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The POPI Act and your contact centre


Johannesburg, 21 May 2021

With data becoming an exchangeable asset, we are seeing more and more regulations around the use and storage of data. Technology is evolving rapidly, allowing multiple ways for organisations to get, store and sell data on private individuals.

We've seen over the years how the European Union has globalised and made significant progress with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well the United States with its California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

It was only a matter of time before South Africa put similar legislation in place in the form of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

The POPIA was officially and fully enacted in July 2020. As updated in section 114(1), within one year after the commencement of the section, organisations will be made to conform to the Act. This means entities will have to ensure compliance with the Act by 1 July 2021.

It's not too late to read and understand the rules around the Protection of Personal Information Act.

Even though 1 July 2021 is around the corner, there's still time to ensure your contact centre has all structures in place. It would be beneficial to keep in mind that even though the focus of the POPI Act is on compliance, the motion is to implement compliance in such a way that it delivers business value.

The main aim of the POPI Act is to promote the protection of personal information processed by public and private bodies. Contact centres that transact with clients telephonically need to be aware of a major goal of the POPIA, which is to provide for the rights of persons regarding unsolicited electronic communications and automated decision-making. You can read more around the POPI Act by CLICKING HERE.

As ScopServ Integrated Services, we have ensured all our contact centre solutions are compliant globally. The myriad of clients that use our systems need to rest assured that we meet all required criteria for POPIA.

The rise of inexpensive and potentially limitless cloud storage doesn’t always mean compliance. Because of this, we've made sure our customers receive archiving tools that ensure their data is securely backed up within compliance requirements.

Not only do we use and promote software that is compliant, we ensure our hardware partners have the correct infrastructure in place. We have a state-of-the-art data centre with direct connection to our powerful high-speed IP backbone, built-in redundancies and uninterrupted power supply. This cost-effective and scalable solution ensures your data is stored securely and backed by expert network and hardware support.

Quick checklist for your contact centre:

  • Are you using software that is compliant?
  • Is your data centre compliant?
  • Do you announce to clients that their calls are being recorded if you enabled this functionality?
  • Are you sharing customer data without their consent?
  • Will you and your service providers report any data breaches?

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