There is no question about whether auto dialers and predictive dialers improve efficiency in call centers; they absolutely do, and by a wide margin. There are, however, a number of risks, rules and regulations that need to be taken into consideration before the decision to utilize the technology is made.
The FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, has put into effect a number of rules and regulations regarding the responsible and respectful use of an auto dialer and a predictive dialer. Call centers must be able to comply with all of these rules and regulations and are required to provide documentation of that compliance, as well as of such statistics as drop call percentages.
FCC regulations require that no more than 3% of all answered calls be dropped or abandoned, but what does that really mean? In the United States, call abandonment refers to instances when the recipient of a phone call answers the phone, but the dialing agent does not respond in less than two seconds. FCC regulations dictate that in the event that an agent abandons a call in this manor, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the dialer is required to play a recorded message. In the United Kingdom, this rule is extended even further by dictating that the call center is then prohibited from calling that individual again for a period of 72 hours unless a dedicated agent is available to respond.
Call centers and their agents are further expected to respect the national Do Not Call Registry. While some organizations are not required to avoid calling numbers on the registry, it is important that most call centers take steps to ensure that they are in compliance with the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act of 2003and the Do Not Call Improvement Act of 2007. Call centers have a maximum of 31 days to cease calling registered numbers, which are now on the Do Not Call Registry for life instead of the originally proposed 5 years. Call centers are additionally required to immediately remove numbers from their individual databases if their agents receive a direct request for removal from the individual they have reached.
Numbers registered with the Do Not Call Registry and with individual call centers are not, however, the only off-limits contacts. Call centers are forbidden from using auto dialers and predictive dialers to contact mobile phones of any kind. Cell phone users are, therefore, not required to register their numbers on the national registry or with any individual call center. Fax numbers are also inaccessible as the sending of unsolicited faxes is against FCC regulations.
Several types of organizations are exempt from Do Not Call regulations, including but not limited to political organizations, nonprofit organizations, bill collectors and any company with whom the recipient has done business in the last 18 months. Surveys are also allowed to be conducted over the phone regardless of registry status, and business lines are not allowed to register on the Do Not Call list at all. Individuals may also receive calls for up to 31 days after their numbers have been registered, unless the recipient makes a specific request for removal with the individual call center.