The following points should help you get more out of the political dialing campaigns you oversee.
Follow Regulations for Political Dialing and Robotexts
FCC rules regulate how political campaigns can communicate with audiences via phone calls and text messages. Make sure you comply with the rules so you can continue reaching out to voters.
Political Dialing Regulations
Political robocalls with prerecorded messages cannot contact your mobile device unless you give them permission. However, campaigns can use prerecorded robocalls to contact you on a landline.
Messages must include:
- The name of the person, business, or organization initiating the call (at the beginning of the recording).
- The calling party’s phone number.
Political Robotexts Regulations
Since robotexts go to mobile devices, campaigns need to get each person’s permission before sending messages. Text campaigns that don’t use autodialing, however, can contact individuals without getting permission.
Texts should include an easy way for recipients to opt out of future communications. If they continue receiving unwanted robocalls and texts, they can submit complaints to the FCC.
Adjust Your Dialer Configurations
Check your dialer’s configuration to make sure it won’t attract negative attention to your numbers. For example, you should:
- Set the dialer to only hang up after a call has rung for at least 15 seconds.
- Keep your amount of abandoned calls below 3%.
- Move contacts from the queue to a call agent within 2 seconds of your recorded greeting.
Following these guidelines should help your political dialing campaigns reach more people on your contact list without earning negative labels, flags, and blocks.
Write Effective Canvassing Scripts
Call agents and volunteers should have canvassing scripts that help them meet FCC rules and give contacts useful information. For example, successful scripts often begin with the caller identifying themselves and describing the call’s intent.
There are four general types of canvassing scripts. Get to know each so you can use them strategically.
Voter Identification Scripts
Voter identification scripts should ask contacts whether they’re registered to vote and what issues matter to them.
Volunteer Recruitment Scripts
Volunteer recruitment scripts intend to convert the contact into a volunteer. The script should provide essential information about the candidate or issue. It should also tell people how they can participate.
Give these scripts plenty of flexibility so call agents and volunteers can engage the contact authentically.
Voter Persuasion Scripts
Voter persuasion scripts try to convince undecided voters to side with the call agent or volunteer. They might include short scripts focused on topics important to people in the area.
Get Out The Vote (GOTE) Scripts
Get out the vote scripts should motivate registered voters to go to their polling stations at the right time to cast their votes.
Maintain Caller ID Integrity
Transparency should make it easier for call agents and volunteers to have meaningful conversations with contacts. Make sure your number displays accurate information on caller ID screens so your contacts will know what to expect when they answer. Some people won’t answer because they don’t want to talk about political topics. Those who do answer are probably more likely to engage and vote. In other words, they matter a lot!
You need to monitor your phone numbers before, during, and after political dialing campaigns. Even a small inaccuracy or damaged number reputation could prevent your campaign from reaching its goals.
Some relatively easy tips for maintaining caller ID integrity include:
- Purchasing all numbers from reliable sources.
- Registering your phone numbers’ CNAM.
- Scanning your numbers for flags and negative labels that will prevent some contacts from answering.
- Redressing any unwarranted labels from carriers and analytics engines. (This page tells you how to redress inaccurate labels from most carriers and apps.)
- Following ethical dialing practices, such as teaching agents to use empathy, choosing dialing architecture that helps you meet FCC regulations, and using enhanced caller ID.
These guidelines will help protect your number reputations, but you might not know a reputation has been damaged until after you notice low KPIs. Stay ahead of issues so you can manage more successful political dialing campaigns.
Real-time Monitoring Tools
Caller ID Reputation gives you real-time data so you can monitor number performance. The service also searches all major carriers and call-blocking apps to find flags, labels, and blocks. When a number gets flagged, you receive a notification so you can pivot your strategy immediately.
You can even get screenshots from real smartphones so you can see exactly what appears on your contacts’ screens.
Get a 5-day free trial with Caller ID Reputation so you can experience the benefits of real-time insight into your political dialing campaigns.
