Table of Contents
The Assumed team recently returned from Lead Generation World, where we had the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and discuss the importance of partner vetting in the lead generation space. As regulatory requirements become more common, especially regarding consumer privacy, our presence at industry conferences reflects our commitment to helping companies, especially in this space.
Why Companies Need to Vet Their Vendors and Partners
Your partners’ practices can impact your compliance and reputation in the lead generation industry. If they are not honoring opt-outs or one-to-one consent this can reflect poorly on your business for getting them the leads in the first place. If your partners or vendors mistreat the leads, re-sell them, or are constantly badgering leads, this will negatively affect them and your business. These poor practices are also why regulations are becoming more common; consumers are sick of being called, texted, and having their data mistreated. This has become obvious with recent regulatory developments, including the FCC’s new TCPA consent revocation rules.
One-to-One Consent and Lead Generation
With the FCC’s recent move to close the “lead generation loophole,” the deadline for one-to-one consent is just around the corner, and such was a big topic for discussion at Lead Generation World. This requirement means that leads must explicitly consent to be contacted by each company. This is a huge change for the industry, where calling someone previously didn’t require prior consent.
Using Assumed Seeds, companies can verify whether their partners and vendors adhere to these strict consent requirements. By planting these decoy contacts through partner forms and monitoring subsequent communications, you can track exactly who reaches out to these leads and whether they obtained proper consent first. You’ll know immediately if an Assumed Seed receives calls or messages from companies that did not receive consent. This helps protect your business from regulatory violations.
New TCPA Rules and the Role of Partner Vetting
On April 4, 2024, the FCC adopted new rules impacting how businesses handle consent revocation under the TCPA. These rules bring three key changes:
- Accept Revocation Requests Through Multiple Channels: Consumers can revoke consent via various methods, such as phone calls, emails, text messages or in-person requests, and must be honored.
- Honor Revocation Requests Promptly: Implement procedures to process and honor these requests within a reasonable timeframe to avoid non-compliance.
- Clarify the Scope of Revocation: Establish a process to confirm the specific communications the consumer wishes to stop so that their preferences can be accurately implemented.
In a nutshell, if a consumer states that they do not want to be contacted, you can not contact them via phone or text message. You may send them one message to confirm what they would like to opt out of, but you will need to cease communication otherwise. These changes mean that lead buyers and sellers need complete visibility into how their partners handle opt-outs and consent revocation and make sure they are working with partners and vendors who comply.
How Assumed Helps with TCPA Compliance
Our data leak monitoring solution can help you verify that your partners are:
- Correctly processing opt-out requests within reasonable timeframes
- Honoring consent revocations across all communication channels
- Maintaining accurate records of consent status
- Not continuing to sell or share opted-out contact information
Place Assumed Seeds in your database, list or fill out forms with these decoy contacts. Have the contact opt out of communications and see what your partner does. You can monitor how your partners handle consent revocation requests and see if they comply with the new TCPA rules.
Building Trust Through Verification: Lead Generation World Takeaways
Meeting the lead generation industry at conferences like Lead Generation World isn’t just about showcasing our solutions – it’s about fostering a culture of transparency and accountability. When companies can verify their partners’ practices and comply with regulations like the TCPA, trust is built throughout the lead generation space. It helps everyone in the industry to do better. Organizations like Responsible Enterprises Against Consumer Harassment (REACH) also attend Lead Generation World. Organizations like this push companies to do better, helping the industry as a whole. Another reason why attending conferences like Lead Generation World is to stay involved in the industry, what standards companies need to uphold and find solutions or support to help you along.
We’re headed to a few more conferences as well, you can find us at both Affiliate Summit West and LeadsCon, both in Las Vegas! Whether you met us at Lead Generation World or are just learning about Assumed, we’re dedicated to helping companies with their partner vetting processes, maintaining compliance and following best practices for handling data. Contact us to learn more about how Assumed Seeds can help you verify partner compliance and protect your business.
