How ethics is changing the way how companies are looking at privacy

Contact Centers are used to abiding by the regulations set by lawmakers and industry groups. However, conversation will move from simple compliance with privacy regulation towards ethics.

Call centers handle vast quantities of personal data on a daily basis. As there’s a global trend in people becoming more and more aware of their privacy, regulation is tightening. A good example is GDPR, which came to effect in 2018 and aims to give EU citizens more control over how their personal data can be used by organizations.

Failing to meet the requirements of GDPR result in hefty fines. However, call centers shouldn’t regard privacy only as a legal aspect to comply with. Forward-looking companies are not just complying with legislation. They are setting their internal rules based on what is deemed as the right thing to do.

Millennials in the work force demand fairness and social justice from their employees. At the same time increased transparency through social media puts pressure on companies to do the right thing. If a company fails to respect its’ customers privacy and other rights, the negative publicity can be severely damaging to the company’s reputation and be bad for the industry overall resulting in even tighter regulation.

What are the implications for Contact Centers?

Call recording

Instead of giving customers the chance to opt out of recording, under GDPR call centers need to ensure a clear and specific consent for call recording and justify the purpose of the recording.

Storing data

Call centers should have efficient methods for tracking customer data, to easily check what information they hold and also to see where it came from.

• Like all business that handle personal data, contact centers need to move from asking “Are we compliant?” to asking: “Are we doing the right thing?”
• For what purpose do I collect customer information? Is the information stored safely? Do I need to store all the information I collect? If not, how can I dispose of it in a secure way?
• Putting your customers privacy first and communicating about it transparently can set you apart as an exemplary company. Do the right thing.