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On April 23, 2007, American Teleservices Association released the first public draft of self-regulatory standards for the contact center industry at their annual Washington Summit. The standards were compiled by the ATA ’s Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO), a diverse ensemble of industry leaders in a variety of vertical markets, all of which have a stake in the future of the contact center industry.
What followed the unveiling of the standards was both exciting and motivating to the attendees. A keynote speaker at the Summit was one of the five Commissioners from the Federal Trade Commission. Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch used his keynote as an opportunity to comment on the ATA ’s initiatives surrounding self-regulation. Rosch offered both his support and encouragement to the ATA and its membership.
“The FTC strongly encourages self-regulatory efforts that provide clear guidance to industry and create effective enforcement mechanisms to protect consumer rights” said Rosch. “I would like to compliment [ATA] on the thoughtful and thorough job [ATA] has done in undertaking this comprehensive self-regulatory initiative.”
Commissioner Rosch acknowledged that professionals within an industry have the “inside knowledge on how best to craft best practices.” He also commented that self-regulation within an industry provides a “critical complement to the FTC’s law enforcement actions”. (Read Commissioner Rosch's presentation)
Tim Searcy, chief executive officer of the ATA, is very optimistic about the future of these standards, especially with the support of the Federal Trade Commission going forward. “The ATA continues its commitment to a balanced approach of consumer driven contact delivery and business encouragement through self regulation. The ATA is grateful that Commissioner Rosch has chosen to publicly encourage our ambitious effort, and we look forward to a close partnership with the FTC on this initiative.”
View Standards
ATA Members: If you have any questions regarding the standards, please call Zachary Rice at 317.816.9336 or contact him via e-mail at zach@ataconnect.org. |
