Call center compliance is a set of rules every call center must follow to comply with federal and state laws, protect customer information, and record communications for further evaluation. These security and compliance features are embedded in every call center, so you and your call representatives must know your organization's compliance standards and the law.
However, finding a CRM and dialer system that automates those tasks can benefit your organization. We recommend a system that handles these tasks automatically, so you never have to worry about them.
At Hooked, we’ve merged our CRM, dialer, and SMS systems with our elite AI assistant, Tacklebox AI. With Tacklebox AI, you’ll never have to worry about agents missing compliance statements or security issues because everything runs on your system.
What is Call Center Compliance?
Call center compliance combines laws, regulations, and company rules that dictate how your representatives contact customers. Some of these rules are industry-specific, but a few apply to all call centers.
By upholding these benchmarks, you protect customer data and ensure a pleasant customer journey. Investing in automation for these processes strengthens your ability to remain compliant.
Regulations that Apply to Call Centers
While each call center is different, all call centers must adhere to certain regulations. Here are a few you should be aware of:
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a federal law that regulates telephone solicitation and remains the standard regulation for telemarketing and call center services. Here are some of the rules you must know to stay compliant with the TCPA:
- Only call within the appropriate calling hours in the client’s local time (8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in most states. Some states are stricter on their calling hours).
- Autodialers and prerecorded telemarketing calls require written consent before calling.
- Your DNC lists must be updated. Check the National DNC Registry every 31 days, and honor opt-outs within 10 business days.
- Clients can opt out of calls at any point, and you have 10 business days to honor it.
- No more than 3% of answered calls can be dropped (measured per campaign over 30 days). Calls are counted as abandoned if no representative connects within 2 seconds of the greeting.
- When calls are dropped, play a safe-harbor message with the business name, a callback number, and an automated opt-out.
- Check the reassigned numbers database before calling older leads to give yourself legal protection.
If you break any of these guidelines, you can receive a $500 fine per violation (up to $1,500), and consumers can sue directly.
Telemarketing Sales Rules (TSR)
The Telemarketing Sales Rules (TSR) are a set of disclosures set to protect consumers from aggressive telemarketing. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the TSR requires call center representatives to disclose the purpose of the call, follow state calling hours, comply with DNC requests, and set payment restrictions for the services provided.
Your call representatives should follow these rules and regulations, and you can create resources to help them in those situations. We recommend finding an AI assistant to prompt your agents with the necessary statements to remain compliant.
National & Internal Do Not Call Lists
Do Not Call (DNC) lists consist of a group of blacklisted contacts you should not contact. There are two DNC lists you should track for your company: National DNC lists and internal DNC lists. The National DNC Registry is a list of people and phone numbers you must download and update every 31 days.
Internal DNC lists are clients and numbers you track within your company. If a potential client asks not to be contacted, you must honor their request within 10 business days. With a CRM and dialer integration, your system should alert you if you’re about to call someone on a DNC list.
State Mini-TCPA Laws
Some states have stricter TCPA regulations, so if you plan to do business there, you should know which laws apply. These are state-specific laws, but if you plan to do business with clients in those states, you must follow them. Most mini-TCPA laws limit how many times you can call a client within a period, restrict calling hours, or require additional consent.
Here’s a list of states that have mini-TCPA laws:
- Florida
- Oklahoma
- Maryland
- Connecticut
- Texas
- Washington
- Virginia
- Arizona
- New Jersey
State laws are evolving, so additional laws can be added. Check each state you plan to do business with and upload their information to your AI assistant. If it’s connected to your dialer, it can remind call representatives of the regional laws.
Call Recording Consent
Gathering consent before contacting or before a conversation proceeds is an important part of the process. It’s not only a requirement; it can also build customer trust because you’re making your intentions clear and precise.
We recommend logging everything in your CRM to ensure you’re gathering consent with every potential client. When paired with an AI assistant, call representatives will be reminded to recite the prompts you’ve asked them to before calls continue.
HIPAA, GLBA, and Data Privacy
Especially if you’re working in the insurance industry, protecting your customer’s data is a priority for your business. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects clients from having their sensitive information shared. If you use their health information to determine what they qualify for, your system must be secure enough to protect their data.
When working with a customer’s financial information, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) requires companies to explain how they use the customer’s information and protect their nonpublic personal information.
Maintaining compliance requires safeguarding your system against unauthorized access through robust data encryption and routine security audits.
Outbound Dialing Compliance Checklist
Call centers have to follow several rules to remain compliant with the law. However, tracking the rules for each client is difficult. Here’s an easy compliance checklist for your reference:
- Get consent
- Scrub against national & internal DNC
- Honor opt-outs made by any reasonable means within 10 business days
- Call between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. based on the lead’s time zone
- Check the Reassigned Numbers Database before calling older leads
- Keep abandoned calls under 3% per campaign over 30 days
- Check for any changes within the TCPA regularly and implement those changes within 90 days.
- Transmit accurate caller ID
- Disclose recording where required
- Keep records for 5 years
Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list of everything you need to do within a call. However, this should help you protect your customers and your business.
What Happens When a Call Center Isn’t Compliant?
The penalty for violating TCPA is $500 to $1,500 per call. However, that’s just the start of the penalties you can incur from breaking regulations. TSR civil penalties can exceed $50,000 depending on the violation. On top of that, you can expose yourself to a class-action lawsuit if you repeatedly violate compliance.
The key to avoiding penalties is building a strong compliance program for your call representatives to follow.
How to Build a Compliance Program
Start by building strong call center training documentation and policies. These are the foundation of your business, so every call representative has the tools they need to stay compliant. After creating those rules and standards, make the information accessible to your agents. We recommend uploading these documents to your CRM and AI assistant, so your call representatives will always have them on hand.
As a manager, the final step in your compliance program is to monitor call quality assurance and review audits to ensure your agents follow compliance standards. These are practices you should integrate into your workflow every quarter.
How Hooked CRM Supports Compliant Outbound Calling
Hooked CRM streamlines and automates compliance management for your call center. We’ve created several features built to keep your business compliant with federal and state laws:
- Internal DNC Blacklists
- 3% Abandonment Cap Checks
- Safe-Harbor Message
- Built-In Retry Limits
Plus, if you have Tacklebox AI, our Live AI Assist will track your compliance at all stages of the conversation and consent statement prompts. This automates compliance checks so your agents won’t make mistakes, and you won’t be fined.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can get TCPA compliant by following the TCPA guidelines and creating processes to guard against them.
A TCPA violation can cost $500 to $1,500 per call.
Yes, text messages are covered under the TCPA.
Yes, call recording consent is required in every state, and some states have stricter requirements.
