Managing unsubscribe requests is an important task for any business. In fact, these should be treated as more than requests, but rather as commands. When customers and leads decide they don’t want to hear from you, your brand’s reputation is at stake, and any contact needs to halt as quickly as possible. But sometimes it’s not just about the email address. It’s not uncommon for companies to collect additional “opt-in” information on an individual, and this means that unsubscribes or do not contact (DNC) requests need to apply to all the subscriber’s information. That’s why at UnsubCentral, we’re excited to unveil a new component of our platform that can help to manage and centralize any customer information and suppress contacts.
Our mission is to help companies make compliance and brand protection easy by leading the centralization of consumer marketing preferences. With our new offering and integrations, we’ll empower marketers with innovative and intuitive compliance tools.
What Kind of Information is Collected?
In looking beyond email addresses, there are several pieces of personal information a company might collect from a customer. These could include:
- Phone number
- Mailing address
- Employer information
- Personal IDs
These additional contact fields can be collected in a variety of ways. Often times, it comes from a third-party marketing or advertising company that uses website cookies to gather contact info. Additional contact information can also be provided directly by the customer during a sign-up process. For instance, an insurance broker may ask for personal information like first and last name or mailing addresses either online or in-person.
The data gathered in these different ways can be hard to manage across tech stacks because these platforms don’t “talk” to each other, and there’s always the risk of human error. That’s why companies are coming to UnsubCentral because our team and platform creates connections to automate syncing of customer data.
The Importance of Centralizing Databases
When customer information is gathered, it often lives in multiple locations. For instance, if a customer signs up directly on a website, the additional info collected by a third-party company may be stored in a completely different database than the original email address. Synchronizing all points of contact is the only way to be sure that an unsubscribe request is truly and wholly honored. Every company uses its own set of tech specs, so the focus needs to be on building unique APIs that can connect CRMs and link up all customer information in one convenient location.
But even beyond protecting a company’s brand and customer relationships is the importance of industry regulations. A perfect example of this is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Though it was established way back in 1991, the law protecting customers from telemarketing and robocalls has increased in scope and size under the FTC. In 2012, the TCPA guidelines became even more stringent, declaring that telemarketers must:
- Obtain prior express written consent before robocalling them
- No longer allow telemarketers to rely on the “established business relationships” loophole to avoid getting consent
- Require telemarketers to provide an “opt-out” process during any phone call
Violating this law can lead to hefty fines and penalties. Each violation of the TCPA can cost a company $500 per call, and $1500 per call when there’s willful violations. When class action suits are brought forth against companies ignoring these regulations, they can often cost millions of dollars. So, if your company is failing to connect customer information databases, the result of unwanted contact—even if it’s unintentional—could be a huge hit to your business’ bottom line.
UnsubCentral: Your Partner in the Journey Beyond the Email
At UnsubCentral, we know how important it is to manage these unsubscribes. With our platform, you can rest assured knowing that contact lists and personal information of customers is synced and connected. Not only can we help you to actively control these requests, but we can help you see and avoid any roadblocks in your way. To learn more, contact UnsubCentral today.