Panel SA: New code 0303 should transform the telemarketing market, says Reclame Aqui

In the coming months, telemarketing companies must face a transformation of their operations with the entry into force of the 0303 prefix on calls, which will allow the consumer to identify, before answering, that it is an unwanted call.

According to a survey by Reclame Aqui with 1,600 respondents, about 70% of people would never answer the phone if they knew it was telemarketing. More than 60% say they prefer text messages.

“This is an achievement for the consumer who has been harassed in recent years by unsolicited and unsolicited calls from telemarketing companies, to the point of abandoning the habit of answering calls”, says Edu Neves, president of Reclame Aqui.

He says that most large companies have already invested in other forms of contact, such as messaging and email, before calling. But he believes that telemarketing will have to reinvent itself to reach consumers.

According to Neves, the current model would end up raising the companies’ operating and new customer acquisition costs.

“Now it’s time to pay to see if companies won’t use other numbers, and if the consumer will change the habit and start to respect companies that operate according to the new rule”, he says.

Defined in December, the new standard by Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency), which came into force last Thursday (10th), applies to companies that use their cell phones to make contact with the customer.

In June, it will be the turn of landline users to put 0303 in front of the number when telemarketing is active. The objective is to standardize the numbering and serve as a tool for the consumer in the identification of calls, according to the regulatory agency.

Joana Cunha with Andressa Motter and Ana Paula Branco