Why one STOP has to block every channel
A prospect who replies STOP to your SMS has withdrawn consent. If your email sequence keeps running, you have a violation, and you had the information needed to prevent it.
6 min read · Written by the Autocloz team
The failure mode
Multi-channel outbound usually grows one tool at a time: an email platform, then a dialer, then an SMS tool, then LinkedIn automation. Each holds its own suppression list.
When a prospect opts out of one, only that tool knows. The others keep going. From the prospect's side it looks like you ignored them, and from a regulator's side that is exactly what happened.
What the rules actually require
The specifics vary by jurisdiction, but the shape is consistent across TCPA in the US, PECR and GDPR in the UK and EU, and equivalents elsewhere:
- Opt-out must be honoured promptly. Timeframes vary; treating it as immediate is the only safe posture.
- Opt-out must be easy. No login, no reply-with-account-number, no dark patterns.
- Consent is to the relationship, not the channel. This is the point most stacks miss. A withdrawal of consent is generally not read as channel-specific.
- You must keep records. If you cannot show when someone opted out and what you did about it, you cannot defend the claim.
Not legal advice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and by how you obtained consent — take advice on your own situation.
Registry checks are a separate obligation
National Do Not Call registries apply to phone outreach specifically. In the US that is the federal DNC registry plus state lists; other countries maintain their own.
These need checking before dialling, not after. A number that was clear when you imported it three months ago may be listed now, so the check belongs at dial time.
How the gate works in Autocloz
Autocloz keeps one suppression list per workspace, not one per channel. A STOP by SMS, an unsubscribe click in email, a verbal request logged on a call and a LinkedIn decline all write to the same record, and every channel reads it before dispatch.
Six checks run before any touch leaves the system: suppression status, DNC registry, quiet hours in the recipient's timezone, per-channel consent, message template approval, and sending limits.
A blocked touch is logged with its reason, so the audit trail shows both what was stopped and why.
Common questions
Does an email unsubscribe really have to stop my calls?
Interpretations differ and it depends how consent was obtained, but treating any opt-out as global is both the safer legal position and the better commercial one. Someone who unsubscribed is not going to buy because you called instead.
What about existing customers?
Existing relationships often carry different consent grounds for service messages. That does not extend to unrelated marketing, and it never overrides an explicit opt-out.
How long must suppression last?
Indefinitely, in practice. Suppression records are one of the few things you should never delete, since the record is your evidence.
Can I re-contact someone who opted out if they change companies?
Risky. If the suppression is on the person rather than the address, treat it as still active and get fresh consent.
One opt-out list, five channels
The compliance gate is on by default and cannot be disabled per campaign.