Consent

Consent in the call center context refers to a lead’s permission to be contacted by telephone, as required by the TCPA and FCC regulations. The level of consent required depends on the type of call (telemarketing vs. informational), the technology used (autodialer vs. manual), and the phone type (landline vs. cell phone). Proper consent management is fundamental to lawful VICIdial operation.

How It Works in VICIdial

VICIdial does not manage consent records natively — consent is tracked in the lead data or an external CRM, and VICIdial enforces consent-based dialing rules through list segmentation and campaign configuration. Leads with different consent levels are loaded into separate lists, and each list is assigned to a campaign configured for the appropriate dialing mode.

For leads with prior express written consent (the highest level, required for telemarketing calls to cell phones using an autodialer), predictive dialing is permissible. For leads with only prior express consent (verbal permission), informational calls can be autodialed but telemarketing calls require written consent. For leads without documented consent, manual dialing may be required for cell phones.

Lead filters can be configured to include or exclude leads based on custom fields that track consent status, ensuring the hopper only loads leads with appropriate consent for each campaign’s dialing mode.

Why It Matters

Consent is the foundation of TCPA compliance. Calling a cell phone using VICIdial’s predictive or progressive dialer without proper consent exposes the organization to $500-$1,500 per-call statutory damages. Class action TCPA lawsuits have produced settlements in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The consent landscape has grown more complex with evolving FCC interpretations and court rulings. Organizations must maintain clear records of how consent was obtained, when it was obtained, and what scope of communication was authorized. While VICIdial provides the technical tools for consent-based list segmentation, the operational responsibility for consent management rests with the organization.