Do Not Call? Thanks!
by Paul McGoldrick
The complete farce that is taking place over the FTC "Do Not Call" list will start to be tested out this week as telemarketers decide whether to abide, or not, by the wishes of those who took the minimal effort to get themselves on the list. The courts are involved and while the FCC can talk about enforcement as much as it likes there is little that can be done because the easy way of reporting problems has been lost: No longer will you be able to use the FTC website to report violations: we are back to old-fashioned telephone notification. With the courts involved, and despite the immediate reaction of lawmakers and the President to formalize the powers of the FTC, there is not going to be a substantive decision for at least a year.
I personally think that one of the key points of the Colorado court's legal blocking of the list is perfectly valid: there should be absolutely no reason why charities and politicians should have been exempted from the list. Their calls are just as obnoxious as the time-share seller and in many cases they have been automated to make them more puerile -- and considerably less effective. But, of course, politicians are not going to limit their potential approaches voluntarily, and it's political suicide to talk about restricting the activities of organizations like religions -- oh, boy, does the FCC know that!
I doubt many people have been in a call center. I have, while consulting. They are loud and depressing places. Most of the "callers" are part-time, so they are generally not on minimum wage and receive no benefits (bit like being a teller at one of the big banks). The calls are totally automated, of course, and while a representative is pitching one customer, another phone is being called. When the nearly-inevitable turn-down takes place the next call is available immediately, provided the newly-called potential hasn't already hung up. When you answer your phone, if there is quiet for 5 seconds, then the last call made was a dud; if the quiet goes on, then the call center has located a potential punter.
Most of the call center employees are very poor at their job. Badly educated, often with debilitating accents, unable to pronounce names in a reasonable fashion, and very unable to cope with non-standard responses from the slightly smart-ass likes of myself. They are fodder and rarely last in their employment for very long because they do not perform. One has to feel sorry for them, and one tries to be polite, understanding their work and their working condition -- but I do not feel sorry enough to the extent of listening to their spiel. I will never buy anything in that medium.
The millions of others who also signed up for the Do Not Call registry obviously feel the same way as me. So why is the telemarketing industry complaining? It feels opportunities are being lost. The industry is so wrong. What the Federal Government has done is to completely screen the United States for them: These are numbers that you need not bother to call, they will not buy, now you can save your efforts for all those who did not register and are therefore obviously open to pitches during the dinner hour.
Isn't that Marketing 101? Which is the farce? The money that is going
to be spent in the courts fighting this, or the industry not understanding
its own business?