Abandoned Call

An abandoned call is a call that a person answers but that is not connected to a live representative within two seconds of their greeting.

Abandoned calls usually come from predictive dialers that dial more numbers than there are free agents. When too many people answer at once, some hear silence or a click. That is frustrating, and the rules limit it.

Under FCC rules at 47 CFR 64.1200(a)(7), telemarketers must not abandon more than three percent of all telemarketing calls answered live by a person, measured over a 30-day period for a single calling campaign. A call counts as abandoned if it is not connected to a live sales representative within two seconds of the person's completed greeting. The TSR has a similar rule.

When a call is abandoned, the caller must play a prerecorded message within two seconds that gives the seller's name and a phone number, and the message must offer an opt-out. The rules also say an unanswered call should ring for at least 15 seconds or four rings before disconnecting.

Keeping records of your abandonment rate per campaign is required. If you use a predictive dialer, set pacing conservatively. Tools that talk to every answered call right away, such as an AI agent that answers immediately, avoid the dead-air problem, though consent rules for artificial voices then apply.

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This entry is general information, not legal advice.