Call Centre Reform Campaigner Elected President

It may not be what he is most famous for, but US President Elect Barack Obama has form on the issue of contact centre regulation - specifically on the use of telemarketing to mis-sell to vulnerable members of the community.

In a sentiment that nobody could disagree with, Obama, then merely Senator for Illinois, raised the issue with the American FTC (Federal Trade Commission) which, among other things, is also responsible for the US Do Not Call Registry, the American equivalent of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) in the UK.

Now given the fact that (in the words of the Senator himself) the challenges he faces are "two wars, the planet in peril and the worst financial crisis in a century", this is not going to be top of his priority list. But America's 44th President is clearly a man for whom fairness, openness and the protection of the vulnerable are important issues and it is likely that those seeking tight, good regulation will receive a sympathetic ear.