Why is suppression screening important?

Jun 12

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Over half a billion deceased, goneaway and home mover records at the best rates available.WHY SCREEN YOUR DATA? The Data and Marketing Association (DMA) make the following recommendations. And we agree!Screen against preference servicesIt is a legal requirement and your obligation under the DMA Code and CAP Code to screen your data against the relevant Preference Services each time before you use them. The onus is on you, as the data user, to ensure that your data is correctly screened before use. The preference services are Telephone Preference Service (TPS), Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS), Mailing Preference Service (MPS), Baby Mailing Preference Service (BMPS), Fundraising Preference Service (FPS) and Your Choice (for Unaddressed Mail).Use commercial suppression filesThere are many commercially available suppression files enabling data owners and users to clean their databases of deceased people, gone-aways and so on. Many of these files are commercially available and, whilst their use is not compulsory, it is highly advisable that you screen against any appropriate suppression files prior to your campaign to ensure that your data remains accurate and high-value, as well as compliant.Take extra care to screen for deceased peopleOne of the most common causes of complaint against one-to-one marketers comes from relatives of deceased people who are distressed by continuing marketing communications targeted to the deceased. Take extra care to screen for deceased people to avoid causing upset and receiving complaints.The Kudos Screening Portal contains 20+ industry-leading suppression files comprising half BILLION records. We will match your files and provide you with an audit, enabling you to choose the suppression you require and detailing the costs.GDPR ComplianceWhilst suppressing records against the Preference Services is a legal requirement and the other suppression files are obviously “best practice”, GDPR has added a new level of compliance. The regulation specifies that a person’s information in your database must be accurate and up-to-date, and that data owners must take “every reasonable step” to remove or correct any inaccuracies Why use the Kudos Screening Portal? 1) Preference Screening is a legal requirement;2) Keeping your database up to date is a GDPR requirement;3) It proves to your audience that you are a trusted brand and increases engagement;4) Screening for direct mail campaigns increases your postal discounts;5) It saves you money by reducing physical materials and staff time wastage6) it reduces customer complaints7) its the decent thing to do if you are communicating with someone then you should get thier deals right. Back to the DMA - this is what they say:Why screen and suppress? It is crucial to the success of your one-to-one marketing to screen your databases and mailing files for gone-aways, deceased persons and opted-out individuals, so that you only use accurate, effective data.Be complaintIt is an obligation to screen your contact lists against the relevant preference services less than 30 days before using them for one-to-one marketing purposes.Minmise reputational damageSending mail to gone-aways and deceased people will only serve to damage your brand reputation, along with our industry’s reputation.Screen data regularly to preserve its integrityData decay cannot be avoided, so you must check your records against suppression and screening files regularly to ensure that your data remains accurate, up-to-date and effective in your one-to-one marketing.Enable effective campaign managementSuppression files play an important role in the effective management of CRM and one-to-one marketing.Maintain data to remain competitiveIt is now well documented and broadly accepted that organisations ignoring the issue of data decay will not be able to compete effectively against those that do keep their data up to date and accurate.Safeguard your industry and ROIUse suppression and data screening effectively to help protect our industry, improve your own return on investment and help present a more favourable environmental image to our marketplaceBe environmentally responsibleSending mail to people who are never going to respond wastes an enormous amount of energy and materials. At a time when consumers are increasingly vocal in their criticism of one-to-one marketing, you must support our industry’s efforts to do as much as possible to minimise wastage.