Telecommunications can still help fill data gaps
Telecommunications can still help fill data gaps
In this age of multimillion-dollar CRM programs and equally
expensive targeted prospect and customer contact strategies, the perils of
missing or incorrect contact data can be costly. Compiled lists and response
lists are the traditional “go-to” sources, but more marketers, who demand
higher accuracy and sell-through, are seeking “hard-to-find” data sources –
particularly as regulation and suppression erode the completeness and availability
of existing data sources. There is too
much opportunity lost, and waste being generated, by neglecting the integrity
and completeness of contact data.
Even with self-reported data, there are mixed results on
accuracy. People don't always tell the
truth — especially on the Web — and data entry errors at the point of
collection also can occur. The only way to know the accuracy of existing data
append sources is to test them, and to test them periodically (or even
regularly) against new data sources.
For three decades, telephone data have been a superb method
for reverse appending postal address data, as well as providing and confirming
telephone contact information. However, the completeness of telephone data as
an “all-knowing” reliable source has been changing. According to the FCC, the
total number of landlines is now dropping 7% per year, while wireless and
broadband telephony is growing by 10% and 22%, respectively. Further, approximately
35% of land lines are non-published and/or unlisted, with a growth rate of 24%
annually in these types of listings. Nonetheless, telecommunications data are
still among the best sources for timely, accurate business and residential
listings. Additionally, connect and
disconnect information from the nation's more than 4,000 telephone companies,
where available, is still perhaps the best indicator of new move data within
the United States.
My recommendation to clients is to take the net non-matches
from standard telecommunication sources — White Pages, Yellow Pages and
directory assistance, for example — and set that data aside. Next, secure non-self-reported wireless and VOIP
data from various proprietary sources.
Then, perform a matching exercise between these two files – voila,
we have a new data source to fill in much of the gaps. Legally, there are restrictions on using such
data, but it is permissible when verifying existing customer
relationships —remembering to honor any internal suppressions —
authenticating identity, and conducting reverse postal appends.
Of course, sourcing hard-to-find data presents the classic
business trade-off – price vs. value. Compiled data are less costly, but have
less recency, and therefore less accuracy – so it is perhaps the optimal
solution for the budget-conscious. Telecommunications data are more costly but are highly accurate.
Hard-to-find data, also from telecommunications sources, are more costly still —
but they enhance the overall value of data, particularly as CRM programs may
experience increasing incidence of inaccurate contact data.
Peg Kuman is the CEO of Telematch. Reach her at pkuman@telematch.com.