Call Center Gateway Terms of Use
- Monday - Friday 9:00AM – 9:00 PM (Marketplace time)
- Saturday 10:00AM – 6:00PM (Marketplace time)
- No Sunday calling
- Marketplace time is defined as local time at the location of the party being called
The following states have statutes further restricting calling hours:
- Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi – 8AM-8PM; no Federal Holidays
- Kentucky – 10AM-9PM
- Rhode Island – 9AM-6PM, Monday – Friday, 10AM-5PM Saturdays
- Wyoming and Massachusetts – 8AM-8PM
- Nevada – 9AM-8PM
Sunday calling restrictions:
- No Sunday calling – AL, LA, MS, RI, SD and UT
- PA – No calling before 1:30PM
- TX – Calling only between 12:00-9:00PM
Service Providers are expected to comply with specific state calling hours restrictions if different from above and responsible for adhering to any additional laws or modifications made at the state or federal level.
Calling is not permitted on the following dates:
- New Year’s Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
Throughout the year additional holiday and/or “no calling” dates may be designated by CALL CENTER GATEWAY.
Additionally, if a customer informs a Telemarketing Service Representative (TSR) that they are observing a holiday, the following verbiage should be used:
“I would like to apologize for the inconvenience. (If applicable add: If you have any further questions, please call 1-800-xxx-xxxx). Have a pleasant Holiday. Thank you.”
In the event of disasters, CALL CENTER GATEWAY will notify service providers of area codes to be suppressed. If the service provider becomes aware of a situation, CALL CENTER GATEWAY should be notified immediately of the affected area in order to provide calling instructions. Under these circumstances, the ability to suppress calling into the designated area immediately upon notification from CALL CENTER GATEWAY must be in place.
It is expected that all service providers and service providers will be sensitive to local, religious, situational, or other factors, which may require adjustments to normal calling hours.
LEAD MANAGEMENT
Outbound
Maximum Allowable Attempts
Each telephone lead shall be attempted no more than five (5) times in the course of any one campaign, unless otherwise specified.
For these purposes an attempt is defined as any live connection with a customer household.
Lead Rotation
Placing calls, or causing any telephone to ring, in a continuous, or excessively frequent pattern is strictly prohibited.
All technology and practices must be in compliance with current Federal and State laws.
Abandon Rate
As a function of predictive dialing, the abandon rate must be maintained so that not more than three percent (3%) of the calls answered are abandoned in any campaign or as dictated per State and Federal guidelines.
FTC Definition of Abandon Call:
Subject to an exemption – It is a violation of the TSR rule to “abandon” calls. A call is “abandoned” if a person answers it and the telemarketer does not connect the call to a sales representative within 2 seconds of the person’s completed greeting.
Exemptions:
A seller or telemarketer will not be liable to abandoned calls if:
- The seller or telemarketer employs technology that ensures abandonment of no more than 3 percent of all calls answered by a person, measured per day per calling campaign;
- The seller or telemarketer employs technology that ensures abandonment of no more than 3 percent of all calls answered by a person, measured per day per calling campaign;
- The seller or telemarketer, for each telemarketing call placed, allows the telephone to ring for at least 15 seconds or 4 rings before disconnecting an unanswered call;
- Whenever a sales representative is not available to speak with the person answering the call within 2 seconds after the person’s completed greeting, the seller or telemarketer promptly plays a recorded message that states the name and telephone number of the seller on whose behalf the call was placed;
- The seller or telemarketer retains records as described in the rule.
Lead Tracking and Dispositions (Outbound & Inbound)
- Each service provider must have the ability to provide a complete call history on every lead marketed for CALL CENTER GATEWAY products. Such call histories shall include the following information for each dial made on a specific phone number:
- Date of call
- Time of call
- TSR number
- Duration of the call
- Disposition of call
- It is the responsibility of each service provider to ensure that each record dialed is appended with the appropriate disposition.
