By Robert Hart, Staff ReporterTHE IMPLEMENTATION of the United States-based 'Do not call' registry is expected to deal another blow to the local telemarketing industry. However, speaking to The Gleaner on Tuesday, Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell, rejected any notion that it would lead to the demise of a segment of the information technology (IT) sector developed under his watch.
Stating that the latest information coming out of the U.S. does not signal "the death" of telemarketing in Jamaica, Mr. Paulwell admitted that: "It does mean a blow to the telemarketing industry worldwide. The good thing is that our Government has been encouraging more inbound telemarketing."
Inbound telemarketing requires potential customers to make contact with the local call centres which would then provide information on the products being offered by the relevant foreign-based companies. Telemarketing in Jamaica and around the world was previously known to entail the unsolicited calling of U.S. residents in an attempt to stir interest in a product.
STOPPING INVASIVE CALLS
However, reports surfaced in the U.S. media over the weekend, that the Federal Government had launched the national 'Do Not Call' registry on Friday, June 27. The registry, managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. Government's consumer protection agency, is aimed at preventing most telemarketing phone calls to individuals who view them as invasive and, therefore, desire to have them blocked.
Since Saturday, reports have indicated the list has increased from 730,000 U.S. phone numbers, that must not be called, to over 13 million. Mr. Paulwell remains optimistic, even while stating that the list is expected to increase to about 60 million.
"There will still be a sizeable part of the population that will not be on the list," he said.
PARAMETERS OF POLICY
Seeking further clarification on what effect the registry would have on the local industry, The Gleaner visited its web site, www.donotcall.gov, where it is noted that telemarketing calls from overseas (outside of the U.S.) are covered by the new policy.
According to the FTC, "Any telemarketers calling U.S. consumers are covered, regardless of where they are calling from. If a company within the U.S. solicits sales through an overseas professional telemarketer, that U.S. company is liable for any violations by the telemarketer. The FTC can initiate enforcement actions against such companies."
Just three months ago, The Gleaner reported that the war in Iraq was being blamed for recent business losses within the local telemarketing sector. Speaking to Minister Paulwell during a meeting at the Montego Bay Freezone, representatives of three IT companies had said their businesses were losing contracts because U.S. companies did not want them to call Americans at that time.
One of the three companies, Teleservices Jamaica Ltd., which operates out of Montego Bay, St. James and Portmore, St. Catherine, has since been placed in receivership in hopes of recovering accumulated National Investment Bank of Jamaica injections amounting to nearly $400 million over the last few years.
