What can the EU’s new data security and privacy policy mean for call centers?

James Glenn Gomez Published on February 12, 2018

The European Union’s (EU) new data security and privacy directive seeks to improve how businesses, including call centers, handle vital and personal data of the trade bloc’s constituents.

This presents implications on how contact centers should process an EU citizen’s personal information.

In early 2016, the EU signed into law its new data protection policy, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The 28-nation political and economic entity gave companies around the world a two-year grace period to adhere to the standards of the said legislation when handling the personal information of EU citizens.

As the May 25 deadline looms near, it’s important to know how this can affect your call center should you handle EU customer data.

With privacy in mind from the very beginning, the GDPR replaces the bloc’s rather outdated Data Protection Directive. It aims to enhance the data protection an EU citizen receives by giving them more control over their personal data. Some of the notable rights the GDPR protects are the following:

data security GDPR depiction judge gavel on computer keyboard

  • Right to access- EU citizens should be able to access the personal and supplementary information they need without red tape;
  • Right to access- EU citizens should be able to access the personal and supplementary information they need without red tape;
  • Right to erasure- The right to be “forgotten,” allowing users to request for their personal data to be purged;
  • Right to data portability- Lets users easily transfer their personal data from one platform to another;
  • Right to be informed- Gives users transparency on how their data is used; and
  • Right to object- Right to compel businesses to not use or process their personal data (i.e., for marketing purposes).

Implications of the GDPR for contact centers

At first glance it may seem that this won’t affect offshore call centers, but as long as your company handles or processes the personal information of EU citizens, you’re liable under the GDPR. Here’s how the GDPR will affect your contact center.

  1. It may increase data protection investments

    data security executives discussing investing in better data protection
    With the deadline nearing, companies are expected to ramp up their expenses with regards to improving their data security protocols. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers’ survey, 77% of its respondents plan to spend up to $1 million or more in order to comply with GDPR requirements.

  2. There will be more stringent data breach protocols

    data security officers inspecting data center

    The GDPR has safeguards that ensure privacy disastersโ€”such as Uber’s massive 2016 breach and its subsequent cover-upโ€”will be alleviated or fixed in a short window. The EU will be enforcing a 72-hour window for reporting security intrusions at the time such breach was discovered. Protocols for vulnerability impact assessments are also present to mitigate and address such glitches, especially on zero-dayโ€”the day the bug was discovered.

  3. Massive penalties may be imposed

    lady justice judge gavel surrounded by money cash for data security
    The EU will be imposing huge fines for failing to uphold the provisions of the said legislation. In fact, for noncompliance and neglect for privacy alone, a company can be sanctioned by the trade bloc to pay up to 20 million or 4% of a company’s global annual turnover, whichever is higher, on a case-to-case basis.

  4. Consumer empowerment will be observed

    data security depiction GDPR blue padlock on credit cards

    Call center processes will have to be modified or changed to comply with the standards set by the GDPR. The updated data protection law will uphold the importance of consumer consent, as seen with the rights it protects, such as right to erasure and right to object. One of its effects would be felt on how contact centers use call recording and archiving as stricter policies will be placed around these.

Despite the seemingly difficult road ahead, ensuring that your outsourcing partner is GDPR-compliant is a must. As a multilingual call center, Open Access BPO complies with stringent data security policies like the GDPR. Contact us today and find out how we can provide high-quality customer support and content moderation services as we keep you and your customers’ personal data safe.

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
Driving excellent #CustomerExperience hinges on the diverse perspectives within your team.

Cultivating a culturally competent environment not only enriches your workforce but directly translates to superior service for a global customer base.

Join us as we discuss how #diversity elevates #CX!
Dive deeper into our insights and share your thoughts: https://buff.ly/fqcGUQK

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Partner with a team that values and leverages diversity for outstanding results.

Contact us today to discuss your outsourcing needs: https://buff.ly/fNfWbTE

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CulturalDiversity #EmployeeManagement
#DiversityManagement #CustomerSuccess
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
Getting a bad performance review can be tough, but it doesn't have to be the end of the world.

In fact, it can be an opportunity to learn and grow, and to come back stronger than ever.

๐†๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š ๐›๐š๐ ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ข๐ž๐ฐ ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐›๐ž ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก, ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ž๐ง๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐.

๐ˆ๐ง ๐Ÿ๐š๐œ๐ญ, ๐ข๐ญ ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐›๐ž ๐š๐ง ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐›๐š๐œ๐ค ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ง ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ.

Read our blog post right now: https://buff.ly/hiAUi78
And let's explore:
โ€ข the importance of recovering from a bad performance review;
โ€ข the causes of performance failures; and
โ€ข how to determine the best course of action to address these challenges

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Find out how Open Access BPO's 24/7 multichannel services (in 30+ languages) can upgrade your #CX, strengthen brand loyalty, and drive business growth: https://buff.ly/cltoadZ

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CustomerService
#CustomerExperience #CSat
Open Access BPO 10 days ago
Open Access BPO's recent ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ showcased our unwavering commitment to #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion. This inaugural event united our teams in Makati and Davao to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and support meaningful causes.

๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฌ-๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜—๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ: https://buff.ly/nmRUrVg

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#PrideMonth #Pride2025 #UnitedByLove
#OneWithDiversity #PrideMonth2025
Open Access BPO 24 days ago
๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—›๐—œ๐—™๐—ง ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐˜€

Multilingual call center Open Access BPO announced the official launch of ๐—ฆ๐—›๐—œ๐—™๐—ง: ๐—”๐—ป ๐—ข๐—”๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ, an initiative designed to foster sustainable health and well-being among its employees.

The program, whose acronym SHIFT stands for Sustainable Health and Integrated Fitness Transformation, aims to address the challenges of sedentary work lifestyles prevalent in the BPO industry by providing comprehensive support for health improvement.

The OABPO SHIFT Program will offer a holistic approach to employee wellness, encompassing structured physical fitness activities, wellness coaching, and a smart, sustainable nutrition guide.

This program highlights Open Access BPO's dedication to employee well-being, recognizing that healthy team members are key to both professional success and a great quality of life.

Employees are encouraged to check their official Open Access BPO email for detailed information on program enrollment and participation.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OneForHealth #oabpoSHIFT
#IdeaHubOABPO #EmployeeWellness
#WellbeingAtWork
Open Access BPO 28 days ago
Delivering outstanding #CustomerSupport on over #SocialMedia promptly is essential for enhancing #CustomerSatisfaction and improving the overall brand experience.

But how can your brand consistently deliver on this crucial front?

Improve your customer interactions and build stronger connections on social media by reading all about it on our blog: https://buff.ly/sdjJ2A3

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Give your brand a CX boost on the social web!
Outsource to a #CustomerService expert today: https://buff.ly/aBetHaO

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerService #CSat
#CustomerExperience #CX
Open Access BPO 38 days ago
The world is getting smaller, and your customers come from all corners of it!
Partnering with a culturally diverse #CallCenter team isn't just the right thing to do, it's a smart business move.

Learn about the key benefits in our blog:
https://buff.ly/360SqHP

----------
Want a high-value #CustomerExperience for your diverse audience?

Let our multicultural teams help your brand break into international markets without worries.

Contact us today: https://buff.ly/59i7YD6

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CX #diversity #inclusion