5 Surprising Call Center Technologies to Stop Call Blocking Limbo

Call centers everywhere are on high alert after President Trump signed The TRACED Act into law at the end of 2019.

TRACED gives telecom companies the authority to provide cellular customers with a spoofed number alert, a de facto call block action through STIR/SHAKEN technology.

Also, Google recently announced all of its Pixel phones will now have a “Call Screen” feature that automatically blocks known robocallers in its database.

The broad sentiment and legal action to stop illegal calls to customers has now taken a fever pitch. So how can legitimate, law-abiding call centers utilize the right call center technology to connect with customers?

Let’s find out…

Cell Phone Scrubbing and TCPA Violations

What if there was a call center technology that identified and removed cell phone numbers from call lists? Wouldn’t that be nice?

Well, there is. It’s called cell phone scrubbing – and it helps call centers stay out of the compliance doghouse and away from call blocking limbo.

Why cell phones? It’s a natural development – people mobile phones much more than landlines these days. That’s why the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) protects wireless users against calls sent to them without their express, written consent.

Cell phone scrubbing technology identifies when a particular block of numbers belongs to a cell phone carrier – and then promptly drops those numbers from call lists.

It also helps agents by flagging numbers that may have transferred from landline to wireless, “blocking” them from potentially incurring the hefty fines of a violation.

Prior Express Written Consent – Delivering Voicemail Messages in Compliance with TCPA

While direct voice mail delivery is subject to the same TCPA regulations mentioned above, simple precautions can keep this tool in your outreach toolbox.

As with any automated call communication, agents need to get prior express written consent to reach them on a mobile line. Consent makes good business sense and builds customer confidence and trust – and when you send a voicemail to a mobile number, it’s also the law.

That means you’ll be able to continue sending messages about important information like:

• Overdue bill reminders
• Appointment confirmations
• Promotions
• Account notifications and reminders

With consent, voicemail messaging through this cloud-based software feature is efficient, comes with other great applications and increases customer response rates.

Manual Calling – Efficiency and Compliance

Most successful and efficient call centers use calling technology to a high degree. But many companies in the call center industry have learned that poor use of this powerful tool can damage its finances and reputation.

That’s where selectively turning back to old school practice like manual calling can make more sense.

Using Manual Approved Calling (MAC), a critical TCN call center technology, will radically reduce the chances of inadvertently violating TCPA. This practice enables a subset of agents to review and approve calls for other agents.

The reviewing agents take into account all 3^rd-party contact information and approve or reject the call based on compliance criteria. This is done independently of other outbound call campaigns or initiatives, ensuring human action for each and every call.

A Call Center Agent’s Best Friend

All agent calls, whether placed by an autodialer or manual dialer, are improved by using a call center technology equipped with call recording and monitoring.

Whether monitored by managers or call quality assurance (QA) agents (or both), agents need to know how and if their actions and language are legally compliant or not – and why.

Then QA agents can evaluate and follow up with agents, coaching and training them on how to handle particular situations and the best language to use. They can also give them props for a job well done.

Let’s say the customer has not responded clearly to requests for contact consent. Did the agent reach out and remind the customer in a courteous, legally-legally compliant way?

Managers and QA agents reviewing call records can determine whether agents have properly acquired express written consent from the customer.

Unique Software Helps Agents Use the “Magic Words” to Stay Within TRACED

Managers need to know the exact tech and call strategy to prepare for the new regulatory landscape. Given TRACED Act’s new rules penalizing call centers up to $10,000 per call, every dialing strategy is high stakes.

That’s why managers need a unique call center technology.

We’re talking about TCN’s Natural Language Compliance (NLC) software.

Managers can automate their call center’s compliance by utilizing NLC’s smart algorithms to build compliance rules naturally, based on federal and state laws.

All managers have to do is type the rule into NLC. Then NLC builds an easy-to-understand rule for agents and your systems to use and follow. It’s user-friendly for both managers and agents and has a host of features that simplify and take the worry out of compliance.

Cloud-Based Call Center Technology

Government agencies and many tech companies are committed to protecting consumers from unwanted robocalls.

Call center operations are bound to get caught in this dragnet, even when it’s the result of an honest mistake.

Call center executives and managers focused on the big picture know there can no longer be “honest mistakes.” They need compliance reinforcements immediately.

The great news is cloud-based call center software is safe, easy to roll out, and gives executives and managers everything they need to stay compliant now and in the future.

Check out our new, free report on why call center executives are moving to cloud-based solutions for their call centers.