenges & Increase Consumer Survey Participation. Like so much of marketing, laws governing survey research are in a constant state of flux. And with privacy concerns increasing, consumers have their share of uneasiness about taking a survey. . .
- Contact center outsourcing - Newer industries poised to engage outsourcers.
There will be considerable investment in contact center outsourcing across western countries over the coming five years. However, according to a report by independent market analyst Datamonitor (DTM.L),"The Future of Vertical Investment in Contact Center Outsourcing," the pace of investment will depend on particular industries. . .
- Etech Inc. to Open Call Center in Pasadena, TX. Etech, Inc., a global business process outsourcer, has announced plans to expand their Texas operations to include a third center in the Pasadena, Texas market. . .
- Governor Names Family-Friendly Employers.
The Heritage Company wins Innovative Award. Winners of the fifth annual Governor’s Family-Friendly Employer Awards were recognized at a luncheon at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock. Sixteen Arkansas employers received awards...
- Increasing Number of Phone Reps Work from Home. The number of home-based telemarketing reps is projected to increase to 330,000 by 2010. . .
- Malta emerges as new European nearshore contact center outsourcing destination. The emergence of new outsourcing markets continues within Europes nearshore, and Malta is positioning itself as a location that is able to provide multilingual services across verticals. This is a according to Peter Ryan, Senior Analyst of Contact Center Outsourcing Research with independent market analyst Datamonitor. . .
- ICT GROUP and UTOPY Announce Strategic Marketing Partnership. Value-Added Speech Analytics/Voice Mining Solutions Designed to
Improve Service, Operating Efficiency and Performance - ICT Group, Inc... customer management and business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions, and UTOPY, Inc.... a enterprise solutions for customer intelligence through speech analytics, today announced a strategic partnership and co-marketing agreement. . . More about ICT Group...
- Three outsourcing companies unify under a single brand
to create a major new player. H-Cube today announced that it has changed its name to Zenta and integrated the operations of its three subsidiaries to create one of the world’s leading business and knowledge process outsourcing companies. Under the new Zenta brand, the company will offer its customers a broad array of services based on a high level of integration throughout its operational centers of excellence. . .
- SER Solutions Announces Solid Business. SER Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of call management and speech analytics solutions, announced today solid growth for its first quarter ended March 31, 2007. First-quarter growth was driven by a 96% increase in sales bookings year-over-year, new logo accounts, numerous. . . More about SER...
- Stagnant SunMart building revived with recruitment of new business . After three years of sitting empty, the Lexington Business Center, known more as the former SunMart building, will do business once again.
On Monday afternoon, the Lexington Council for Economic Development (CED) joined the owners of CRT, Inc. to announce a new customer call center to be housed in. . .
- TouchStar Boldly Changes In Management Structure. TouchStar announces bold changes in its management team in support of its future growth. The changes primarily affected three of TouchStar’s business units.
Tiffany Kreinbrink, is now running TouchStar’s Hosted Products division as the President. . .
Regulatory Updates from ATA's
Government Affairs Team
- Payment Card Data Security Costs, But Not As Much As A Data Breach.
The Payment Card Industry data security standard has emerged as a primary driver of IT security spending and some serious rethinking of how data and systems are secured.
The [PCI] data security standard created by Visa, MasterCard, and other payment services has emerged as a primary driver of IT security spending and some serious rethinking of how data and systems are secured. And with good reason. . .
- Texas mulls bill that would make PCI requirements a state law. Retailers and other entities accepting credit and debit card transactions in Texas may soon have a powerful new incentive for complying with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standard mandated by the major credit card companies.
- Senate bill to restrict automated phone calls.
To reach voters on a shoestring budget, Bend Democrat Phil Philiben made a lot of phone calls in his 2006 campaign for the Oregon House.
Sometimes, he says, 5,000 a day. . .
- Van Drew Anti-Robocall Bill Clears Committee An Assembly panel today released legislation Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew is sponsoring to crack down on the epidemic use of "robocalls," those annoying automated telephone solicitations that are directed at voters each election season. . .
- FTC Investigating ValueClick's Lead-Gen Activities Interactive ad company ValueClick confirmed that it is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission for possible violations related to its lead-generation activities. The Westlake Village CA-based company filed a report Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission notifying shareholders that the FTC is looking into lead-gen campaigns. . .
- FTC charges pitchmen with deceptive telemarketing. The Federal Trade Commission has charged several Pennsylvania-based defendants with violating the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule by calling consumers and telling them they could receive valuable coupons for groceries and other items when in fact. . .
- Latest Updates on changes at the state and federal level to keep you up-to-date and in compliance. (2007).
ATA-PAC Updates
PAC INFO/UPDATES at ATAconnect.org
Every dollar matters. Join the leaders of your industry and donate to your ATA PAC. Learn more |
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Welcome New ATA Members!
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2007 Contact Center Offshore in Brazil: Contact Center Anywhere
June 18-20, 2007
Conselho Regional de Quimica,
São Paulo, Brazil
Qualified ATA members receive all-expenses paid trip to this event! Learn more!
ATA Member Alert!
Do you have a press release about your company? Do you have something you want to say about Teleservices?
Be a contributing author, share your success stories, update industry leaders on recent developments that will affect them… Send us this information and utilize the full potential of eConnections!
Contact: eConnections@ataconnect.org |
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