Outbound Calling and Texting Compliance

Why this matters

US telemarketing laws allow consumers to sue companies for unwanted calls and texts, with damages for each call or message. One careless campaign can cost a client far more than a year of revenue from it. Clean compliance is part of what makes Narqix different.

Customer-requested contact versus marketing

Type	Examples	Risk level
Service and transactional	Confirming a booked appointment, on-the-way messages, returning a missed call, replying to a web form the customer sent, following up on an estimate the customer asked for	Lower, but opt-outs and hours still apply
Marketing to existing customers	Membership offers, tune-up promotions, seasonal campaigns	Higher. Needs the right consent and the client's approval
Cold outreach	Calling, texting or prerecorded voicemail drops to people with no relationship, for example storm area lists	Highest. Allowed on the client's approved cold list after do-not-call scrubbing, inside calling hours, with an opt-out in every message. Use the cold texts and drops in the Voicemail and SMS Pack

Calling hours

• Federal rule: telemarketing calls only between 8 AM and 9 PM in the called person's local time.
• Some states are stricter. For example, Florida allows solicitation calls only from 8 AM to 8 PM and limits attempts to three calls about the same matter within 24 hours. Other states, such as Oklahoma and Maryland, have their own similar laws. Some states restrict calls on Sundays or holidays.
• Narqix default for all outbound contact (calls and texts, sales or not): 9 AM to 8 PM in the customer's local time, Monday to Saturday. No Sundays or US public holidays without the client's written approval.
• Always use the customer's time zone, which is the time zone of their phone area code and address. If they differ, use the stricter window that fits both.

Do-not-call (DNC)

• National DNC Registry: cold outreach lists must be scrubbed against it by the client before you call. Never call an unscrubbed cold list.
• Company DNC list: when anyone asks not to be called, they go on the client's internal DNC list immediately.
• Narqix policy: honour DNC requests permanently and suppress the person across calls, texts and emails the same day.
• Existing customers and inquiries: US rules allow some contact with people who recently bought from or contacted the company. These limits are complex, and your client's counsel defines them. Never assume a past customer can be marketed to forever.

How to handle a DNC request on a call

Them: Take me off your list. You: Of course, I'm sorry for the bother. I'll make sure you're not contacted again. Have a good day.

Then immediately:

1. Mark do-not-contact in the CRM for calls, texts and email.
2. Note the date, time and their words.
3. Tell your team lead if they were upset or mentioned complaints or lawyers.

Do not argue, do not try one more offer, and do not ask "Are you sure?"

Opt-outs for texts and calls

• Consumers can revoke consent by any reasonable means, including replying with words like STOP, QUIT, END, REVOKE, OPT OUT, CANCEL or UNSUBSCRIBE, or saying it on a call or in an email.
• Federal rules require honouring the request within 10 business days. Narqix standard: the same day, across all channels.
• One short confirmation text is allowed, for example: "You're unsubscribed from (COMPANY NAME) messages and won't receive more. Thank you." No marketing in it.
• Treat unclear replies like "please don't text me" or "wrong person" as an opt-out.

Texting rules

• Business texting platforms must be registered with US mobile carriers (often called 10DLC registration). The client handles this. Never text customers from a personal phone or an unregistered number.
• Every first marketing text includes the company name and opt-out instructions ("Reply STOP to opt out").
• Calling hours apply to texts too.
• Keep texts short, clear and honest. No misleading links, no ALL CAPS urgency, no fake "final notice" wording.
• First-touch texts to the client's approved cold list are allowed, using the cold texts in the Voicemail and SMS Pack. Appointment and service texts still need to follow the client's consent process.

Honesty rules on every call

1. Say who you are and who you represent at the start: your name and the company name.
2. Never spoof caller ID or call from a number that hides the company.
3. Never pretend to be someone else. If asked where you are, answer with the client's company and market, using the client's approved wording (see the Objection Handbook). Never mention your own country.
4. Never mislead about the reason for the call, prices, deadlines or offers.
5. Never claim to be from a utility, the government or an insurance company.

Call recording disclosure

Many clients record calls. About a dozen US states, including California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Washington, require the consent of everyone on the call before recording. Follow your client's disclosure script exactly. If your client uses a recorded message at the start of calls, do not skip or talk over it on outbound calls where you must say it yourself.

You: Just so you know, this call may be recorded for quality and training.

Voicemail rules

• Voicemails must identify you, the company and a callback number.
• Prerecorded voicemail drops are allowed. Use only the drops recorded from the client's approved wording in the Voicemail and SMS Pack, inside calling hours, to scrubbed lists.
• Florida and some other states count voicemails as solicitation attempts.

Escalation

Situation	What you do
Customer mentions a lawyer, a lawsuit, a regulator or "TCPA"	Stay polite, opt them out, end the call, tell your Narqix team lead and the client immediately
Customer says they asked before to stop	Apologise, opt out, tell your team lead the same day so the cause is found
You realise you called outside allowed hours	Tell your team lead the same day. Honest reporting is always protected
You find an unscrubbed or suspicious list	Stop calling it and tell your team lead

Daily compliance checklist

• I know my client's time zones and today's allowed hours for each
• My list is approved for today's purpose (service, existing customer, or scrubbed cold list)
• I identify myself and the company on every call
• I follow the recording disclosure script
• Every opt-out and DNC request is recorded across all channels the same day
• I texted only from the client's registered platform, with opt-out wording when required

Check yourself

1. What are the Narqix default outbound hours, and in whose time zone?
2. A customer replies "pls stop texting me thx". Is that an opt-out? What do you do?
3. How fast does Narqix honour opt-outs, compared with the federal maximum?
4. Name two states that require everyone's consent to record a call.
5. A homeowner says, "I'm on the Do Not Call list, I'll sue you." What are your steps?

Answers

1. 9 AM to 8 PM, Monday to Saturday, in the customer's local time.
2. Yes. Send at most one non-marketing confirmation, and opt them out across calls, texts and email the same day.
3. Narqix: same day. Federal maximum: 10 business days.
4. Any two of California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington (and others your client lists).
5. Stay polite, apologise, confirm you will not contact them again, record DNC across all channels, end the call, and tell your team lead and the client immediately.

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