Fees for Short Duration and Incomplete Calls

These penalties and fees are used by carriers industry-wide and are not individual to CallTrackingMetrics or your account with us. 

Short Call Duration Penalty:

Any outbound call lasting less than 6 seconds is considered a “short duration call”. This applies to both local and international calls.

This often happens when your agent makes a call but hangs up too quickly, or does not leave a voicemail or message when they reach the caller's answering machine.

Now, when more than 20% of your call traffic is made up of short duration calls, your calls will be subject to a $0.015 fee per call. 

Incomplete Call Charge Fees:

Fees will apply to incomplete calls, which are considered any calls that last zero seconds. 

These are considered unanswered or rejected calls. If over 25% of your calls are marked as incomplete, each call will be subject to a $0.015 fee.

Note: We may terminate your use of CallTrackingMetrics with 30 days prior written notice in the event that your business exceeds the percentage of short duration or incomplete calls permitted in two (2) or more months in any six (6) month period.

Why Do Telecom Providers Penalize Short and Incomplete Calls?

Short call durations and incomplete calls strain network capacity and lower the quality of the services you’re paying for.

Each call requires a whole network of resources and infrastructure. Calls are expensive, and the cost of handling calls, network equipment, and signaling adds up quickly for telecommunication providers. 

To offset these operational costs, providers charge for short call duration and incomplete calls. That’s why CallTrackingMetrics will start monitoring short duration and incomplete calls in October, for which you’ll be billed starting in November.

How Do I Avoid Extra Fees? 

9 Best Practices to help you avoid getting penalized for short duration and incomplete calls. To maintain the quality and effectiveness of your outbound calls and texts, you first must clean up your marketing lead list. 

Follow these best practices to reduce the likelihood of short call duration and incomplete call fees:

1. Do Not Contact Registry
   Ensure your call and text lists are verified against the U.S. Do Not Call (DNC) registry to avoid potential legal issues. The DNC registry helps protect people from unwanted calls or texts, and breaking the rules can lead to action from the FTC or FCC.

2. Check Opt-In Status
   Has everyone on your list agreed to receive messages from your business? Are your calls or texts related to what they signed up for? Keeping an updated list not only ensures compliance with TCPA rules but also keeps your leads and customers more engaged.

3. Keep Opt-In Records
   The FCC now requires businesses to store proof of opt-in consent for up to 5 years in case there is a complaint or violation under TCPA or TSR rules. If you’re not sure about best practices to stay compliant, it’s a good idea to talk to your attorney. 

4. Regular Data Audits
   Set up regular checks, like quarterly or bi-annual audits, to review and update your lead lists. This helps you catch outdated or incorrect information before it becomes an issue.

5. Verify Contact Info
   Confirm that all contact information, like email addresses, phone numbers, and other details, are up-to-date. Automated systems can help identify entries that are invalid or outdated.

6. Remove Duplicates
   Look for and merge duplicate entries in your system so that each lead appears only once. Your CRM likely has a feature to help you with this.

7. Update Lead Status
   Regularly update the status of your leads (e.g., from "Prospect" to "Customer" or "Unqualified") so you know their exact relationship to your business.

8. Use Lead Scoring
   Assign scores to leads based on their behavior, demographics, and engagement. This helps you focus on leads that are more likely to turn into customers.

9. Regularly Clean and Validate Data
   Use tools or services that keep your data clean by periodically removing old, incorrect, or irrelevant information.