Most SMB in Canada do not telemarket in any concerted manner. However a large percentage will at some time or on a regular basis place telephone calls to consumers about their products. Any of these calls could result in a request to be added to the company do not call list (DNCL).
It costs nothing to register, so why not do it? Besides, you are supposed to, even if you are exempt (see the rule). That includes making business to business calls or using permission based marketing.
Download subscriptions are costly, but you can take a subscription for online enquiries that will cost only 50 cents per number you check.
If you expect to make more than 100 enquiries in a month then a download subscription is a better solution than the online, pay as you go method. A download subscription will probably be easier to administer, so you may decide it is a better solution for less than 100 numbers per month. Typically, having just one person in your office spending a few hours a week cold calling will put you into the download subscription area.
A number of methods are available and their suitability will depend on how much use you make of the telephone as a marketing tool. You need to take your download at least every 30 days during your subscription period to show due diligence.
It will come in a compressed file that will need to be unzipped. Software is readily available for this purpose. You likely have it on your computer already, but if not you can get it free off the internet. For commercial use there may be a small license fee to pay.
Once the file is unzipped you can use Windows Notepad to look up numbers. Spreadsheet programs have too small a capacity to cope with most area codes of the National Do Not Call List, so don't even bother trying. Browsers and most word processors are slow to load the list. If you use Notepad, then make sure you search both UP and DOWN the file for every number. If you handle multiple area codes then you will need to look at the right data. This can get tricky with the XML format download, and will require changing files with the CSV format download unless you combine them into one large file that could easily become too large for convenient use. Another minor difficulty is distributing the list. You will need to update every copy of the National Do Not Call List on every computer used by your employees at least every 30 days, and it will be important to keep detailed records of doing so in case you are investigated.
You can employ a telemarketing organisation to make calls for you. Telemarketers are required to verify your subscription before providing you with services. Even if the telemarketing organisation is outside of Canada you still must have a subscription and your telemarketer must comply with the regulations. You will also have to give them a copy of your internal Do Not Call List. If they make mistakes, you could be held liable.
You can use a list scrubbing program. A list scrubber takes the list of numbers you want to call and compares it with the National Do Not Call List (and hopefully your internal Do Not Call List also) to segregate the numbers you must not call from those which are not on either the National Do Not Call List or the Do Not Call List. You will need a list scrubber that uses the National Do Not Call List format, and you will have to prepare your internal Do Not Call List in the same format.
You can employ a service such as Call Tracker that will
This could be as simple as a notebook with a list of numbers.
If you get many requests to be added to the company Do Not Call List then such a simple solution will soon become unworkable. Keeping a list on a computer is a better idea, but for best results you will have to combine it with the National Do Not Call List. That means keeping it in the same format and merging it with each National Do Not Call List download. The process will be complicated by dealing with multiple area codes. Distributing the internal Do Not Call data involves the same issues as distributing the National Do Not Call List download.
A good list scrubber will allow for separate feeds of Do Not Call and National Do Not Call data.
With Call Tracker all you do to maintain your internal Do Not Call List is click a button on the screen to add a number. It will immediately be available to everyone in your company who is using Call Tracker. Your company Do Not Call List will automatically be merged with every download of the National Do Not Call List. It will also be kept separate so you can get a report of it for compliance purposes.
Apart from making the lists available and easy to use? Could we suggest training? One way is to get each employee to sign a document acknowledging they have been trained and accepting specific responsibility for using the lists as instructed.
The Call Tracker way is to record all numbers looked up together with the results, and allow management to enquire and report on this activity. At the very least this shows the lists are being used. It also shows who is using them and how often.
Due diligence consists of a number of parts:
Call Tracker will not train your staff, but it will:
Call Tracker logs will show that the lists are used, who uses them, when they are used, what they are used for, and what the results of that use were. Call Tracker can optionally keep records of business relationships, and with its note taking capabilities can retain employee explanations of those relationships and of their activities.
Management reporting allows you to extract information about activity surrounding any particular phone number, or any particular employee's activities, or during any particular date or time range. It is intended not only to prove use of the lists but also to facilitate the investigation of mistakes and accidents.
We think Call Tracker covers every point of due diligence as thoroughly as possible. If you think we could do something better, please tell us.