Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Taking the ‘silent' out of silent calls - Amcat supports use of ‘informational message' to quickly & dramatically improve the telemarketing environment in the UK

Manchester, UK, 25th October, 2005 - Amcat, a global leader in call centre technology solutions, announced today, an initiative to proactively support the implementation of the ‘informational message’ by call centres conducting outbound calling within the UK as well as overseas operators.

According to Amcat, if the informational message is widely adopted within the current DMA guidelines, the silent call could be virtually wiped out or dramatically reduced. Instead of receiving a silent call from automated call centre equipment, a short, non-commercial message is played stating who is calling and a number of the caller. Amcat is working in conjunction with the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) who is also a proponent of the informational message. To support this, Amcat plans to introduce a dedicated ‘Smart Call’ training programme for users of its technology, which will focus specifically on educating users to take advantage of tools such as informational messaging and CLI (call line identity) to help reduce the harm caused by silent or dropped calls.
Amcat’s MD Marcus Robinson commented, “With the public being increasingly upset about silent calls and the knowledge that we can do something about it, Amcat decided to act. In Canada and the U.S., the informational message is required along with responsible abandoned or ‘dropped’ call rates. This has almost eliminated the silent call problem caused by automated equipment in these countries. We can do the same here and at the same time preserve the reputation of an industry that employs 1000's of people. Although automated silent calls aren't the only factor, it is true that many consumers are fearful when there's no one at the other end of the line, which in turn is driving them to the extreme of joining the TPS.”

Liberal Democrat MP, John Hemming who has been a dedicated consumer champion of banning silent calls welcomed Amcat's approach, "I am supportive of anyone who is working to reduce nuisance levels from calls. It seems clear to me that some companies are causing nuisance through incompetence, simply because they do not understand how to use their systems properly. I applaud Amcat's attempts to educate call centres on how the technology can be used to improve outbound calling. There should be no silent calls and an informational message needs to replace silence to reduce the worry and stress caused by such calls. I agree with Amcat that there needs to be a balance which controls the number of dropped calls (NAA - No Agent Available) as well."

Amcat is aware that silent calls aren't the only issue, and part of its training programme will also address how technology can help telemarketers in other ways too, such as improving the use of data in order to build more targeted campaigns that will be more appealing and are less likely to alienate prospective customers.

Amcat’s Contact Centre Suite was one of the 1st products to be tested for compliance by an independent laboratory (CT Labs) and has been designed to meet both DMA guidelines as well as the more rigorous telemarketing laws in the USA, that stipulate an even lower maximum drop rate of 3%.

For further info contact smart@amcat.co.uk

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Editor’s Notes:
About Amcat:
Amcat™ is a leading provider of intelligent contact centre solutions to power dramatic increases in productivity, agent professionalism, and campaign management flexibility. Amcat solutions enable companies to increase operating efficiencies and to continually enhance the quality, capabilities and services available in their contact centre. As a result, contact centres see a dramatic increase in outbound and inbound productivity, a higher level of agent professionalism and the ability to make rapid adjustments to campaigns and operations. Founded in 1991, Amcat has a global customer base of more than 1,100 contact centres. For more info visit www.amcat.co.uk or call 0800 169 2028.

Press Contact: Jane Moores, TTA Communications LTD. Tel: 00 44 (0) 1454 318722. e-mail: jmoores@ttauk.com

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