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The Telephone Consumer Protection Act protects consumers and gives them control over marketing messages. Good news: staying compliant is straightforward when you understand the basics.
A federal law designed to protect consumers and give them control
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a federal law passed in 1991 to protect consumers from unwanted marketing calls and texts. The law gives consumers control over when and how businesses can contact them.
Good news: TCPA compliance is easier than you might think. Follow three basic principles—get permission, respect quiet hours, and honor opt-outs—and you're on the right track. Drop Cowboy provides platform tools to support your compliance efforts.
Every Drop Cowboy customer gets a dedicated account manager who understands TCPA requirements and can answer questions specific to your business. We're here to help you communicate with customers confidently and responsibly.
Before sending marketing messages, obtain consent from recipients. For most marketing messages, you'll need prior express written consent. Add a clear checkbox to your lead capture forms, website sign-ups, or sales contracts explaining what messages you'll send. Consult qualified legal counsel to determine appropriate consent language for your specific use case.
Don't contact people before 8 AM or after 9 PM in their local time zone. It's common sense—people don't want business calls during family time or early mornings. Drop Cowboy's [automatic quiet hours enforcement](/features/quiet-hours) queues messages sent outside these times and delivers them at appropriate hours.
When someone says STOP, respect that immediately. Make opting out simple (like replying STOP to a text), and process opt-outs right away. Drop Cowboy processes STOP requests automatically and maintains [suppression lists](/features/suppression-lists) to ensure opted-out contacts never receive future messages.
Our platform includes built-in tools to support your TCPA compliance efforts: automatic quiet hours, opt-out management, and audit logs. Focus on growing your business while we handle the technical details.
The benefits of respecting consumer preferences
When you only contact people who actually want to hear from you, your messages perform better. Messages sent to opted-in audiences get higher response rates and better engagement because recipients expect and welcome your communications.
TCPA-compliant campaigns achieve better results because you're reaching people who gave permission to be contacted. Consent leads to engagement, and engagement leads to conversions. It's good for your customers and good for your business.
Consumers remember companies that respect their privacy. TCPA compliance demonstrates that you value your customers' preferences and builds long-term trust. Ethical communication practices strengthen your brand reputation.
Include a clear, conspicuous checkbox on lead capture forms, website sign-ups, and sales contracts. Make it obvious what types of messages people will receive and that they can opt out anytime. Consult with qualified legal counsel to determine appropriate consent language for your specific business and use case.
Add consent language to sales contracts, service agreements, or applications. Keep the language simple and separate from other legal notices. People should clearly understand they're agreeing to receive your messages. Work with legal counsel to ensure your consent language meets TCPA requirements.
For SMS, keyword opt-ins provide clear consent. When someone texts your keyword, they've given permission. Send a confirmation message explaining what they signed up for and how to opt out. This method is trackable and effective. Consult legal counsel for appropriate opt-in wording.
Every business situation is unique. Consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure your consent collection process, consent language, and messaging practices meet all TCPA requirements for your specific industry and use case. Don't guess—get professional guidance.
Consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure your consent process meets TCPA requirements for your specific use case. Drop Cowboy's account managers can also share general best practices for using our platform tools.
Ringless voicemail to wireless numbers for marketing purposes requires prior express written consent. Transactional messages (like appointment confirmations) may have different requirements. Drop Cowboy delivers your voicemails during appropriate hours and tracks delivery for your records. Always consult legal counsel about your specific message types.
Marketing text messages to wireless numbers require prior express written consent. The consent must clearly state you'll send texts and explain what types of messages recipients will receive. Drop Cowboy automatically processes STOP requests and maintains your suppression list. Consult legal counsel for guidance on your SMS consent process.
Prerecorded voice calls that ring phones require prior express written consent for marketing to wireless numbers. Drop Cowboy enforces quiet hours automatically and provides IVR opt-out options for recipients. Work with legal counsel to ensure your voice broadcast campaigns meet TCPA requirements.
Live agent calls using power dialers have different rules depending on whether you're calling wireless or landline numbers. Marketing calls to wireless numbers require consent. Drop Cowboy's power dialer includes compliance features like quiet hours and call logging. Consult legal counsel about requirements for your specific calling campaigns.
Automatic enforcement so you don't have to worry
Drop Cowboy detects each recipient's time zone based on their phone number and enforces TCPA quiet hours (8 AM - 9 PM local time) automatically. If you schedule a campaign that would deliver outside quiet hours, Drop Cowboy queues the messages and sends them at 8 AM local time. You never have to calculate time zones manually.
