To help agents from violating the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry rules which took effect on 2 January, real estate agencies have set up training sessions, policies and hardware solutions to enable agents to better understand the provisions of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), reported the media.
The PDPA, which came into full force on 2 July, prohibits companies from marketing to individuals whose phone numbers are listed in the DNC Registry without obtaining their consent first.
ERA and PropNex revealed they conduct compulsory briefing sessions for their agents to make sure that they understand the rules under the Act.
“Our compliance officers will send emails regularly and speak at briefings for new projects to remind agents to comply with the DNC regulations,” stated ERA Key Executive Officer Eugene Lim, noting that firms usually see an increase in telemarketing messages prior to new launches.
Phones at the headquarters of both agencies are connected to a system that prevents calls from being made to numbers included on the registry. When a new number is listed on the registry, the system automatically includes it.
Aside from this, agents at PropNex are also encouraged to subscribe to SpiderGate, a paid service which screens the agent’s mobile phone contact list for numbers included on the registry.
According to PropNex’s Chief Executive Mohammed Ismail Gafoor, around 1,000 of its sales agents have subscribed to the service.
Meanwhile, agents at ERA are required to check their list of targeted telemarketing recipients against the registry through an external vendor that filters out phone numbers on the registry. But since there are costs involved for each check, some agents may opt to “cut corners” by checking their list only once, said Lim.
“We have made these services available to help agents comply with the rules. I believe (property agent Kuan Chow Sheng’s) case will wake everybody up,” he said.
Kuan, a property agent with Huttons Asia, was charged yesterday for breaching the DNC Registry requirements. He is the first in the property sector to be charged.
Image (by Ainali; Wikimedia Commons): File photo of mobile phone
Muneerah Bee, Senior Journalist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email muneerah@propertyguru.com.sg
