Business News
SIX QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN YOU ’ RE CHOOSING A DATA SUPPLIER
Kirsty Winter , General Manager at Insight Data , is offering top advice to fenestration companies to ensure the prospect data they purchase is accurate , relevant and compliant with UK data laws .
One of the most effective ways for a business to increase its sales potential is the purchase of data that provides up-to-the-minute information about the companies and organisations .
Insight Data is one of those companies . We ’ re experts in the compilation of data , centring on the fenestration and construction industry , and we constantly update our existing records while seeking out newly-formed companies we think will be a good fit for our clients . All this information is uploaded to our Salestracker platform , the UK ’ s most accurate prospect and marketing data with in-depth market intelligence all online , in real-time .
If you ’ re looking for more leads , it makes perfect sense to pair up with data suppliers like Insight . However , doing your homework is always a clever idea , and to help you make an informed choice we ’ ve compiled a list of questions we feel are worth asking any potential data supplier before you get them on board .
1 : What is the source of the data ?
In an age where the truth of what we read is often highly questionable , it is vital that you have complete faith in your supplier ’ s knowledge bank . You need to make sure that it is collected from a reliable source , and not harvested second or even third-hand . Here at Insight Data , our trained and experienced call centre staff make more than 20,000 telephone calls a month , checking and updating records . We have data analysts who constantly analyse the quality and accuracy of our information . This means our clients can make informed decisions based on data that is guaranteed to be trustworthy .
2 : Is the provider allowed to collect and sell that data ?
Since May 2018 , GDPR ( General Data Protection Regulations ) laws have defined how personal data can be collected , stored and sold by data providers . So a valid approach is to make sure the data supplier is GDPR-compliant , and that you are too . One of the main GDPR-related issues for data suppliers is that they must clearly document the personal data they hold , how and when it was sourced , how it will be used , how it is updated and who will have access to it .
3 : When was the last time the data was updated ?
There ’ s nothing more frustrating for a business chasing leads to discover that emails bounce back , phone numbers have changed , staff have left or even that the lead has gone bankrupt .
On average , records on the Insight Database are verified and updated every 90 days . We even credit check the companies on our database for financial stability so our customers can feel confident they ’ re targeting solvent firms . Plus , we also send more than five million emails a year , which means on average every email address is tested twice a week .
4 : How is the data maintained ?
If the provider states that the data is fresh because it is regularly maintained , it is a good idea to ask how this is done . One of the best ways to check is to request the date stamp records for databases . Data collectors use date stamps to ensure all their records are within an acceptable window of freshness .
5 : Has the data been screened against TPS ?
TPS or Telephone Preference Service laws enable a person to opt-out of receiving marketing calls . Screening personal record databases is a legal requirement and state that all organisations do not make calls to numbers registered on the TPS unless they have your consent to do so . So make sure to ask the data provider if the data has been screened against TPS and if so , when was it screened and how often has it been screened ?
6 : Are there any clauses in the agreement you are making that you do not share information with a third party ?
If you can ’ t see the ‘ no sharing ’ clause in the terms and conditions , it ’ s possible that the data you are buying has been shared illegally with third parties . As confidentiality is a key principle to GDPR compliance , it ’ s important to ensure that you buy data sets that comply with those laws .
www . insightdata . co . uk
94 NOVEMBER 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM