If you work with a call center on any level, whether you manage one, work in one, or partner with one, you no doubt have heard about the latest TCPA regulations that went into effect Oct. 2013. The short version is that companies must now have “expressed written consent” to outbound dial a consumer. There is a lot of grey area as to what exactly that means in a web enabled, mobile, social, local world. The way people communicate is just different from the world of 20 years ago when much of this law was written.
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Ok, we can start with the bad news.
The bad news is that your current business practices reaching out to customers and potential customers may be putting you at risk. Not just at risk from government intervention, but from sue happy attorneys looking to take advantage of potential litigations. It may be awhile before the dust settles, precedents are set, and clarifications can be made on what exactly your marketing department needs to do to comply.
Here is the good news.
The primary goal of a typical online lead generation campaign is to collect the prospects information so that one may call them and hopefully sign them up for your product or service. This is because, up until recently, computers could not make phone calls. The only option for people looking for services online was to fill out a contact form and wait to hear from the company. Guess what?
Most people these days are using their smartphones to find this kind of information. There is a good chance you are reading this on your phone or tablet right now. People often forget that smartphones are still PHONES FOR MAKING CALLS. Therefore, your best bet to get someone on the phone with you is not to show them a form to fill out and make them wait to hear back you, but rather to get them to call you at the precise moment they are looking for you.
The lead quality is always better because it is a non intrusive experience; they are calling you, not the other way around. Better yet, because you are not initiating the call, you have no risk for TCPA issues. TCPA only applies for outbound calls TO consumers, not inbound inquiries FROM consumers.
While other companies are scrambling to avoid lawsuits, here at HyperTarget Marketing, business is booming. The next time TCPA rules come up in conversation, think about shifting your efforts from outbound dialing to inbound call marketing.
If you are new to mobile marketing and unsure how to make the switch, that is ok too. Our company offers a pay per call model where the users are qualified and encouraged to make the call rather than fill out a form. Instead of selling leads to you that require follow up and incur TCPA risk, we sell you those same leads, on the phone, fully engaged, and ready to talk to you.
Get in touch today if you would like to learn more. 213 973 9905. It is just that easy. If you are on your phone, that number is probably clickable. If you are on your computer and use Skype, it might be clickable as well.