DO NOT CALL MANAGEMENT
Outbound
All service providers are required to scrub against the Federal Do Not Call List, DMA, and state specific DNC lists. Every outbound list marketed for CALL CENTER GATEWAY products should be scrubbed against, but not limited to, the CALL CENTER GATEWAY Do Not Call list, in-house Do Not Call files, the Federal DNC list, DMA, and specific state DNC lists, and the wireless (cellular) and wireless ported databases. It is required that all service providers submit to CALL CENTER GATEWAY , on a weekly bases, all CALL CENTER GATEWAY specific DNC request (layout format to be supplied).
OTHER LEGAL COMPLIANCE
Rules and Regulations (Outbound & Inbound)
All inbound and outbound upsell service providers conducting campaigns for CALL CENTER GATEWAY products shall apply and conform to all FTC/FCC rules and regulations. Updates and compliance on all rules and regulations is the sole responsibility of the individual service provider. It is the responsibility of each provider to conduct business on behalf of CALL CENTER GATEWAY with the full understanding of, and in complete compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act and all present and future federal and state legislation. The following guidelines only represent a part of Federal and State rules and regulations and in no way should be understood to be the most current or accurate.
Caller ID Requirement (Outbound)
In compliance with the Caller ID aspect of the new FTC TSR rule, all OBTM calling must display, at a minimum, a telephone number. Where available, a company name must be displayed.
“May I Continue” States (Outbound)
All service providers will comply with the required specific state legislation regarding permission to continue the sales presentation.
No Rebuttal States (Outbound & Inbound)
All service providers will comply with the required state legislation regarding terminating a call upon receiving a “no” from the customer.
Registration (Outbound & Inbound)
Registration requirements exist in many states. Certain exemptions apply. All service providers shall comply with state registration requirements.
Recording/Monitoring Notification (Outbound & Inbound)
Some states require that the telemarketer notify the customer of this practice. Service providers are expected to comply with specific state regulation.
EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECKS
Outbound and Inbound
Employees working on CALL CENTER GATEWAY programs with access to customer information (e.g., name, address, phone number etc.) must either:
- Have background checks completed for crimes of fraud and breach of trust. If convicted of these crimes these employees may not work on CALL CENTER GATEWAY programs, or:
- Work in a strictly penless and paperless environment where the policy is strictly enforced. This policy must be communicated to all employees and be enforced. In this instance, employees cannot have access to paper and pens, which would include, but is not limited to, purses, knapsacks, ect. accessible at their workstations.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
QUALITY ASSURANCE
All service providers must establish and maintain documented processes and procedures for monitoring and evaluation of each representative making calls relating to CALL CENTER GATEWAY promotions. All written evaluations must be available to CALL CENTER GATEWAY upon request. No formal score will be provided during the monitoring, however, qualitative feedback will be provided.
Complaint Investigation and Resolution (Outbound and Inbound)
Each vendor is responsible for ensuring that each customer contact is a positive experience for the customer. In situations where customer complaints are received, or when customer service issues arise, each vendor must take appropriate action.
Once a service provider is notified of a compliant, they must thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the complaint and report back to CALL CENTER GATEWAY within 48 hours.
SCRIPTS/TRAINING
Outbound and Inbound
All programs will be performed with scripts provided and approved by CALL CENTER GATEWAY. A “Script Approval” form will be required from each service provider, for each approved CALL CENTER GATEWAY script.
All representatives will read approved scripts verbatim and service provider will train all reps to read scripts verbatim.
All terms and conditions and confirmation closes will be read verbatim.
Each service provider is responsible for ensuring that all personnel involved in selling CALL CENTER GATEWAY products are fully proficient and knowledgeable in CALL CENTER GATEWAY standards and practices, legal compliance, appropriate sales techniques, and the Do Not Call requirements.
Representatives should be sensitive and alert to circumstances where continuing the call would be inappropriate (e.g., death in the family, serious illness, language barrier, religious holiday, natural disasters and catastrophes).
Once an offer is communicated to the desired party, the courtesy close, including a phone number where the customer/prospect can call to take advantage of the offer, must be delivered.
Representatives must maintain a professional and courteous disposition at all times.
