In an effort to constantly be compliant with state and federal regulatory requirements InterCloud9 is a service agent for a compliance ready caller id.
What is a Compliance Ready Caller ID:
Compliance Ready Caller ID’s (CRCID) are phone numbers that are provisioned to help our customers comply with two State and Federal Telemarketing Regulatory Requirements:
(1) to identify their outbound call with a caller ID and
(2) to provide an automated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that allows an end user to remove themselves from a call list if they call the caller ID number back
Below are some common telemarketing compliance mistakes:
- We often find that management is assuming that the outgoing Caller ID has a ring-back number that is being answered (either by voicemail or live person) and a Do Not Call request can be made. In fact, many times, the ring-to number is not set up properly or perhaps has even been inadvertently disconnected. Other times, the ring-to number will ring to a group of call center agents and the wait times can be very lengthy which is not good service to those seeking answers about why you were calling and perhaps requesting to be put on your Do Not Call list.
- Speaking of abandoned calls, we often find companies that do not have a proper abandoned call message. The abandoned call message must state that the call is for telemarketing purposes and provide a phone number (could be toll free or a toll number) where the consumer can make a Do Not Call request. Some companies do not make it clear that the call is for telemarketing purposes. Check your outgoing abandoned call message and adjust it accordingly. And…. Be sure that the number you have in the message rings back to a voicemail box or a live person so that a Do Not Call request can be made. Again, we’ve found that many times this number was set up properly to begin with, but somewhere along the way, the number has gotten disconnected or the ring-to doesn’t work. Checking this type of thing weekly, by simply dialing the number contained in your abandoned call message can help detect a problem right away.
- To rely on a safe-harbor defense, companies must be able to document a program related to Do Not Call and other telemarketing regulations. Many companies have a good training program in place, but fail to get signed training acknowledgment forms and fail to document the specific training that was conducted with each of their outbound telemarketing sales reps. We recommend that a brief test be administered (in writing) and at the bottom of that test is a signed acknowledgement that training was conducted.
- Probably the riskiest compliance error occurs when a company relies on a third party vendor or client regarding responsibility for scrubbing or blocking applicable Do Not Call numbers from being called. We recommend doing regular data audits (at least monthly) to check for potential errors. Test your processes to ensure they are working as they were originally intended. There is room for tremendous human error and interpretation mistakes. Don’t assume the other party is handling their responsibilities properly. You can’t afford to make this assumption.
To be compliant and provide a caller ID with opt out functionality, please click here to order you complinace ready caller ID.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.