The Republican Party’s continued hold over Congress ensures continuity among the lawmakers with whom the teleservices industry needs to work, said Tim Searcy, CEO of the American Teleservices Association.
All of the legislative committee members and staffers with whom the ATA has built relationships in the past four years will stay. However, the industry sees irony in that the most sweeping regulation of teleservices, the national no-call list, came into being amid a supposedly business-friendly Republican government.
“We haven’t seen in this Republican administration a great deal of support for the teleservices industry, except in the use by the GOP of the telephone to get out the vote,” Searcy said.
During the campaign, Democratic candidate John Kerry referred to “Benedict Arnold companies and CEOs” that took their operations and jobs offshore. His view on offshoring, which became less of an issue as the campaign wore on, caused some consternation in the teleservices community. The industry has taken advantage of low-cost labor in India, the Philippines and elsewhere to expand its operations at a time of consolidation and shrinking revenue. However, members of the industry said Kerry’s words didn’t deter them.
For this complete story, please visit Telemarketers Expect Less Attention on Offshoring Issue.
