8. Are maintenance reminders a simple administrative workflow—or marketing that needs different controls?

Draft answer framing: Classify the message by its purpose and content, then apply the relevant channel and recipient rules. Do not treat every annual reminder as automatically exempt from marketing requirements.

Why it matters: The ICO distinguishes routine information about an existing contract or past purchase from messages containing significant promotion, including encouragement to renew an expiring contract. Commusoft’s UK material also demonstrates that automated reminders can be a native-software option. (ico.org.uk)

Put this question to the expert:

“How would you distinguish a contracted maintenance notification from a message selling another boiler service, and what records would the business need for each?”

A strong answer should cover:

• Contract status, asset identity, due-date source and the person authorised to arrange access.
• Separate handling of tenants, landlords, managing agents and commercial account contacts.
• Appropriate permission records, objections and suppression rules for each channel.
• Stopping reminders after booking, cancellation, asset replacement or a change of occupier.
• Human review of uncertain records rather than inventing a due date.

Evidence to request: A small anonymised sample traced from the asset record through message classification, dispatch and suppression.

Follow-up: “Who corrects the underlying record when a customer says the reminder is wrong?”

Expert quote: ____________________