Compliance driving the need to obtain customer opt-in
A growing number of government regulations require organisations to obtain consumer consent before sending certain types of communications. The tightening regulatory environment introduces significant non-compliance risk, including time-consuming and costly litigation, hefty fines, negative publicity, and reduced customer loyalty.
Automated technology restrictions
Your organisation faces a myriad of restrictions when using automated technology to initiate outbound communications. These include opt-in rules that vary based on the communication channel, nature of the message, and recipient location. For example, in the United States:
- Landline Phones: Consent is required in order to call customers via outbound IVR with an automated telemarketing or sales call
- Mobile Devices: Opt-in is required for all automated outreach using outbound IVR, predictive dialer, or text messaging for any purpose, including telemarketing, sales and collections
- Email: Authorisation is required before sending email whose primary purpose is to advertise or promote a commercial product or service
Mobile voice and text messaging are treated equally
Requirements such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) states that there is no difference between a voice call and a text message to a mobile device, so opt-in requirements and outreach restrictions apply equally to both channels. Best practice includes providing options that allow a customer to opt-in for both mobile voice and text messaging, but give them the choice to select only one or the other for specific types of communications.
Maximise the size of your opt-in database
Genesys has deep expertise at building and growing customer opt-in databases, working closely with clients to leverage their existing communication touchpoints as well as to create custom campaigns over multiple channels that drive customers to opt-in.
Simple turnkey solution
The Genesys Customer Opt-in Solution makes ongoing management of your compliant opt-in database significantly less complex than attempting to manage it in-house. In fact, Genesys simplifies the entire process of sending compliant outbound communications. In addition to building your opt-in database, this solution identifies mobile numbers in your contact list, applies different contact strategies based on channel, scrubs outbound campaigns against suppression lists, provides an automated opt-out process, and removes contacts from your opt-in database when appropriate.
Maximise opt-ins and minimise opt-outs
An effective communications strategy helps ensure that the messages you send are relevant, welcome, delivered to the right contacts using the right channels, and compliant with requirements. Genesys has the expertise to assist with developing and implementing communications programs that maximise your opt-ins and minimise your opt-outs, leading to more profitable, lifelong relationships with your customers.
Capturing opt-ins
The Genesys Customer Opt-in Solution continually captures opt-in requests, taking advantage of both inbound and outbound channels. Some proven successful tactics to encourage opt-ins include automated voice messaging campaigns to landlines, opt-in menu options in IVR, timely prompting in agent scripts, mention on webpages, and asking for opt-in at the conclusion of customer surveys.
Managing opt-outs
When a consumer opts-out of future messages you are required to respond quickly by no longer sending communications to the indicated phone numbers and email addresses. Similarly, when service to a landline or mobile phone number is cancelled, opt-ins from these contact points must be invalidated. Genesys continually captures optout requests, processes carrier deactivation lists, and subsequently removes appropriate contacts from the opt-in database.
Supports multiple sources
Genesys can collect, store and maintain customer opt-in data obtained from Genesys Proactive Customer Communications outbound campaigns, as well as those collected from your own customer database or another vendor’s communications platform.
Working with SMS codes
Genesys can provision and provide dedicated short codes for global text messaging campaigns. Opt-in best practices include promoting an inbound short code in customer communications. Responses to this short code can be seamlessly added to your opt-in database.
Leverages multiple channels
The Genesys Proactive Customer Communications solution enables you to use multiple channels for compliant outbound communications, including outbound IVR, predictive dialer, text messaging, email, and mobile webpages.
