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The Brookmead Report was commissioned by the DMA and TPS to review the whole issue of nuisance calls in the UK. The report has informed the ongoing debate, has shaped DMA policy, and has been widely quoted by the media, government and industry.
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790,000 people are employed in UK call centres, 33% make outbound calls and 20% of these outbound agents work on predictive diallers. Outbound telemarketing generates £3bn in sales of products and services annually.
Predictive diallers are used in call centres to automatically dial numbers for the agents. They can double call centre productivity but will generate a proportion of silent calls and lead to higher staff attrition rates. Half of UK diallers are used by direct marketing companies, the rest are used by the collections industry, market researchers and home improvement companies.
500–800 companies use diallers in the UK of which 240–400 are used by direct marketing companies. It is estimated that around 70 DMA members have diallers.
The networks are receiving 120,000 calls per month complaining about nuisance calls and have no solutions except for TPS registration.
The Brookmead consumer survey showed that each UK adult received on average 70 silent calls a year, but this was highly skewed with 35% receiving no silent calls. 20% of consumers said that they felt anxious when they received a silent call, and this was higher for women (30%) , particularly women in the 16 - 24 age group (41%). Silent calls were identified as a key reason for people registering with the TPS.
The report showed that over 50% of those who are aware of the TPS service have already registered and suggested that by 2010 the proportions of households registered could reach 80%. Demographic analysis of those registered on the TPS suggested that the ABC1's, those in higher income groups and owner occupiers are more likely to be registered on the TPS – this is of concern to the direct marketing industry as these are key target demographic groups with high disposable income.
The report was compiled by speaking to leading figures in key industry groups - Regulators, Dialler users, Dialler manufacturers, Trade associations, Telcos and Nuisance call bureaux. Original research was also carried out to get the views of members of the public.
The Brookmead Report was compiled by Steve Smith, John Price and Dave Nicholls of Brookmead Consulting on behalf of the DMA and TPS.