Outbound Wiki

Dialer compliance controls

Configuring dialing tools for consent rules, calling-hour limits, do-not-call lists, recording notices, and abandoned-call limits.

Dialer compliance is a chain of gates. A record must qualify before it reaches the dialer, the call must follow the right time and route rules, consent must control recording, and the outcome must reach the CRM. Recording consent and outbound policy can conflict by direction. Switching off trunk consent makes outbound recording follow policy.1 It causes all German inbound flows to record.2 Treat each setting as a testable gate with an expected result and an inspectable log.

Set the scope before opening the dialer

Start with the campaign conditions that change the rules. Write them down before configuring a list or route so the dialer inherits a decision instead of choosing one by default.

Compliance depends on who you call, the technology and message used, consent, do-not-call status, calling times, abandonment behavior, caller ID, jurisdiction, and campaign purpose.3 Before launch, have counsel review the exact campaign, suppress national and internal do-not-call records, capture consent and opt-outs, enforce local calling windows, retain required records, and test abandonment and voicemail behavior.4

Put these conditions on the campaign control sheet. Give each setting a pass condition, such as "blocked before dialing" for a suppressed number or "recording starts only after consent" for an outbound call. Move to configuration only when the owner of each condition is clear.

Block ineligible records before dialing

Make list eligibility the early hard stop. Send the dialer only records that have passed your suppression rules, with a real-time check for changes made after the list was created.

DNC compliance must be enforced before a lead reaches a dialer.5 Program automated dialing systems to skip numbers on the suppression list,6 and use a suppression check in real time during outbound dialing where the platform supports it.7 A selected Do Not Call field can disable one-click calling for that record.8

Run every calling list against the National Do Not Call Registry at least every 31 days, keep an internal do-not-call list, honor opt-out requests within 10 business days, and document consent for every number dialed.9 Check whether calling windows use the prospect's time zone, whether an internal do-not-call list blocks a number across every campaign and representative, and whether consent and opt-out states are stored on the record.10

Test a suppressed record from the list source through the dialer. The pass condition is a blocked action before the call starts, followed by a traceable reason for the block.

Enforce time, route, and caller ID controls

Set time and route restrictions before agents can place calls. They should follow the called person's local time and the route the call will take.

Use the called person's local time for the calling window. Under the stated legal floor, calls run from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in that local time, caller ID is transmitted, and abandoned calls stay at or below 3% per campaign.11 Campaign settings should include the general schedule, calling hours, dial rules, and do-not-call lists.12

If the platform offers outbound restrictions at user or tenant scope, set them explicitly.13 By default, both outbound controls allow international and domestic outbound calls.14 To prevent international calls through route controls, remove the International classifications from outbound routes.15 After configuration, inspect internal logs to confirm that the provided ANI follows the required guidelines.16

Test a record from a time zone outside the operator's local time, then test a route that should be blocked. Check the displayed caller ID and the internal ANI value before moving on.

Recording needs a separate flow because inbound and outbound calls can follow different rules. Keep the consent decision visible in the call path, and make the recording result depend on that decision.

Customers in German offices must have the option to opt out of recording for incoming and outgoing calls.17 On the outbound trunk, switch on trunk-level recording and the consent-required setting.18 For outbound calls, use a manual consent process that determines whether recording begins.19 Policies can then manage outbound recording by queue and call direction.20

Configure inbound calls to enable participant recording and require user consent where that is the approved inbound path.21 Test the outbound flow with consent granted and refused, then test the inbound flow separately. When the consent-required option is active, an outbound call made on behalf of a recorded queue is still not recorded.22

Keep the two directions in separate test cases. Do not use a global switch to repair an outbound recording problem until you know what it will do to inbound calls.

Verify the CRM handoff

A call that leaves the dialer still has to create the record your workflow depends on. Test permissions, task creation, notes, and sequence movement as part of compliance validation.

A cadence will not advance to its next step until the call is logged.23 When task record types are enabled, assign the Log a Call quick action or logging fails; a call left running in an inactive tab past the session timeout can also be logged incorrectly and lose its notes.24

Run a completed call through the full handoff. Check that the task exists, the disposition and notes remain attached, and the cadence advances only after the log is saved. If any part is missing, stop the rollout and fix the handoff before adding more records.

Apply shared controls at the right level

Use global settings for rules that should apply across the environment, then use campaign or skill settings for exceptions with a documented reason. This keeps a new list from bypassing a control carried by an agent setup.

Calls can be marked as requiring compliance when a calling list is created, uploaded, or mapped, or by the CRM that supplies the contacts.25 Global system settings can enable dialing modes for compliance-required calls and enforce settings across the environment and its ACD skills.26

Set the compliance status at the list source when possible, then verify that the dialer receives it. Compare a record created by upload with a record pulled from the CRM, and confirm that both follow the intended mode before launch.

