What is Compliance?

Compliance is the state of being in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. When it comes to online security, numerous laws have been passed in recent decades to protect consumer data and privacy, as well as shield them from intimidation and intrusive phone calls. The impact of these laws has been far-reaching, and contact centers have had to alter their processes and systems in order to ensure compliance.

There are probably at least a dozen laws that require compliance, some affecting nearly all contact centers and others only impacting businesses in certain industries or locations.

For example, contact centers that record calls are required by federal law to notify at least one party that they are being recorded and some states have laws that both parties must be informed. Contact centers that take credit card information need to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), which includes standards for storing credit card data and certain voice recordings. Outbound call centers need to comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and, of course, contact centers in the healthcare industry need to be in compliance with HIPAA.

That isn't a complete list of the relevant laws and regulations, but it's still easy to see how call centers can get overwhelmed by their compliance responsibilities. Fortunately, advancements in call center technology have automated a significant amount of compliance tasks. For example, interaction analytics software can translate every call into text, analyze it, and flag calls that might be out of compliance because of what the agent said or didn't say. Additionally, some call recording software can pause the recording when the caller is providing his credit card's security code. Certain compliance features are often built into outbound dialers.

These compliance features can bring call center leaders some peace of mind. There will likely be additional relevant laws passed in the future, and having software that can adapt and assist with compliance is key to staying current with requirements.