Submit your campaigns anytime—Drop Cowboy's platform queues messages submitted outside compliant hours and delivers them when appropriate. This means you can work on your schedule while we ensure delivery happens at the right time for recipients.
Running campaigns across multiple states? Drop Cowboy handles different time zones automatically, ensuring every contact receives messages during their local quiet hours. No manual tracking or complex scheduling required.
Never worry about accidentally sending messages at the wrong time. Drop Cowboy's automatic quiet hours enforcement protects both you and your recipients. It's one less thing to manage.
For SMS, let people reply STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT, CANCEL, or END. For voicemail, provide a clear phone number to call. For voice broadcast, include IVR opt-out options. Drop Cowboy processes standard SMS opt-out keywords automatically—no programming required.
Drop Cowboy processes opt-outs in real-time and adds contacts to your suppression list instantly. Once someone opts out, they won't receive any future messages from you. Fast opt-out processing protects both you and your customers.
Maintain your suppression list permanently. Even if someone provides their number again later, check against your suppression list first. Drop Cowboy's suppression lists persist across all campaigns, so you never accidentally contact opted-out recipients.
Drop Cowboy maintains complete records of all opt-outs with timestamps. These records demonstrate your good-faith compliance efforts. Store opt-out records for at least several years—Drop Cowboy keeps them for you automatically.
Drop Cowboy processes opt-outs automatically and maintains suppression lists across all your campaigns. Focus on your business while we handle the technical compliance details.
Built-in features to support your TCPA compliance efforts
Drop Cowboy enforces TCPA quiet hours (8 AM - 9 PM recipient local time) automatically. Messages submitted outside these hours are queued and delivered at appropriate times. Multi-timezone campaigns are handled seamlessly—Drop Cowboy calculates each recipient's local time zone automatically.
Learn More →Maintain suppression lists for opted-out contacts automatically. Drop Cowboy processes STOP requests in real-time and ensures opted-out contacts never receive future messages. Lists persist across all campaigns and are stored securely.
See Features →Drop Cowboy maintains detailed records of all messages sent: timestamps, recipients, message content, delivery status, and opt-out requests. Export logs for compliance audits or recordkeeping. Records demonstrate your good-faith compliance efforts.
View Documentation →When scrubbing applies to your campaigns
The National Do Not Call Registry is a federal list of phone numbers that have opted out of receiving telemarketing calls. Whether DNC scrubbing applies depends on your call types, business relationships, and whether you already have proper consent from recipients.
The FCC's [Reassigned Numbers Database](/compliance/reassigned-numbers) helps identify numbers that have been reassigned since you obtained consent. Querying the RND before calling can provide safe harbor protection from certain TCPA claims related to reassigned numbers.
If you've obtained proper prior express written consent (PEWC) from recipients, DNC scrubbing may not be necessary for those contacts. However, even with consent, consider querying the RND to verify the number hasn't been reassigned. Consult qualified legal counsel for guidance.
DNC and RND requirements depend on complex factors including call types, business relationships, and applicable exemptions. Don't make assumptions. Consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure you understand your specific scrubbing obligations.
TCPA compliance varies by business type, message content, and recipient relationship. Consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure your campaigns meet all applicable requirements. Drop Cowboy's account managers can also share general best practices.
Understanding the roles in TCPA compliance
You are ultimately responsible for ensuring your campaigns comply with TCPA and other applicable laws. Compliance depends on factors Drop Cowboy cannot control: whether you have proper consent, your message content, recipient relationships, and your specific use case. Work with qualified legal counsel for guidance.
Drop Cowboy provides platform tools to support your compliance efforts: automatic quiet hours enforcement, opt-out management, suppression lists, audit logs, and general best practice guidance. These tools help you manage technical compliance details while you focus on your business.
Every business situation is unique. Consult qualified legal counsel about your specific campaigns, consent processes, message content, and compliance obligations. Professional legal guidance ensures your practices meet all applicable TCPA and state law requirements.
Join 20,000+ businesses using Drop Cowboy's platform to communicate responsibly with customers. Our built-in compliance tools help you follow TCPA rules while focusing on growing your business.
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This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulatory compliance is ultimately your responsibility. We recommend consulting with qualified legal counsel regarding your specific compliance obligations.
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