Test the failure paths before launch

Test a suppressed record, a record outside the allowed local window, a call with refused recording consent, an international route that should be blocked, and a call with caller ID and logging enabled. For every test, record the expected behavior and inspect the dialer event, call record, and CRM task. Repeat the checks after changing the list source, route, recording policy, or CRM permissions.

What not to do

Treat these as rollout stop signs.

  • A placed call does not prove CRM logging: reps need the Edit Task permission to log calls, and some profiles do not include it automatically, so reps on those profiles can place calls that never get logged.27
  • When the consent-required option is enabled, a queue configured to be recorded still does not capture outbound calls.22
  • Switching off trunk consent makes outbound recording follow policy.1 The same change causes all German inbound call flows to be recorded.2
  • International dialing needs explicit outbound restrictions. By default, both outbound call controls allow international and domestic outbound calls.14
  • Test progressive-dialer behavior beyond the pacing controls shown on a pricing page.28
  • Have counsel review the exact operating setup because compliance depends on how the tool is operated.29

Sources

  1. 1
    “Only when we disable the "consent required" on trunk, recording on outbound starts to work as per Policy setting.”
  2. 2
    “But it then breaks recording on German Inbound call flows as all of them start to get recorded same as everything else.”
  3. 3
    “Compliance depends on who you call, the technology and message used, consent, DNC status, calling times, abandonment behavior, caller ID, jurisdiction, and campaign purpose.”
  4. 4
    “Before launch, have counsel review your exact campaign, suppress national and internal DNC records, capture consent and opt-outs, enforce local calling windows, retain required records, and test the dialer’s abandonment and voicemail behavior.”
  5. 5
    “where DNC compliance must be enforced before a lead ever reaches a dialer.”
  6. 6
    “automated dialing systems used in the contact center should be programmed to skip the numbers on the suppression list to avoid any accidental calls.”
  7. 7
    “An API-Based Suppression List performs suppression checks in real time during outbound dialing.”
  8. 8
    “Dialer respects the Do Not Call field, and records with the field selected have one-click calling disabled.”
  9. 9
    “DNC compliance means scrubbing every calling list against the National Do Not Call Registry at least every 31 days, keeping your own internal do-not-call list, honoring opt-out requests within 10 business days, and documenting consent for every number you dial.”
  10. 10
    “Does it enforce calling-window restrictions by the prospect's time zone rather than yours? Is there a real internal do-not-call list that blocks a number across every campaign and every rep, permanently? Are consent and opt-out states stored on the record?”
  11. 11
    “The legal floor is not optional: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time for the person you are calling, caller ID transmitted, and no more than 3% abandoned calls per campaign.”
  12. 12
    “Configure all campaign-specific settings, including campaign type, general schedule, estimated success rate, calling hours, dial rules, and Do Not Call lists.”
  13. 13
    “You can apply outbound call controls on a per-user or per-tenant and provide the following two controls to independently restrict each type of outbound calls.”
  14. 14
    “By default, both controls allow international and domestic outbound calls.”
  15. 15
    “You are correct, in order to prevent agents from making outbound international calls, you will need to remove it from any outbound routes by removing the International classifications from the Outbound Routes.”
  16. 16
    “For a complete verification of outbound calls, check the internal logs to confirm the provided ANI adheres to the guidelines above.”
  17. 17
    “They must offer customers the option to opt out of call recording on Incoming and Outgoing calls for Germany.”
  18. 18
    “Step-1: On the outbound trunk, set the trunk level recording and also consent is required setting is switched ON”
  19. 19
    “for outbound it is the opposite setting to ensure that when the call is made, we initiate a manual process that will get the customer to consent and then the call goes into recording or not depending on what the consent is.”
  20. 20
    “We can then use policies to manage the recording of outbound calls per queue, per call direction, etc.”
  21. 21
    “all onbound calls are set for enable participant recording and consent user required.”
  22. 22
    “When an agent dials out on behalf of a queue that is set in "Recording Policy" to be recorded, the call still doesn't get recorded.”
  23. 23
    “A cadence will not advance to its next step until the call is logged.”
  24. 24
    “Task record types need the Log a Call quick action assigned or logging fails, and a call left running in an inactive tab past your session timeout is not logged properly and can lose its notes.”
  25. 25
    “Calls in a calling list are marked as requiring compliance when you mark them that way yourself as you create, upload, and map your calling list, or they can be marked that way by the CRM where you pull your contacts, if you use Proactive XS to manage your calling lists.”
  26. 26
    “This includes enabling dialing modes for calls where compliance is required and other settings that you can enforce for your environment to apply to all ACD skills”
  27. 27
    “reps need the Edit Task permission to log calls, that permission is not automatically included with some profiles, and reps on those profiles can place calls all day that never get logged.”
  28. 28
    “So the Salesforce progressive dialer features worth testing are not the pacing controls on the pricing page.”
  29. 29
    “This is not legal advice, and compliance depends on how you run the tool rather than which category it falls into, so confirm your own setup with counsel.”