1-800-DO-NOT-CALL

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Originally published at Internet.com

If your company employs telemarketers or uses the phone to solicit customers, there are restrictions that you should be aware of. Consumers can request to be added to "Do-Not-Call" (DNC) lists that are backed by laws that protect privacy from intrusive telemarketers.

What started in 1991 in the United States as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) has evolved into comprehensive federal and state laws that mandates companies to comply. Companies are legally bound to honor Do-Not-Call requests for 10 years and must limit outbound calls to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time. Those found in non-compliance risk severe federal and state fines running as high as $25,000 per infraction.

So how does your company avoid dialing up a number that can result in some hefty fines? Proper training and informing your telemarketers of the regulations regarding phone calls can help prevent overzealous dialers from calling the wrong people or at the wrong time.

Also, technology companies such as Gryphon Networks, provide network-delivered, turnkey solutions that ensure federal and state Do-Not-Call compliance. Agents can immediately enter restricted phone numbers into a database, preventing anyone else in your organization from calling again. The interactive process blocks calls to consumers who already have been placed on state and corporate DNC lists and can be integrated with your federally required internal list, as well as the state lists where you hold DNC subscriptions.

For additional information on the laws that apply to each state, take a look at State Do Not Call Lists