external opt-outs

[actiondave]

Does anyone else use an outside vendor for their caller id to allow customers to opt-out automatically when calling the number. This number is only a generic message to allow opting out.

If so, what is the most effective way of putting these opt-outs in a dnc list in vicidial. I get about 100-150 opt-outs a day which becomes quite a large list after a period of time.

thx.

[williamconley]

We've offered this as a service to clients, but do know that you are now required to allow opt-out during the call so you must still have this built into your system. And in any case there is no "most effective way" of putting them in the DNC. There's are several options of methods to get the number there, but they all result in the number being in the Vicidial DNC. Any method is effective, but some are simpler based on your experience level and security system.

[actiondave]

All calls we make are outbound. And use live agents only.

I'm thinking the easiest way to avoid a large vicidial_dnc list is to update the phone numbers that arrive in our daily opt-out file via the vicidial list table and change those matching telephone number statuses to DNC.

This would avoid numbers (with a status of DNC) listed in the vicidial_list table from being dialed again and also avoid them from being placed in the vicidial_dnc list, correct?

[williamconley]

I'm not sure what prompted to you to disclose "outbound only" or "live agents only". You are required by law to have an opt-out option in your drop call safe harbor recording and options. You drop calls, you must present this as an automated option during the drop when using automated outbound calling equipment. This obviously does not apply to inbound calls and live agents would be uninvolved in the dropped calls (which is why they dropped). You have two seconds to get a live agent on the phone or initiate the safe-harbor procedure. Read your regulations and avoid an "unfortunate" incident with the FCC or an Attorney General from whichever state(s) you dial into.

That being said, you have just roughly described the proper use of the Vicidial DNC list. It is designed to stop calls to those in it before they start. Any leads found to share a phone number with a previous DNC entry are NOT dialed, regardless of the status of the lead. At the moment they would have been dialed, they are instead converted to "DNC" and NOT dialed.

I'm not sure how you expect this process to "avoid a large vicidial dnc list", since ALL calls which are DNC'd by an agent or by any automated process will ultimately end up in the DNC list. Unless you find a way to reduce the number of people requesting not to be dialed, that list will be as big as it needs to be to hold all those numbers. Perhaps you are overthinking this process a bit. ...?

[actiondave]

I guess my question is - Will the hopper take longer and longer to populate as the dnc list grows larger and larger (I guess that is an obvious - YES) but will it be minutes or greater?

For example, I have an internal dnc list from external opt-outs at about 75,000 records and about 150,000 from agent dispositions and safe harbor. Each evening the call results are updated in my database(s) from the dialer. These numbers are then marked as DNC in the database(s). The dialer is a separate entity and dials only what is loaded from the database(s) on a daily basis and has no need to compare loaded numbers to a dialer DNC list.

Therefore we currently do not have a "dialer" DNC as it is not needed which is why I am trying to learn the vicidial process as I am probably stuck in my old ways with the current system.

I probably am over-thinking this. But if it is marked as a DNC in the vicidial_list table, why is there a need to add to the vicidial_dnc list? I'm assuming It won't be dialed again from the vicidial_list if it is marked as DNC - And is that only because it is added to the vicidial_dnc table?

I may have the same number associated with 2 different companies and only want a number removed for say - Company "A" but not Company "B" (with a live agent disposition - NOT safe harbor)

I am so used to the current dialer we are using and each day I think I am ready to "switch" to vicidial for good as I want, I second guess various things.

Kudos to Matt and the vicidial team as it is a great product and has many more features than the dialer I have in use currently and am looking forward to the permanent switch.

Thx

[williamconley]

I guess my question is - Will the hopper take longer and longer to populate as the dnc list grows larger and larger (I guess that is an obvious - YES) but will it be minutes or greater?

That's more like it! A direct "non-brochure" question! Your hopper will not take enough time for it to be calculated or noticed by your system. To date, no one we have done business with has had a problem with the DNC size unless they tried to load a Federal/State DNC list in (with millions!). So relax there.

I probably am over-thinking this. But if it is marked as a DNC in the vicidial_list table, why is there a need to add to the vicidial_dnc list? I'm assuming It won't be dialed again from the vicidial_list if it is marked as DNC - And is that only because it is added to the vicidial_dnc table?

When you tell a client "We have removed you from our calling list" you are required to NOT call them again. This includes when you add new numbers from another purchased list (or generating one in Excel). If you do not add your DNC numbers to the DNC list for the dialer, you will have lied to that client as their number could very well be dialed again if they end up in another list. Worse yet, if someone in your organization (you know who they are, the "Sell! Sell! I don't care just Sell! Dammit!" guys) does something ... interesting ... you could even end up calling those that have a Status of "DNC". But NOT if the campaigns are set to adhere to the DNC list. They will get removed even if they do somehow manage to get added (one of my oldest and most favorite clients accidentally added DNC to the dialable leads! it brought his dialer down when all that was loading was DNC, and they the dialer refused to dial them!).

I may have the same number associated with 2 different companies and only want a number removed for say - Company "A" but not Company "B" (with a live agent disposition - NOT safe harbor)

In which case you keep them in Campaign DNC lists instead of the Company DNC list. Same result but segregated for campaigns. Don't use both on any campaigns unless you know what you're doing!