Consent and contact rules for service businesses.

Know which record supports each contact method

Different contact methods can rely on different permissions. Before you launch a calling or texting habit across your business, be able to answer one question for each channel: what record shows this consumer agreed to be contacted this way.

If you cannot produce that record, treat the channel as unsupported until you can.

Honor opt-outs everywhere, quickly

An opt-out on one channel should be respected across the tools your business uses, including a dispatch system, a CRM and any personal phone a technician uses for customer contact.

Decide who processes opt-outs and how fast, and make that process survive staff turnover.

• ·One internal do-not-contact list every tool checks
• ·A named owner who processes requests promptly
• ·Written confirmation back to the consumer where appropriate

Keep records long enough to be useful

Retain what a consumer agreed to, when, and through what page or form, for long enough to answer a question about it later. Your counsel can tell you the retention period appropriate for your state and trade.

Review your scripts with counsel

Disclosure wording, recorded-call notices and text opt-in language are all areas where small wording choices matter. Have a professional review them rather than copying language from another company's website.