Maintain TCPA compliance the easy way
Consumers are given many options for how they wish to interact with your credit union – they can receive alerts via SMS, automated calls, email messages, the list continues to grow as we become a more connected society. The mobile channel has increasingly become the preferred method to contact customers, whether it’s for relaying account information or confirming a transaction.
The challenge today is making sure that your credit union members’ mobile contact information is current and that the contact is in compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, better known as TCPA.
Mobile numbers present a unique challenge for TCPA compliance in that many numbers are not new and oftentimes are recycled, making it critical for credit unions to have a solution in place to verify that ownership of mobile numbers hasn’t changed prior to contact.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, consumer complaints related to unwanted calls are the largest category of complaints received by the commission. The FCC stipulates in the TCPA that express written consent is required for pre-recorded and auto-dialed calls and text messages sent to a mobile number – this includes accidental calls or calls made in good faith to an incorrect number.
Today, TCPA violations regularly exceed $10 million industry-wide and fines can be as high as $1,500 per violation for contacting the wrong individual.
While the mobile channel is growing, it’s critical for credit unions and their call centers to have a solution in place to verify mobile numbers and mitigate risk. By employing a solution that verifies mobile phone number information prior to contact by looking at real-time data from mobile network operators (MNOs), call center agents will be able to determine is the potential called number is ok to call, not ok or indeterminable and reduce unnecessary calls
The reality is that a number verification solution is a win/win for credit unions and called parties. Credit union call centers eliminate the time and expense of making calls or sending text messages to wrong parties and verifying numbers with real-time data reduces exposure to TCPA fines.
