It is vital for contact centers to know the remaining aspects of the new TCPA rules that went into effect on April 11, 2025. Contact centers should not only be aware of these updates but they should be marking operational changes to adapt.
" THE ' CROSS-CHANNEL ' OPT-OUT IS THE BIGGEST CHANGE FROM THE EX- ISTING FRAMEWORK..."
-- PAUL ST. CLAIR
WHAT ARE THE CHANGES FROM THE EXISTING TCPA REGULATIONS?
A: The“ cross-channel” opt-out is the biggest change from the existing framework, and there is a reason why the FCC delayed this part of the new rules. Businesses will need to adapt systems and processes across different business units that conduct marketing or even just informational outreach, such as IT teams sending authentication messages, to accommodate the new opt-out requirements.
• Limited clarification message. Companies may send one message to confirm an opt-out request within five minutes of receiving the communication. This clarification message may include asking whether the consumer wants to opt out of just marketing or informational communications as well.
WHAT REASONS LED TO THE CREATION OF THE NEW RULES?
A: The FCC created the new TCPA consumer rules in response to growing consumer frustration, legal inconsistencies, and regulatory concerns over unwanted calls and texts.
Many businesses made it difficult for consumers to revoke consent, requiring specific procedures or ignoring opt-out requests made through reasonable means. The FCC’ s order will ensure that revocation must be honored through any reasonable method. Legal disputes and inconsistent court rulings also contributed to the rule’ s creation. Some courts upheld broad consumer opt-out rights, while others allowed businesses to impose stricter revocation conditions.
Although contact centers have another year to adapt to the cross-channel requirement, there are several key changes from the existing regulations that went into effect in April 2025:
• Any reasonable method is valid. Consumers may opt out using any“ reasonable” method, such as verbally over the phone, email, texting, or potentially even at a brick-andmortar location of your business.
It’ s entirely possible a court could find that consumers can call your main phone line, and not just customer service or a marketing number, to revoke their consent and that this is a reasonable method.
• Texting with consumers. If consumers can’ t respond to texts due to technical limitations, such as the originating numbers being no longer assigned, businesses must disclose this and provide alternative opt-out instructions.
• Faster processing. Businesses must honor opt-outs within 10 business days instead of the previous 30-day timeline.
ARE THERE ANY CHALLENGES IN COMPLYING WITH THESE RULES?
A: Complying with the new TCPA consumer rules presents significant challenges for businesses that rely on outbound calls and texts.
1. The requirement to honor opt-outs through any reasonable method and within certain timelines means companies must implement robust tracking systems to capture and process revocation requests within the new 10-day timeline.
2. Even more complicated, businesses must make their own determinations as to what is a“ reasonable” opt-out request.
Contact centers should create or edit their current optout policies to reflect that consumers can opt out verbally, via text, email, or even via other channels such as social media, so long as those methods are“ reasonable.” Training employees and agents to recognize and act on all reasonable opt-outs to avoid compliance risks will be key.
18 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE