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State Specific Holidays & Hours
State Specific Holidays & Hours
Annie Konarska avatar
Written by Annie Konarska
Updated over 3 months ago

Federal law allows marketing calls and texts to be made between 8 AM and 9 PM. At Verse we add a one hour buffer to the federal hours, for additional security. This means no automated follow-up calls or texts are ever sent after 8 PM or before 9 AM, according to the lead's local timezone. See Understanding Acceptable Automated Texting Hours

However, some states place additional restrictions on calls and texts. At Verse.ai, we prioritize compliance with state-specific texting and calling restrictions to safeguard our customers from potential legal concerns. Each state enforces unique guidelines regarding permissible times for calls and texts, and we have implemented robust features to ensure adherence to these regulations.

Key Features:

State Specific Hours: Our platform will never go outside of our internal federal hours rule of 9am-8pm, but certain states have rules that are even more restrictive than federal hours. Our platform stays up to date with state-specific hours which always take precedent over our federal hours.

State Specific Holidays: Our platform includes a "state holiday" feature designed to accommodate state-specific holiday restrictions on calling and text times. This feature allows us to exclude designated dates and times from our automated outreach schedules automatically.

Monthly Updates: We regularly update our systems to reflect any changes in state-specific restrictions, ensuring that our "State Specific Hours" and “State Specific Holidays” remain current and effective.

Comprehensive Coverage

We support and enforce the following calling/text time restrictions across states:

State

Monday-Friday Hours

Saturday Hours

Sunday Hours

Alabama

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

No Texts

Connecticut

9am - 8pm

9am - 8pm

9am - 8pm

Florida

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

Illinois

8am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

Kentucky

10am - 9pm

10am - 9pm

10am - 9pm

Louisiana

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

No Texts

Maryland

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

Massachusetts

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

Michigan

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

Minnesota

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

Mississippi

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

No Texts

Nevada

9am - 8pm

9am - 8pm

9am - 8pm

New Mexico

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

Oklahoma

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

Pennsylvania

8am - 9pm

8am - 12pm

No Texts

Rhode Island

9am - 6pm

10am - 5pm

No Texts

South Dakota

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

No Texts

Texas

9am - 9pm

9am - 9pm

12pm - 9pm

Utah

8am - 9pm

8am - 9pm

No Texts

Washington

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

Wyoming

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

8am - 8pm

Legal Holidays by State: We support and enforce the following calling/texting day restrictions across states:

  • January: New Year’s Day
    AL, LA, MS, PA, RI, UT

  • January: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
    AL*, LA, MS*, PA, RI, UT

  • February: Washington’s Birthday
    AL*, LA**, MS, PA***, RI, UT****

  • February: Mardi Gras
    LA

  • March: Good Friday (depending on the month it falls in for the calendar year)

  • April: Good Friday (depending on the month it falls in for the calendar year)
    LA, PA

  • April: Confederate Memorial Day
    AL, MS

  • May: Rhode Island Independence Day
    RI

  • May: National Memorial Day
    AL, LA, MS*, PA, RI, UT

  • June: Jefferson Davis' Birthday
    AL

  • June: Flag Day
    PA

  • June: Juneteenth Day
    LA

  • June: Juneteenth National Freedom Day
    UT

  • July: Legal holiday*
    LA

  • July: Independence Day
    AL, LA, MS, PA, RI, UT

  • July: Pioneer Day
    UT

  • August: Victory Day
    RI

  • August: Huey P. Long Day
    LA (statutory but not enforced)

  • September: Labor Day
    AL, LA, MS, PA, RI, UT

  • October: Columbus Day
    AL*, LA**, PA, RI, UT

  • November: All Saints Day
    LA*

  • November: Veterans Day (observed)
    AL, LA, UT

  • November: Veterans Day
    AL, LA, MS, PA, RI, UT

  • November: Veterans Day (observed)
    RI

  • November: Thanksgiving Day
    AL**, LA, MS, PA, RI, UT

  • November: Acadian Day
    LA***

  • December: Christmas Day
    AL, LA, MS, PA, RI, UT

  • December: Day After Christmas
    LA*

Federal Holidays: We also, to be extra cautious, observe the following Federal holidays even if it not specified by each state, adjusting our calling and texting schedules accordingly. It’s better to be safe by always ensuring that we respect the personal time of your leads.

  • New Year’s Day

  • Martin Luther King Day

  • Washington’s Day

  • President’s Day

  • Memorial Day

  • Juneteenth National Independence Day

  • Independence Day

  • Labor Day

  • Columbus Day

  • Veterans day

  • Thanksgiving Day

  • Christmas Day

At Verse.ai, compliance with state calling restrictions and hours of operation is integral to our commitment to customer protection and regulatory adherence. Our advanced features and diligent updates ensure that our customers can engage with confidence, knowing that their interactions comply with state laws.

For further assistance or inquiries regarding our compliance practices, please contact our support team.

Exception for Initial SMS on Lead Creation

While follow-up and nurture texts are restricted to the System Hours, there is an exception for the very first SMS sent when a new lead is created:

  • First SMS Upon Lead Submission: By default, our platform sends the first outbound SMS immediately upon lead submission, regardless of the time. This is based on the assumption that the consumer has just filled out a form requesting information from your business, and is therefore considered a transactional text that is time sensitive. This first message offers the consumer the option to engage in an SMS conversation with your business at that hour, which can be a preferred time for many.

However, we understand the need for flexibility and respect for personal boundaries, which is why this setting can be adjusted:

  • Option to Delay Initial SMS: If you prefer that the initial SMS for leads created outside of System Hours be delayed until 9 AM the next morning, you can request this change. Please reach out to your account manager to adjust this setting.

Handling Inbound SMS 24/7

Our platform operates around the clock, ensuring that any inbound SMS received, regardless of the time of day, is promptly responded to. Our system is designed to engage in two-way conversations with consumers at any time, providing immediate responses to inbound messages.

It's important to note, however, that while we can respond to inbound messages at any time, automated follow-up texts to unresponsive leads will strictly adhere to the Automated Texting Hours.

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