What did the Contact Centre & Telemarketing Council do in October?

1) The Director of the IDM Employability, Kate Burnett, presented how her team attracts new talent into the direct marketing industry with the help of professors and careers officers. The IDM accredits the direct and digital course content of over 20 universities to ensure that students are prepared for work in the industry. Around 200 students a year take IDM qualifications alongside their degree course. The IDM also runs the IDM Summer School (now in its 12th year) which is a one week long intensive introduction to the industry for 30 graduates.

2) Council agreed to share the results from the Contact Centre & Telemarketing 2015 Research with IDM Employability so that it can be used as a teaching aid.

3) Kate Burnett agreed to share the link to the current student and ask for some feedback on how the council believes a contact centre could add to the brief.

4) Which? magazine will be invited to a council meeting. They have indicated that they would be available for either November or January meeting, and any DMA members that have telemarketing or contact centre questions for Which? should contact Charlotte Natter (details below)

5) A recent blog about telemarketing ‘opt-in’ has performed well with over 700 views (http://www.dma.org.uk/article/you-don-t-need-opt-in-to-store-a-switchboard-number) and prompted discussion what evidence the ICO would want to prove consent. The Council will ask the ICO (and MoJ) for advise ahead of the new EU Data Regulation.

6) The council agreed that it needs to review and update their best practice guidelines for 2016, particularly in view of the new EU Data Regulation.

7) The DMA team met with Granby Marketing to progress the survey questions for the Contact Centre & Telemarketing 2015 Research, now in its second year.

8) The Vulnerable webinar will take place on 28 October, 2015 (http://dma.org.uk/event/webinar-vulnerable-consumers). Elaine Lee (ReynoldsBusbyLee) and Richard Powley (Age UK) are confirmed to speak, as well as a representative from Barclays. Currently have 125 registered.

9) Jacqui Crawley is still working with the British Standards Institute on their workshops. Next meeting for that will be in early November.

10) Elaine Lee and Jacqui Crawley are attending the next DM Foundation meeting to present on how their funding has been spent on the vulnerable project.

11) The Council congratulated Elaine Lee on being elected to the TPS board.

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Observers at the October meeting were: Kate Burnett (IDM) and Christopher Clowes (Gingernut Media)

Next meeting is 4 November 2015. If you work for a DMA member organisation and would be interested in observing a Council meeting, then please get in touch by calling 020 7291 3300 and ask for Charlotte Natter.