Many of you will be aware of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which is essentially a ‘do not call’ list for consumer telephone numbers. But what about Corporate TPS (CTPS)?
The CTPS list currently holds 2.6m telephone numbers. Similar to TPS, it’s a list of business telephone numbers that have opted out from receiving telemarketing calls. Calling any of these numbers could – in theory – result in a fine as high as £500,000.
However, awareness of CTPS is poor and combined with a lack of appetite for prosecution as well as a registration system that is flawed, many people are asking for CTPS to be scrapped.
But what are the advantages in scrapping this system? And are there good reasons to keep it?
The argument for scrapping CTPS is based on the fact that not all B2B telemarketing companies subscribe to it. It currently costs £1,100 per annum to receive the CTPS list every 28 days, and it could be seen by some as a tax on reputable telemarketing companies.
In addition, since CTPS was launched in 2004 there have been no prosecutions or fines issued – yet CTPS has received complaints. As a result, some commentators view the legislation as pointless.
Finally, the registration process is flawed. It’s possible for managers to register the telephone numbers of all their staff without consulting them. This can prohibit buyers from finding new products or suppliers with better or cheaper offers.
However, there is an argument to keep CTPS – or at least to not scrap it.
There are some organisations which perhaps should not be called for telemarketing purposes. For example, the direct lines of emergency services. These numbers cannot be registered on TPS, so how do you prevent them from being listed on a telemarketing database?
Also, it’s a waste of marketing budget to call people who have requested not to be telephoned. Plus, if you have an active content marketing plan, you should be able to persuade buyers to opt in to receive a telemarketing call… which overrides any CTPS opt-out registration.
Lastly, checking telephone numbers against the CTPS protects our clients’ brand from potential bad publicity.
But all of this could soon become an academic debate, as the draft EU Data Regulation is due to get its first reading this spring. If this new law is passed in its current form, it could require all direct marketing to be opt-in with explicit consent. Thus, perhaps, CTPS becomes redundant.
There is a legal requirement for companies using B2B telemarketing to check their data against the CTPS register. The fine for failure can be up to £500,000 and is payable by the company that instigated the call… that could be you.
On Monday 2 July, BBC Panorama investigated B2C telemarketing. As a result, the spotlight in now on all forms of telemarketing – including B2B.
To help companies meet their legal obligations, we are offering to check your B2B telemarketing data against the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS). Free of charge.
The CTPS register is a list of companies that have ‘opted-out’ of receiving sales calls. It’s illegal to call them and can result in huge fines.
This offer is for UK data only and is limited to 100,000 records. The offer ends 31 August 2012, and for the rest of the details please read The Small Print below.
If you are calling Sole Traders as part of your telemarketing you might need to also check your data against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The Direct Marketing Association manage both CTPS and TPS, but any fines for failing to comply are imposed by the Information Commissioners Office.
If you want to protect your brand and ensure your telemarketing campaigns are legal, then please call Brendan O’Flaherty, CEO, on 020 8846 3950 or email boflaherty@scisalesgroup.com
Further information
Direct Marketing Association – www.dma.org.uk
Corporate Telephone Preference Service – www.tpsonline.org.uk
Telephone Preference Service – www.tpsonline.org.uk
Information Commissioner’s Office – www.ico.gov.uk
The Small Print
1.We will only check 100,000 telephone data records free of charge. Additional records can be checked for a fee.
2.We will perform one free CTPS check per company in one month only. Subsequent checks are charged at £50 per 100,000 records, per month.
3.CTPS is a list of UK companies that have requested not to receive sales calls, therefore this offer is limited to UK data only.
4.Your data must be supplied in .csv or Microsoft Excel format only, and must have unique ID for each record.
5.The telephone numbers must be in standard 11 digit telephone number format only.
6.This offer applies to CTPS only. If you are calling Sole Traders or consumers as part of your telemarketing you may need to check your data against TPS as well. Please ask for details and extra charges.
7.This offer is not available to other telemarketing or marketing agencies/consultants.
8.We reserve the right to postpone or refuse to complete the CTPS check due to our workload or other operational issues.
9.This offer ends 31 August 2012.
