Calling hours for dialers: reaching leads in their own time zone
Federal rules limit sales calls to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the called person's local time, and some states are stricter. Here is how a dialer should handle time zones.
·3 min read
Published by Text2Sale · Updated . Product questions or corrections: support@text2sale.com.
Calling hours are one of the easiest telemarketing rules to break by accident. Your list has leads in several time zones, you start dialing at 8:30 your time, and the first person who answers is still asleep three hours away.
A dialer should solve this automatically, lead by lead, rather than relying on the agent to remember.
What the rules say
The TCPA and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule allow telephone solicitations only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the called person's local time. Several states set tighter windows; Florida, for example, limits sales calls to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and also restricts how many calls can be made to the same person about the same subject in 24 hours.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules in each state you call.
How Text2Sale handles it
The dialer looks at each lead's state and only dials them between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in that state's time zone. That stricter window works for most states without per-state configuration. Leads outside the window are skipped for that session and shown as skipped on your stats.
- ✓Hours are checked per lead, not per agent
- ✓8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, stricter than the federal 9 p.m.
- ✓Leads with no state are treated as Eastern time
Plan your day around time zones
Start the morning with Eastern and Central leads, move west as the day goes on, and finish with Pacific leads in your evening. Uploading separate lists by region makes this easier because you can choose which list to dial at each point in the day.
Keep addresses complete
Time zone detection depends on the lead having a state. When you import leads, map the state column so every contact carries it. A lead with no location is assumed to be on Eastern time, which may be wrong.
Key takeaways
- →Federal rules allow sales calls 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the lead's local time.
- →Some states, such as Florida, are stricter.
- →Text2Sale dials each lead only 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in their state's time zone.
- →Import the state column so time zones are detected correctly.
Put this into practice with Text2Sale
Import leads, create follow-up campaigns, organize replies, and connect texting, calling, and appointments in one workspace.
Frequently asked questions
What about states with two time zones?
A few states span two time zones. Using the state's main zone and an 8 p.m. cutoff leaves a margin, but if you call heavily into those states, check local rules.
Do calling hours apply to callbacks?
Returning a call the person asked for is generally treated differently from a cold solicitation, but keep returned calls at reasonable hours anyway.