Troubled Waters for B2B Tele Marketing

dated 27th August 03

Contentious government plans which could restrain telemarketing to business customers are alarming B2B marketers. But is it all bad news?

The consultation exercise is over on the Government's highly controversial plans to launch the telephone preference service (TPS) to corporate subscribers, and the DTI has now gone away to consider everyone's views - not all of which are printable.

It has said its plans, which are contained in its draft regulations to implement the EU's Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive, are not a fait accompli and that it expects to make changes.

But I don't think there is much doubt that it will press ahead and that legislation, which has been described by the DMA as a "huge blow", will come in, on October 31.

The DTI clearly feels, as a result of the complaints it has been receiving, that business should have the same right to register with the TPS as the ordinary consumer, and it has made its position plain.

It is that business must be able to make their own decisions about how they are marketed to, and that they should be entitled to protection from unsolicited calls that may disrupt activities - such as a shop-keeper being assailed by 'nuisance calls' while busy on the shopfloor, or a small consultancy without the usual filters of voice-mail or secretaries.

But it is a hard message to sell to the DM industry or to the SMEs who are more heavily reliant on low-cost B2B direct marketing to expand their business.

Oftel consults on new measures to protect consumers against nuisance calls

dated 26th June 03

Individuals or companies who make nuisance calls could, in future, risk fines of up to £5,000 and be required to pay compensation.

Oftel has today issued a consultation setting out how it could exercise the new powers set out in the Communications Bill to address the problem of nuisance calls. This will allow Oftel to be prepared if the current timetable for the Bill is met.

Telecoms operators deal with a significant number of complaints about nuisance calls each year.

The type of calls that could be addressed by these powers include:

• silent calls or short duration calls which are abruptly terminated before they are answered;
• calls that mislead the user into returning a call which my be charged at high rates; and
• automated calls that simply contain recorded messages for marketing purposes.

The new powers set out in the Communications Bill will update existing licence conditions that become obsolete when the new European framework comes into force.

David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications said today:

"I welcome these new powers that provide increased protection for consumers against nuisance calls which are at best annoying and at worst cause anxiety and stress.

"For the first time the regulator will have the power to fine the people who make these calls and require them to pay compensation.

"This will be an important deterrent to put a stop to those who misuse phone systems in this way."

Government Consultation Document
Implementation of the Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications - Department of Trade and Industry March 2003

dated 7th April 03

The Directive on privacy and electronic communications (Directive 2002/58/EC) (the "Privacy Directive") is part of the new European regulatory framwork for electronic communications networks and services. The Privacy Directive updates the current Telecoms data Protection Directive (Directive 97/66/EC) in the light of new technologies and ensures the privacy rules which apply to phone and fax services also apply to email and the use of the internet. It aims to protect the confidentiality of communicatiosn, sets conditions on the use of traffic, location and subscriber data, and subscriber directories, and regulates the use of communications networks for unsolicted direct marketing by phone, fax, e-mail and SMS.

IDMF 2003 4th-6th March 2003

dated 7th Mar 03

For the second year running best new product in telemarketing and
telecommerce section for our BEREAVEMENTGARD product, previously
won with our DATAGARD/CALLGARD products in 2002.

Showstopper award for SILENTCALLGARD presented to only the elite
innovations of the 2003 entry, said by the judges “to be an
outstanding new product that would push back the boundaries
of direct marketing in 2003".

Overall winner of IDMF/DM business new product awards BEREAVMENTGARD.