If you're running a telemarketing campaign or you're thinking of starting one soon then you need data. Quite simply; data is the information that fuels the telemarketing campaign. The names and phone numbers of businesses and people you're going to call. The only thing is; how reliable is the data?

The source of your data can be the difference between a successful campaign and a wasted effort. This is because phone numbers on your calling list might be registered under the Telephone Preference Service. The TPS is a register of opt-out numbers that do not wish to receive telemarketing calls.

If you end up calling someone that's on the TPS register you could risk being fined £5000. Not only is this very embarrassing for your business but for most businesses it could even shut down the company. £5000 is a lot of money so is it really worth the risk of not checking your data?

How to check your data

There are two main ways of checking your data; either purchase the data from a reputable supplier that screens all information and cross references all numbers with the TPS register, or you can check data yourself by subscribing to a TPS checking service or buying credits to carry out searches.

It's usually the better choice to buy your data from a supplier that has screened all the numbers against the TPS register. Most data suppliers will also contact their lists periodically to check the names and numbers are up-to-date. Overall it gives you peace of mind and saves the hassle of checking all the numbers yourself.

If you really are on a budget and you already have a small list that should provide enough for a campaign to begin then you'll need to subscribe to a TPS checking service. There are many options available that allow you to either pay-as-you-go on searches to the register or monthly subscriptions that give you unlimited searches.

Is it really important?

At the end of the day, does it really matter if the people you call are TPS checked? Quite simply; yes. The TPS register is there to protect businesses and consumers from nuisance phone calls. Some people on the list may have even gone through bad experiences in the past with telemarketers.

If you call someone that has already experienced problems they're likely to punish you to the full extent of the law. This can be very crippling for any business and a complete knock-down for the telemarketing campaign. It's also a waste of time if the numbers you call are not going to be interested.

A telephone number that's TPS registered is not going to have any interest in purchasing from you or listening to a cold-call. So not only is it a waste of your time, it's also a waste of money. You'd be much better of calling businesses and consumers that are going to respond positively to a telemarketing call and possibly result in a sale.

At Virtual Sales Limited, all of our data is TPS checked, to ensure you get the best possible start to your telemarketing campaign.