What is an internal do-not-call list?
An internal do-not-call list is a company's own record of the people who have asked that company not to call them again.
What the rules require
Under FCC rules, anyone making telemarketing calls to residential subscribers must have procedures for keeping a do-not-call list. The minimum standards include:
- A written policy for maintaining the list, available on demand.
- Training for everyone involved in telemarketing.
- Recording a request at the time it is made, and honoring it within a reasonable time of no more than ten business days.
- Giving the called person the caller's name, the name of the company the call is for, and a number or address to contact it.
- Honoring each request for 5 years.
The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule also makes it an abusive practice to call someone who has said they do not want calls from that seller, or to interfere with a person making that request, for example by hanging up on them.
Example
A prospect tells a rep, "Please do not call me again." The rep records the request on the spot, for example as a call disposition, and the number is suppressed for every rep and campaign at that company. Under FCC rules, the request also ends any established business relationship for telemarketing purposes.
This is a general definition, not legal advice.