The things you could do with a cool £170,000.
Buy 1 Lamborghini Huracan Evo. 6 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatics. 510,000 Freddos.
Or instead, you could lump it all on an ICO fine for non-compliant prospecting.
That’s what happened to a nuisance call blocker company in August 2021, after they made “188,493 unsolicited direct marketing calls to customers registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).”
And the same could happen to you if you don’t enable your B2B sales team with a GDPR-compliant data provider.
So whether you’re renewing your contract with your current platform or looking to onboard a new one, you need to ask one big question before you pay:
Do you scrub against global Do Not Call (DNC) lists?
And if the answer isn’t a categorical “yes”, you’ll need to rethink your decision.
In this blog, you can find out everything you need to know about DNC lists and how Cognism's compliant B2B data protects you against ICO fines.
Do Not Call list FAQs
Want to know more about DNC lists? Then review the FAQs below:
What does Do Not Call list mean?
A Do Not Call or DNC list is a list of direct phone numbers marketing and salespeople cannot call. This is because people on DNC lists have specifically requested not to be cold called in line with their individual privacy rights.
Different geographies have different DNC lists, and you need to be aware of them all to ensure your prospecting is compliant.
What does it mean to 'scrub' your list?
Scrubbing is the process of going through a list of data and archiving or removing phone numbers that are on Do Not Call lists.
This is done to ensure you are not conducting sales in an illegal way.
How do you check if someone is on the Do Not Call list?
The US has a National Do Not Call Registry. You can call the registry on 1-888-382-1222 to check whether a number is listed or not. The UK offers a similar service in the form of its Telephone Preference Service (TPS) which can be contacted on 0207 291 3320.
If you’re contacting someone outside of the UK and US, search for equivalent services in the geography to ensure your prospecting is compliant.
How long do people remain on the Do Not Call list?
Unless they decide to remove themselves, people will remain on the list permanently.
What happens if you call someone on a Do Not Call list?
In the US, you can be fined up to $41,484 per call by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In the UK, you can be fined £500,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). According to GDPR, you can be fined £17.5M or 4% of global turnover.
What is a Do Not Call check?
A DNC check is a database that allows you to search for phone numbers which are opted in to national DNC lists. A DNC check may not cover more than one geographical region, so be sure to use localised tools.
How Cognism protects you from global Do Not Call lists when prospecting
Cognism has taken several actions to give users ease of mind when using their data. These steps include:
- Notified database
- No B2C emails
- Global do-not-call lists
Check out the infographic below to see how your team can prospect without you worrying about GDPR non-compliance 👇
