Who is collecting data on behalf of 'The British Consumer' using offshore call centres? Despite being on the UK's Do Not Call List, The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) for 3 years, I'm getting duplicate calls from an offshore call centre requesting permission to undertake a 'survey' on behalf of this dubious entity.
Various tactics are being employed, from a request to verify address and telephone details before launching into a lifestyle questionnaire - and including one that promises to ensure that your details are taken off our list before then saying we'd just like to verify the details we hold about you and your household.
Either no record is maintained of previous contact or they just aren't bothering. All part of a truly low-cost, low-ethics exercise...
One can easily see how hundreds of thousands of consumers are surely being duped by these approaches, that seriously misrepresent, flout TPS regulations by calling under the guise of research when what they are doing is data gathering (but clearly not market research), and damage consumer confidence.
When I pushed representatives to disclose which legal entity they were calling on behalf of, the phones were put down. So they might be naive enough to call repeatedly in spite of several bruising encounters, but not that naive!
Here's the thing; if data collection goes down an ethical slippery slope in pursuit of the lowest cost collection, campaign performance will follow. Not only that, execution comes with hidden costs arising from higher than average complaint rates. All of which feeds into a negative cycle of brand perception, at a time when reputation and trust is more important than ever.
Among other parameters, being able to provide a simple audit trail to complainants in respect of their personal information when asked, helps allay concerns and restores trust. Transparency is more important than ever, and practitioners using poorly acquired and badly permissioned data run greater reputational risks than ever before.
