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Originally published: September 23, 2016
Tyler Bush is the Inquiries and Contact Centre Manager at the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). The Investor Office sat down with Tyler to discuss his position, explain the role of the contact centre and the emerging trends that have his attention.
Meet Tyler
I joined the OSC in February 2016 as the new manager of the Inquiries and Contact Centre where I’m fortunate to manage a department of highly-skilled professionals who provide exceptional service to over 15,000 people each year.
I’m responsible for ensuring our business operations run smoothly and that our standards are upheld. My role is to set the strategic direction of the department to support future growth.
Before joining the OSC, I worked in the financial services industry for over 10 years for investment firms and banks. I think that having worked in the industry gives me a unique perspective; I understand the products and the industry and this allows me to better understand the types of issues and questions investors have about certain products.
What I’ve found amazing while working at the OSC is the caliber of employees that we have here. The organization is filled with subject matter experts who are passionate about the industry and passionate about protecting investors. I think it’s a great place to grow your career and learn from industry experts.
What is the role of the Contact Centre?
Our role is simple. We are here to educate and help protect individual investors.
Investors can contact us for many reasons. They can contact us to learn more about the companies or products they are interested in or have been approached about. We can help by referring them to the National Registrant Database or even check the registration status of a company or someone trying to give them investment advice.
The reality is that there is a lot of fraud out there and many people and companies are not registered to sell investments in Ontario. Investors can contact us is if they feel they’ve been a victim of fraud. If something does not feel right either with an investment option or with someone who’s trying to give you investment advice, give us a call.
How has the Contact Centre evolved over the years?
Historically the office was separated in two teams. The Contact Centre handled investor questions while the Inquiries and Complaints Centre helped market participants with registering, completing forms and paying fees.
The issue we were facing is that one team had much higher call volumes than the other. Investors would sometimes wait a very long time to get the answers to their questions. To address the issue, we combined both teams. This allows us to handle every inquiry and complaint that comes to us. We have one team of experts to assist on a variety of topics in a timely manner.
Another way the Contact Centre has evolved became apparent when I was researching how other regulators around the world were answering inquiries and taking complaints. Typically securities commissions want investors to submit a complaint by email or by completing a form. The OSC is different, we’ll take inquiries and complaints any way you want to send them to us; either by fax, email or by phone. We are distinguishing ourselves by making it easy for people to give us information through a variety of channels.
What are some of the trends you are noticing?
We receive a broad range of inquiries and complaints from investors, however, the most prevalent at the moment is fraud related to binary options. The number of calls we receive regarding binary options has exponentially increased in the last few years. (Click here for more information about binary options)
Do you have any final thoughts for investors?
Check before you invest. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you’re unsure or have any questions, we’re here to help. We can answer inquiries in over 200 languages.
Our contact information:
- Toll-free (North America): 1-877-785-1555 (between 8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
- Email: inquiries@osc.gov.on.ca