TCPA Compliance: Outbound Calling And Contact Center Technology

 

December 19, 2018 by Siobhan Climer

The explosive growth of the contact center and outbound dialing during the 1980s induced Congress to enact the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in 1991. The TCPA applies to the use of auto-dialers, artificial voice messages, and telemarketing calls, and contains do-not-call list procedures and opt-in/opt-out mechanisms. Recent lawsuits have struggled to identify the legal definitions behind these laws, leaving contact centers with outbound calling capabilities at risk.

 

Who Needs To Maintain TCPA Compliance?

 

tcpa complianceThe TCPA applies specifically to outbound telemarketing calls to third-party generated leads. Any business or individual using an auto-dialer, artificial or prerecorded voice messages, or a telemarketing methodology must have “prior express written consent” to place calls to a cell phone. The adoption of more specific restrictions in 2013 increases the complexity of maintaining TCPA compliance. One of the regulatory changes in this release also requires telemarketers to provide an automated and interactive “opt-out” mechanism during a robocall.

It is important to note that the TCPA applies to anyone making these kinds of outbound calls. If even one part of your business uses generated leads to inform outbound calling, you must be TCPA compliant. Understanding the multiple customer journey paths within your contact center is an important component of identifying whether the TCPA applies to you. Performing a contact center roadmap can give you guidance. Read more in our eBook Customers Drive, You Navigate: Your Contact Center Roadmap to Customer Care Success.

New call-to-action

 

Why You Need To Maintain TCPA Compliance

 

The TCPA doesn’t just provide guidance. State Attorney Generals may bring forth lawsuits in federal court. Companies may receive fines or be forced to pay actual damages. If a company is shown to have violated TCPA knowingly, they can be fined $1,500.00 per violation. In addition to federal court, many states also maintain laws specific to wireless activity. Failing TCPA compliance may, therefore, induce more fines.

tcpa complianceIn August of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a fine of $82 million to Best Insurance Contracts, Inc., which intentionally misidentified itself to 21 million callers via Caller ID. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who oversaw the law suit, delivered a scathing address. In it, he also reinforced the purpose of TCPA compliance. “We will do everything in our power,” Chairman Pai stated, “to put you [robocallers] out of business.”

Whether it’s a fine that puts you out of business, or the loss of your brand reputation and loyalty, failing to maintain TCPA compliance can severely impact your business.

The 5 TCPA Restrictions

 

  1. Calls that violate a consumer’s request to not receive calls.
  2. Telemarketing calls to residential landlines.
  3. Telemarketing and informational calls and texts to wireless lines.
  4. Calls to medical facilities and emergency numbers and/or calls that interfere with multiple business lines.
  5. Telemarketing transmissions to fax machines.

 

Opt-ins And Opt-outs For TCPA Compliance

 

“Prior express written consent” is an essential component of the FCC regulations, and applies to text messages as well. You must provide clear, action-based steps to customers. They may check a box or reply with a specific typed response. The TCPA also requires you to store these opt-in messages for at least 5 years, making it essential to have a backup policy for your TCPA compliance.

It is just as essential to make opt-outs easy for your customers. Under the TCPA, you must honor all opt-outs immediately and make the opt-out process reasonable and accessible.

 

Autodialer Clarity? Maybe

 

tcpa complianceRecently, several lawsuits – including the ACA Int’l v. Federal Communications Commission and Marks v. Crunch San Diego LLC – have sought clarity over the autodialer restrictions in the TCPA. At the heart of these cases is what exactly is an autodialer. In 2015, the FCC determined any system that can store or produce telephone numbers. In September of 2018, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overruled the 2015 FCC guidance, leaving many autodialer-users in limbo. Currently, many organizations are seeking further clarification on the autodialer language.

 

TCPA Compliance And The Contact Center

 

The trouble with TCPA compliance is that even the potential of your communication systems to perform outbound calling puts you and your business at risk. It is essential, to find a contact center specialist who knows the technology that drives your business inside and out. Find out more about contact center solutions and the experts behind the technology with Mindsight, a Cisco Gold Partner and Genesys Partner.

Contact us today to discuss your contact center strategy.

Like what you read? 

SUBSCRIBE

About Mindsight

Mindsight, a Chicago IT services provider, is an extension of your team. Our culture is built on transparency and trust, and our team is made up of extraordinary people – the kinds of people you would hire. We have one of the largest expert-level engineering teams delivering the full spectrum of IT services and solutions, from cloud to infrastructure, collaboration to contact center. Our highly-certified engineers and process-oriented excellence have certainly been key to our success. But what really sets us apart is our straightforward and honest approach to every conversation, whether it is for an emerging business or global enterprise. Our customers rely on our thought leadership, responsiveness, and dedication to solving their toughest technology challenges.

Contact us at GoMindsight.com.

About The Author

Siobhan Climer, Science and Technology Writer for Mindsight, writes about technology trends in education, healthcare, and business. She previously taught STEM programs in elementary classrooms and museums, and writes extensively about cybersecurity, disaster recovery, cloud services, backups, data storage, network infrastructure, and the contact center. When she’s not writing tech, she’s writing fantasy, gardening, and exploring the world with her twin two-year old daughters. Find her on twitter @techtalksio.

This Call May Be Monitored Or Recorded – Legal Or Not?





Related Articles

View All Blog Posts

Contact Us
close slider

GET IN TOUCH WITH US

Fill out the form below to get the answers you need from one of Mindsight's experts.

hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "99242", formId: "dfd06c5c-0392-4cbf-b2cb-d7fb4e636b7f" });