Some Important Legal Issues When Outbound Dialing

Due to many years of abuse many local governments have passed regulations on the use of  automated dialers. The older style of dialer was based on tape recorders that could not sense the subtle electronic signals provided when the targeted prospects hung-up their telephones. The tape machines would keep the lines busy for hours resulting in numerous complaints to the authorities and state regulators. 

In all 50 states and many countries, most telephone dialers are considered taboo. However, as with most legislation, there is a large gray area concerning their use. For example, VoiceStamp has designed special outbound dialing software for schools and local governments to contact citizens to expand their awareness of important issues affecting the community. It has even been used for emergencies like Deputy Dialer which was used during the Los Angeles riots to alert off-duty police about when they should report.

In fact, VoiceStamp's PeopleChek program is now used extensively by fire departments and hospitals to maintain contact with homebound senior citizens. Many Chambers of Commerce, social groups, and religious organizations now use our outbound software to remind those on their mailing lists about upcoming meetings.

When making unattended outbound calls to new prospects, you should follow these basic guidelines

1.	Don't be annoying. Carefully consider the time of day you make your sales calls - the VoiceStamp package allows you to set the times to call for each day of the week.
2.	Most states frown on sequential dialing (i.e. 555-1001..1002..1003). (The VoiceStamp Number Generator program scrambles the prospects to meet most requirements.)
3.	Keep all of your initial outbound greeting messages short and to the point.
4.	Ask your prospects to press their 1 touch-tone key to request more details or to hang-up immediately.

Several states like Texas will officially license you to conduct outbound telemarketing campaigns if you register and pay their nominal $50 registration fee. You should direct further questions on this subject to your own state Consumer Affairs Department or Attorney General's office (see Appendix C).