Off
Screening starts switched off, because it needs a screening source. Until you choose Warn or Block, nothing is checked. At setup we help you connect a source and set Block mode before your first UK call.
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TPS and CTPS screening, checked at the moment of the dial.
Screening a spreadsheet once at the start of a campaign isn't enough. Patchline checks each ready-to-call UK lead against the TPS and Corporate TPS, and in Block mode won't ring a listed or out-of-date number unless you've recorded that the person agreed to be called.
Before the phone rings
- TPS: individuals, including sole traders and most partnerships
- CTPS: companies
- Not screened in the last 28 days? Treated as unscreened
- Consent recorded? Can be called
- Opted out or on your do-not-call list? Never rung or texted
The basics
What the TPS and CTPS are
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK's opt-out register for people who don't want unsolicited live sales calls. The Corporate TPS (CTPS) is the equivalent for companies. Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), you mustn't make a live marketing call to a number on either register unless that person or business has specifically told you they're happy to hear from you.
The trap for B2B callers is that the registers follow the type of subscriber, not whether it's "a business". The ICO notes that sole traders and some partnerships register with the TPS, while companies register with the CTPS. So a business-to-business list needs screening against both. A CTPS-only check misses the plumber who trades in his own name.
Registers change all the time, which is why screening is a recurring job rather than a one-off. Patchline treats a number as unscreened once its last check is more than 28 days old. Read more in our guide to UK cold calling rules.
How screening works in Patchline
Three modes, one rule that's easy to follow
Warn
The rep sees a warning on a listed or out-of-date number before dialling. Useful while you're cleaning an existing list, but the decision is left to the rep.
Block
The dialer won't ring a listed number, or one not screened in the last 28 days, unless consent is recorded on the lead. Auto-dial skips it and the server refuses the call. This is the mode we recommend.
Two ways to screen
Automatically, through a TPS checking service connected to your account (the service is paid separately, directly to the provider), or by uploading a file you've already had screened. Either way, the date of the last check is kept on the lead.
Consent beats the register
If a business on the register has told you they're happy to be called, record it on the lead: the basis (consent, legitimate interest or opted out), when it changed and how. History is kept, so you can see why a call was allowed.
Around the screening
The other checks that run with it
Your own do-not-call list
A Do Not Call result adds the number to your list, across every lead with that number, and the business's details are deleted for good after 30 days. Anyone who rings your number back can press 1 never to be called again.
Calling hours
Set the hours and days you call, in the lead's own local time. Outside them, nothing rings.
Texts need consent
Texts can only be started from a lead's page, with a reminder to text only people who've agreed. Opted-out numbers can't be texted.
An audit trail
The audit log records logins, exports, data requests and setting changes, including who switched screening modes and when.
What stays with you. Turning screening on, paying for the screening service, keeping it up to date, deciding who you may call and on what basis, and lists you call outside the software. Nothing here is legal advice. Official sources: the TPS and the ICO's PECR guidance.
Do I need to screen B2B calls against the TPS?
Usually yes, as well as the CTPS. The ICO says sole traders and some partnerships register with the TPS, while companies register with the CTPS, so a B2B list without consent needs screening against both registers.
How often should a list be screened?
Registers change constantly, so screening should be repeated. Patchline treats a number whose last check is more than 28 days old as unscreened and, in Block mode, won't ring it until it's checked again or consent is recorded.
Is the TPS checking service included in the price?
No. The screening service is paid separately, directly to the provider. You can also upload a file you've had screened elsewhere.
Can we call a number on the TPS if they agreed?
PECR allows it where the person has specifically told you they're happy to receive your calls. Record that consent on the lead in Patchline, with the date and how it was given, and Block mode will let the call through.
Does screening make our calls compliant?
It deals with one part of PECR. You still need a lawful basis for calling, to identify your company on the call, honour opt-outs and follow Ofcom's rules if you use a dialler. See our compliance page for the full split between software and you.
Screening switched on before your first call.
At setup we help connect TPS/CTPS screening and set Block mode, from £995.