Do Not Call list cannot kill BPO industry: ATA

"The Do Not Call list in the US has indeed harmed the industry. But it has not killed it yet and it won't either," declared Tim Searcy, CEO of American Teleservices Association (ATA), a non-profit organisation of US-based companies which outsource.

He added, "I think we can look for superior alternatives to the list. A consumer can choose not to be called by specific companies, can choose not to answer calls. Advertising on TV or radio might irritate me. What do I do? I change channels. Teleservices has been targetted because it is the easiest to legislate."

He was speaking on the sidelines of a conference on 'Coming to America: New Reality of Teleservices Compliance and Doing Business in the US' here on Tuesday.

ATA fought the 'Do Not Call' legislation and lost in the US Supreme Court. The 'do not call' list had more than 80 million consumers as of April 2004. "But," Searcy said, "There are still 50 million calls being made everyday and we will move from approximately 52 per cent of BPO work being prospecting calls to about 24 per cent, because there will be growth in other areas like inbound."

He however warned that though it is a time of world sourcing and everyone knows it, Indian firms have to be extra careful not to make mistakes with compliance, for any small thing could be used by legislators in the US to make rules against them and administer the industry a fatal blow.

The association recently opened its chapters in Bangalore and Mumbai. A third one is planned in Delhi soon. The two chapters have around 25 members now and Searcy says that Indian membership should grow to 150 companies by end of 2005.

"In India, our members will consist both of third party service providers as well as customers of these. But since there is not much of a domestic market in India, most of them will be service providers," says Searcy.

The organisations will work in three areas in the country. It will help companies set work standards and comply with US rules so that no mistakes are made. It will educate companies on best practices and also create an environment for networking.

"These chapters will also help us while we lobby in Washington for fairer rules towards India. We believe there are no more fraudulent stuff happening in India than anywhere else but its an easier target for people who prey on customer's fears," says Searcy.