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Call Accounting Solutions Can Help with the EU's GDPR Requirements

  By Laura Stotler, TMCnet Contributing Editor

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has had widespread impacts on European businesses, as well as U.S. companies that conduct business in Europe. And yet many companies are still scrambling to understand what the GDPR encompasses and how they may achieve compliance, even though the regulation has been in effect since last May.

According to Research N Reports, the software market for GDPR compliance is slated to grow at a whopping 24 percent CAGR through 2025. To understand this massive market opportunity, it’s important to realize that data management and protection include all of the processes needed to manage the entire enterprise data lifecycle. For call centers, that makes call accounting, tracking and management absolutely key to compliance.

Any company doing business involving EU data needs to be in compliance with the GDPR. Yet according to research from The Ponemon Institute (News - Alert), 60 percent of tech companies are not ready to comply with the regulation. The crux of GDPR compliance is the collection, storing, securing and handling of customer data, and that’s where a comprehensive call accounting solution can make a major impact.

The contact center provides a perfect example of some of the changes that need to happen. Call recording and archiving will need to adhere to much stricter regulations to ensure data is being captured and stored according to the mandates of the GDPR. Every component of the typical call center interaction, from customer to agent to technical support to sales and marketing, must be monitored and accounted for to ensure compliance.

Changes in how personal data is stored and recalled will need to happen to ensure it is appropriately protected. And call accounting and management solutions can do just that, tracking every interaction and bit of shared data from a variety of communication channels. A call accounting solution is also key to managing workflows, and ensuring data is being stored and recalled properly, according to the mandates of the GDPR. Finally, a comprehensive call accounting solution will offer visibility of the entire communications lifecycle, ensuring businesses and contact centers are in compliance and will remain in compliance based on the workflows and management rules in place.

The GDPR doesn’t have to be an overwhelming prospect for companies working with European businesses and customers. By utilizing call accounting and management solutions, companies can make sure they are complying with GDPR mandates while also reaping the benefits of productivity, efficiency, cost savings and visibility that these offerings provide.