Glossary
Outbound call
An outbound call is a call that a business initiates itself; in AI outbound, a voice assistant conducts that conversation.
Typical cases are appointment reminders, callbacks in response to enquiries, status updates on orders and qualifying prospects. The call is triggered manually, on a schedule or by an event in another system, for example a new entry in the CRM.
Legally, outbound is regulated more strictly than answering calls, and the rules depend on the country. In Germany, marketing calls to consumers require prior express consent; for business customers, presumed consent may be sufficient (section 7 of the Act against Unfair Competition, UWG). On top of that comes the notice that an AI is speaking. Service calls to existing customers, such as an appointment reminder, are assessed differently from cold calling. Before starting, it should therefore be settled whom the assistant may call and on what basis.
In practice
An outbound process needs more preparation than answering calls. You define who is called, at what times, how often after no answer and what is said on a voicemail. At the start the assistant names the business, the reason for the call and the fact that an AI is speaking. If someone wants no further calls, that has to be recorded at once and respected from then on. Also write down, for every list, the legal basis on which it is called. Whether that basis holds under German law is something to clarify with a legal professional before you start.
An example
A gym has trial sessions confirmed by phone the day before. The assistant only calls people who booked the session themselves and gave their number for that purpose. It says: “This is your gym’s AI assistant, I’m calling about your trial session tomorrow at 6 pm. Is that still fine?” Anyone who wants to reschedule is offered a new slot. Anyone who does not pick up is called once more in the early evening and not again after that.
A common misunderstanding
The misconception with the most serious consequences is to mistake an existing contact list for permission. That a number is in the CRM says nothing about whether you may call that person for advertising. The line between service and advertising is underestimated too: an appointment reminder with an offer attached can count as a marketing call. Keep such purposes cleanly apart and have the scripts reviewed before the first call goes out.
At Call0
Call0 supports inbound calls and approved outbound calls.
Source: Section 7 of the German Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), in German
This entry explains the general principle, with a focus on German and EU law, and is not legal advice. For your case, the text of the law and the advice of a qualified professional apply.
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As of: 12 October 2026