Using the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in the Automotive Industry

The law is protecting consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls thanks to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which congress enacted in 1991. Several types of communications are covered by the TCPA, including telemarketing, pre-recorded messages, text messages, and automated telephone calls. This ensures that consumers maintain their privacy and that companies limit unwanted calls.

In terms of dealerships, the TCPA is an important law that must be followed by administrative departments, or they could face legal consequences. The act requires that any telemarketing calls made by dealerships must have prior express written consent of the person receiving the call. This means that dealerships must obtain a signature from the person they are calling before they can contact them legally through sales calls, even for potential customers. Obtaining prior written consent for every customer can be an enormous task. With that said, dealerships have found success with the implementation of automated customer management software that allows dealerships to contact potential customers in a manner that meets all the legal regulations.

On a dealership web site, when visitors leave contact information, they can find a disclaimer at the end of the form where they can authorize contact about everything related to their interest in a new vehicle. An example of an automated communication system that can work with dealership CRMs is Konect.ai. Once the shopper accepts the “opt-in” disclaimer online, Konect.ai uses AI-powered texts to contact them and schedule a phone call or an in-store appointment. If we pay attention to the first texts customers receive, we’ll find that the lead always has the power to stop receiving any further messages by replying “opt-out.” Once they do that, for example, the Konect.ai system secures this information and won't contact them again to keep the dealership complaint. Conversely, if the customer texts back and schedule a phone call, they’ll be waiting for us to contact them, and it won’t be a cold call anymore.

As dealerships use and depend on automated software to contact leads, everything about the related telephone communications must go smoothly and be more transparent than ever. Your staff’s productivity is growing increasingly with every call they make and ensuring your systems are TCPA complaint leaves you, and your teams, distraction-free without worrying about external processes – so you can respectfully focus on your customer relationships and needs.

Interested in reaching your automotive customers using Konect.ai’s automated, SMS outreach? Schedule time to speak with our specialists here.

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