Your Essential Call Centre Compliance Checklist

CallMiner explores what a call centre compliance checklist is, and essential steps and best practices to ensure call centre compliance in 2025 and beyond.

Call centre compliance is a must-have, not a nice-to-have. Compliance in the call centre adds a protective layer of privacy, security, and control over handling, storing, and using customer information.

Call centre agents who are well trained in compliance regulations, policies, and procedures understand the importance of keeping customer data safe to maintain their rights and privacy.

Below, we’ve outlined a checklist of the essential steps and best practices to ensure call centre compliance in 2025 and beyond.

Call Centre Compliance Checklist

Call centre compliance is a set of processes and policies that govern how call centre employees use, manage, and store customer data and adhere to regulations.

Each organization has its own compliance procedures, too, but this guide focuses on the more widespread regulations that state and federal governments create to protect customers.

Without the proper compliance procedures in place, your call centre risks losing customers and facing serious legal consequences that could interfere with its operations and finances.

Make sure your call centre has a compliance-first strategy that includes the following tasks.

1. Know Which Regulations Are Relevant to Your Call Centre

Thoroughly understand each regulation that applies to your call centre and train agents on their requirements. The federal government lays out several regulations that apply to call centres in all states, such as:

• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Of course, which regulations apply to you depends on your call centre and the type of calls you make. For instance, HIPAA is only relevant for calls that gather or discuss medical information, and PCI DSS deals with the security of credit card transactions.

Regulations set forth by other nations can also impact contact centre compliance, even if your call centre operates from within the U.S. For instance, GDPR applies to businesses that deal with EU residents’ sensitive personal data, regardless of where the business is based.

Within the U.S., states can also make their own regulations that may apply to your call centre. In most cases, state laws for call centres cover customers in that state.

For example, if you call a customer in California, you’re bound by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which gives that customer full control over the personal information your call centre stores.

Several states also have restrictions on call times and call volumes, which are especially important for outbound, sales-focused call centres to be mindful of.

For example, Alabama and Louisiana don’t allow telemarketing calls on Sundays or holidays, and Florida doesn’t allow more than three telemarketing calls to the same customer in a 24-hour period.

2. Secure Your Network

Call centres should work closely with an IT security team – not once but continuously – to ensure that the network infrastructure responsible for gathering and storing data is secured.

IT experts can create permissions for specific users to access relevant data, install security protections like firewalls to prevent unauthorized access and respond quickly to potential or active security threats.

3. Commit to Customer Privacy and Consent

Customer consent is becoming more important as regulations tighten around data privacy. The best practice for outbound call centres is to get consent from customers before calling them, usually through a warm lead they opt into.

Also, respect customers who have added their information to the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. If you call someone on the DNC list, they have the right to report you to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Also, once they do make contact with your call centre, customers have the right to privacy.

That means protecting their card information with encryption software if your call centre deals with financial transactions or credit card customer service and using redaction software to remove sensitive information, like Social Security numbers, from call transcripts.

4. Develop Privacy and Security Policies

Transparent and clear-cut policies give everyone in your call centre a reference point for privacy and security expectations.

An information security policy covers everything related to data and how your call centre stores and uses it. This policy should be developed with the help of your IT security team.

It’s also recommended to develop a vulnerability management policy detailing the procedures to follow should a data breach occur in your call centre.

5. Store Call Recordings Properly

Along with storing customer data safely, your call centre’s conversations with customers – including call recordings and transcripts – should also be locked down to prevent unauthorized access and potential data or privacy leaks.

Also, be sure to follow relevant regulations for your area or type of call centre regarding getting consent from customers before recording conversations.

6. Audit Remote Workspaces

If you have remote agents working for your call centre, it can be more challenging to ensure their compliance, but it’s not impossible.

Occasional video conferencing can help you perform audits of your remote agents’ workspaces, checking that they work from a private area to maintain customer confidentiality.

Also, make sure all remote employees have the latest software and updates available to keep their computers secured.

7. Monitor Agent Performance Consistently

Compliance training should be ongoing rather than one-off. Consistent monitoring of agents by reviewing call data and listening in on calls can help management catch problems and correct them quickly.

Use automated call analysis software to gather insights from conversations and provide immediate feedback to agents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Compliance Checklist for a Call Centre?

A call centre compliance checklist details guidelines a call centre should follow to remain compliant and reduce risks related to customer security and privacy.

A compliance checklist should cover points like network security, customer data storage, remote workspace compliance, and customer consent.

What Should a Call Centre Have in Place to Ensure It Is PCI-Compliant?

PCI compliance applies to call centres that deal with financial transactions, like credit card customer support centres.

To ensure PCI compliance, a call centre must maintain a secure network to reduce the risk of data breaches, restrict data from unauthorized individuals, and encrypt sensitive information. Call centres must also regularly monitor their networks and have a documented security policy in place.

What Is the Difference Between the DNC and TCPA?

TCPA sets restrictions on ways telemarketers can communicate with callers, such as restricting the times they call, how they use prerecorded messages, and regulating unsolicited text messages and faxes.

DNC restricts telemarketers from calling people who have listed their numbers on the Do Not Call Registry.

This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of CallMiner – View the Original Article

For more information about CallMiner - visit the CallMiner Website

Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.

Author: CallMiner
Reviewed by: Rachael Trickey