Call centre staff – and how to deal with them

OFCOM, the UK’s regulatory body for telecoms, suggests that call centres make at least two unwanted calls to us every week. Telemarketing agency provides best way of marketing in which salesman can directly sale their product and service to customers.

However, if you are suffering from a ringing in the ears generated by a call centre in Cardiff, or a group of madmen marketing from Manchester, there are ways to deal with it.

You’ve only got yourself to blame

There’s a small box on most forms, online and off, and it’s usually well hidden amongst a lot of hard to read small print. The box normally helpfully offers us the chance to opt in, or opt out, of future marketing messages, emails and calls. Once ticked it can be the devil’s own work to get it un-ticked. However the good news is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has regulations that allow you to request that your details are removed. If you ask to be removed from a call list back, it up with a letter to the company in question. The ICO doesn’t investigate specific cases but can fine companies that are repeat offenders. The fines range up to £500,000 which is not exactly the pot of gold marketing companies are chasing.

Is there anybody there?

Many calls that we receive are mysteriously silent. These calls are generated by automated machines in call centres. The centres simply don’t have enough staff to deal with the amount of calls generated. Thankfully, those nice people at the ICO have an app, or rather regulation, for this kind of thing. Automated systems must present call line identification and you can use a telephone call blocker to blacklist the number and/or contact the company and, again, ask to be removed from their lists.

Somewhere, beyond the sea

Unfortunately, some call centre owners, don’t like to employ too many expensive UK-based staff and prefer to use (some suggest exploiting) cheaper call centres based abroad. In this case, it may be harder to block the numbers – and the regulations may not apply. If the company generating the calls is based in the UK then they are covered by the regulations, so you can still call the ICO.  If not, things get a bit trickier. Ideally, a nuisance call blocker is probably a good option – these allow you to blacklist numbers by inputting them or by pressing an option to do so after the number has been called. In some cases, your phone company may well block international calls for you but this may be a chargeable option and you may want to receive some international calls. Other options also include simple caller display units and answer phones which can certainly help you to manage unwanted calls.

Whatever you choose, don’t forget you can take back control of your phone line and it doesn’t have to be a long, arduous quest to do so. With a little bit of knowledge and some technical gadgets, that ringing in your ears can be eliminated for good!