When it comes to your B2B telemarketing campaigns, TPS and CTPS are two terms that you need to be familiar with. The Telephone Preference Service and Corporate Telephone Preference Service are opt-out registers for both consumers and businesses that do not want to be targeted over the phone by marketers.
It can be disheartening to discover that you can’t call or text an organisation that you believe would truly benefit from your product or service. However, it’s illegal to contact people listed on these registers, so it’s crucial not to ignore the rules.
In this post, we will look in detail at what these registers are and how they work – and consider how this impacts your B2B telemarketing efforts.
Defining TPS and CTPS
To start with, let’s look at the definitions provided by the official TPS website:
TPS: “The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a central opt out register whereby individuals can register their wish not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls. It is a legal requirement that companies do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS.”
CTPS: “The Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) is the central opt out register whereby corporate subscribers can register their wish not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls to either all their organisation’s telephone numbers, or to certain numbers. It is a legal requirement that companies do not make such calls to numbers registered on the CTPS.”
When it comes to B2B marketing, businesses that don’t want to be approached by other companies can register on either the TPS or CTPS, or both. For example, an individual employee or sole trader might register on the TPS, while a limited company might register on the CTPS.
Once a number has been submitted, it takes 28 days for it to appear on the relevant list – at this point, it is illegal for you to contact the person or company connected to that number.
Download our Clean Up Your Data eBook to find out how you can keep your data up-to-date and legally compliant.
When businesses break the law
In the UK, there are a number of rules in place to protect individuals and businesses
against unsolicited marketing messages. These are outlined in The Privacy and Electronics Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR). They are derived from European law and sit alongside the Data Protection Act.
It’s no trivial matter to disregard these rules, so it’s vital to suppress telephone numbers in your database against the TPS and CTPS registers. Otherwise, you risk landing a fine of up to £500,000 from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – that’s certainly not a situation you want to find yourself in!
In 2019, the ICO levied over £600,000 in penalties for nuisance calls and text messages. This included a £150,000 fine to a solar panels company that made over 500,000 calls to numbers that were registered on the TPS.
As well as the potential financial costs of breaking the law, you also risk damaging your reputation and the future of your organisation. After all, no one wants to do business with a company that disregards their wishes about being contacted.
Your B2B telemarketing campaigns
Discussing the TPS and CTPS registers can sound quite daunting. However, knowledge is power, so it’s really important to ensure that you understand the rules and implement them effectively. So what does this mean in practice?
First of all, you should check the data you hold against these registers every 28 days. It is possible to purchase online “checkers” that will allow you to do this with ease, giving you peace of mind for the month ahead.
Secondly, consider whether you might be able to connect with companies that would benefit from your product or service through other routes. For instance, a business owner may not want to receive an unsolicited call, but that doesn’t mean they are also adverse to a well-targeted email or piece of direct mail. And if you target the right people, in the right way, they may welcome a sales call further along their buyer’s journey.
There are strict rules to observe when it comes to your B2B telemarketing campaigns, but adhering to these needn’t be an arduous process. Ultimately, you want to target the right people through your marketing efforts – the people that want and need your product or service. But it’s just as important to target them through the right channel.
So you might consider the TPS and CTPS registers as another way of helping you to figure out how to do just that. Regularly checking your database against these lists will empower your marketing, helping you to reach your goals without encountering problems along the way.
Register for FREE and check phone numbers against our TPS/CTPS Checker to ensure you remain compliant.
