Real Time TPS Compliance for UK Call Centres
Avoid a £500k fine for non-compliance
The TPS/CTPS are free services that individuals or businesses can join to stop unsolicited calls. However, customers on the TPS/CTPS can be called if you have prior consent to do so. TPS is an acronym for Telephone Preference Service, which is regulated by the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) and relates to (PERC) the Privacy Electronic Communications Regulations. In May 2011 the information commissioner was granted significantly extended, and enhanced powers enabling much swifter fines to be issued and greatly increased value (up to £500,000).
As the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been given more authority to levy fines to businesses which breach the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) by not taking necessary action to avoid calling customers registered on the telephone preference service (TPS) or corporate telephone preference service (CTPS), it has become even more important for call centres to use technology which provides a solution to remove all risks of calling customers registered with the TPS or CTPS service.
TPS Compliant is a real time service, meaning at the point of any call we will ensure any number registered to the TPS or CTPS will be stopped from routing. Nexbridge works closely with the TPS/CTPS to update the database of numbers registered with the TPS/CTPS on a daily basis, and new registrations will take around 30 days to appear on their database.
The reason a real time service is so important for call centres is because, at present, most use a TPS data cleansing service, however, TPS/CTPS data is updated daily with new numbers that are not to be called. There’s a strong chance such recordes will be included in your data. Also, if agents have the ability to make manual calls, this will also present a risk they could dial a TPS/CTPS registered customer.
TPS Compliant uses the latest technology for IP Networks and cloud based services, which means you have no need to upload data, install new equipment, train agents, or even worry about breaking the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PERC).
Customers who register to the TPS/CTPS must provide all contact numbers they wish not to be contacted on as the TPS/CTPS doesn’t work on the person you are calling, but the telephone number you have dialled. Therefore, even if the number becomes owned by a different contact until they contact the TPS/CTPS to have it removed it will remain on the database and still be covered under by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).