> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Calling rules you should know

> Consent, calling hours, and do not call lists explained in plain language, plus what Brilo enforces for you and what remains your responsibility before you call a list.

Calling people who did not ask to be called is regulated nearly everywhere, and the rules turn on where
your contacts are rather than where you are. This page covers the parts that come up in practice and what
Brilo does and does not do for you.

<Note>
  This is a plain language guide, not legal advice. The rules vary by country and by state, they change, and
  the penalties are real. If you are running outbound at any scale, get advice specific to where you are
  calling.
</Note>

## The three questions that matter

Before any campaign, answer these:

1. **Do you have permission to contact these people?** An existing customer who gave you their number for
   this purpose is very different from a list you bought.
2. **What hours are you allowed to call?** This is set by where the contact is, not where you are.
3. **What happens when somebody says stop?** You need an answer that works automatically, not one that
   depends on somebody remembering.

If you cannot answer all three, do not launch the campaign yet.

## What Brilo does for you

| Protection             | How it works                                                                                                                                                         |
| ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Calling hours          | Calls are never placed before 9 AM or after 8 PM in the contact's local time, worked out from their area code, unless you deliberately turn **Skip Silent Hours** on |
| A tighter window       | **Calling window** narrows the hours further, still in the contact's local time                                                                                      |
| Consent confirmation   | You are asked to confirm you have consent before a campaign launches                                                                                                 |
| Stopping on request    | Exit rules can take somebody off a campaign based on what they said                                                                                                  |
| Email opt out          | An unsubscribe link on campaign emails, plus the header mail apps use for their own button                                                                           |
| A record of every call | Recordings and transcripts, so you can show what was actually said                                                                                                   |

## What is still your responsibility

* **Having consent in the first place.** Nothing in the product can tell your own customers from a
  purchased list.
* **Knowing which rules apply.** Different countries and different US states differ, including on whether
  both parties must consent to recording.
* **Do not call lists.** Where you are required to check a registry, that is on you and must happen before
  the list is imported.
* **Identifying yourself.** Most regimes expect a caller to say who is calling. Put it in your agent's
  opening line anyway, because it also gets you answered. See [Add a call step](/campaigns/call-step).
* **Disclosing recording where required.** Some places require an announcement or consent. See
  [Recordings, transcripts and retention](/compliance/recordings-and-retention).
* **Honouring a request to stop, across channels.** An email unsubscribe does not cover calls.

## Setting up a campaign that behaves

Concretely, in the product:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Leave Skip Silent Hours off">
    That keeps calls inside 9 AM to 8 PM in the contact's local time. Turning it on removes the protection
    entirely, and there is rarely a good reason. See
    [Choose when calls go out](/campaigns/choose-when-calls-go-out).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write an exit condition for stop requests">
    In **Exit Rules**, put something like "the person said they are not interested, or asked us not to call
    again" into **Exit on what was said**. This is the single most important setting on this page. See
    [Stop calling a contact](/campaigns/stop-calling-a-contact).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Cap the attempts">
    Set **Max call attempts** to three. Repeated calling after no answer is what generates complaints,
    whatever the rules say.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Turn on the unsubscribe link">
    For any campaign with an email step. See
    [Let people unsubscribe](/campaigns/let-people-unsubscribe).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tell your agent how to handle the request">
    Instruct it to confirm and end the call politely when somebody asks to be removed, rather than trying
    once more. See [Example instructions](/agents/example-prompts).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Recording and disclosure

Whether you must tell callers a call is recorded depends on where you and they are. Some places require
notice, some require consent from everybody on the call, and some require neither.

If you need to announce it, put it in your greeting and turn **Interrupt Greeting** off so it cannot be
talked over. See [Set your greeting](/agents/set-your-greeting) and
[Recordings, transcripts and retention](/compliance/recordings-and-retention).

## Should your agent say it is an AI?

You control what it says about itself. Some jurisdictions now require disclosure that a caller is speaking
to an automated system, and the direction of travel is towards more of that rather than less.

Practically, the agents that go down best do not deny it when asked directly. A caller who suspects they
are talking to a machine and gets a dodge becomes hostile. One who gets a straight answer usually carries
on with the call.

## Lists you should not import

* **Purchased or rented lists.** Almost never have usable consent, and the first thing they do is get your
  number flagged by carriers, which breaks your inbound calls too.
* **Scraped numbers.** Same problem, with worse data quality.
* **Old lists.** Consent goes stale, numbers get reassigned, and you end up calling somebody who never
  heard of you.
* **Lists collected for a different purpose.** A number given to confirm a delivery was not given for
  marketing.

See [Import your contact list](/contacts/import-your-contact-list).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is it legal to use an AI voice agent for outbound calls?">
    In most places yes, subject to the same rules as any other outbound calling: consent, calling hours, do
    not call registries, and identifying yourself. Some jurisdictions additionally require you to disclose
    that the caller is automated. Get advice for where you are calling.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What hours can I make outbound calls?">
    Brilo keeps calls between 9 AM and 8 PM in the contact's local time unless you turn **Skip Silent
    Hours** on. Local rules may be tighter than that, and where they are, set a narrower **Calling window**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need consent to call people with an AI agent?">
    Usually yes, and the requirement is about the call rather than the technology. An existing customer who
    gave you their number for this purpose is a different case from a purchased list. Brilo asks you to
    confirm consent at launch because it cannot tell the two apart.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to tell callers the call is recorded?">
    It depends where you and they are. Some places require notice, some require everyone's consent, some
    neither. If you need it, put it in the greeting and turn off **Interrupt Greeting** so it cannot be
    skipped.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does my agent have to say it is an AI?">
    Some jurisdictions require it and more are moving that way. Regardless of the rules, do not instruct it
    to deny being automated when asked directly, because that goes badly on real calls.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I handle somebody asking to be taken off my list?">
    Automatically, with an exit condition covering "asked us not to call again", plus an unsubscribe link on
    emails. A mental note is not a process. See
    [Stop calling a contact](/campaigns/stop-calling-a-contact).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I import a purchased contact list?">
    You can, and you should not. Bought lists rarely carry usable consent, and the practical consequence
    arrives faster than any legal one: carriers flag your number, which stops your inbound calls working
    too.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Brilo check do not call registries for me?">
    No. Where you are required to screen against a registry, that is your responsibility and it needs to
    happen before you import the list.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Choose when calls go out](/campaigns/choose-when-calls-go-out) for the hours Brilo enforces
* [Stop calling a contact](/campaigns/stop-calling-a-contact) for honouring stop requests
* [Let people unsubscribe](/campaigns/let-people-unsubscribe) for email opt out
* [Recordings, transcripts and retention](/compliance/recordings-and-retention) for recording
* [Import your contact list](/contacts/import-your-contact-list) for what not to import