# Suppression lists

A **suppression list** is a list of people you must not contact: opt-outs, existing
customers, complaints, your own Do Not Call list. ListShack keeps lists of
phone numbers, email addresses and street addresses. They're the same lists you see on the ListShack website,
and changes made in either place show up in both.

## Who can use them, and what it costs

You can use suppression lists if your plan includes **search suppressions** or your
account is **verified**, the same rule as on the website; otherwise the assistant gives
you an upgrade link.

| Your account | Cost |
|---|---|
| Plan with search suppressions | Free; nothing is counted |
| Verified account without that plan | One **data call** per question, from your free monthly allowance |

Credits are never used. If the connection drops and the assistant retries a change, it
isn't made or charged twice.

## 1. Seeing your lists

- "What suppression lists do I have?"
- "How many numbers are on my Do Not Call list?"

You get each list's name, type, entry count and creation date.

## 2. Creating a list

- "Create a phone suppression list called 'Do Not Call – internal'."
- "Make an email list for unsubscribes."

New lists appear on the ListShack website straight away. Names can be up to
120 characters.

## 3. Adding entries

| You can ask | What happens |
|---|---|
| "Add these 40 phone numbers to my Do Not Call list." | The numbers are added |
| "Add jane@example.com to my unsubscribe list." | The email is added |
| "Add these customer addresses to 'Current customers'." | The addresses are checked against the geocoder, then added |
| "Did those go in? How many were rejected?" | Accepted and rejected counts, with examples |

- Up to **5,000 entries per message**; send more in batches.
- Each entry must match the list's type. Phone numbers can be written however you
  like and are stored in one standard form; emails are stored in lowercase; addresses
  must match a real US street address exactly.
- Adding runs **in the background**. Ask "Is that done?" to see progress, including how
  many records in the ListShack databases have been marked.

## 4. Checking whether someone is suppressed

- "Is (202) 555-0101 on any of my suppression lists?"
- "Is jane@example.com suppressed?"
- "How would you store this number?"

You get yes or no, which of your lists it's on, and how the value is stored. Only your
own lists are checked.

## 5. Leaving suppressed records out of counts and purchases

| You can ask | What happens |
|---|---|
| "How many homeowners in Ohio, leaving out my Do Not Call and Current customers lists?" | A count without those records |
| "Save that search, excluding my suppression lists." | The saved search leaves them out |
| "Buy 2,000 from that search." | The purchase leaves them out too |

- Up to **50 lists** per search; they must be your own
  active lists.
- **A purchase adds its records to those lists**, as on the website, so buying again
  with the same lists won't give you the same people twice.

## 6. Removing entries or retiring a list (needs your approval)

Removing an entry or archiving a list takes away a compliance safeguard, so the
assistant can only **propose** it. Nothing changes until **you** approve, in the chat or
on a ListShack link.

- "Remove (202) 555-0101 from my Do Not Call list."
- "Archive my 'Old customers 2023' list."
- "Did my removal go through?"

An approval request lasts **15 minutes**, and one change
can remove up to 5,000 entries. **Archiving** hides the list and
stops it suppressing anything; an archived list can't be used in a search. Only the
person who connected the assistant can approve.

## What it can't do

- **Upload a file** (CSV or a Do Not Call registry file) through the assistant. Use the
  upload on the ListShack website; for large lists through the assistant, send batches.
- Rename a list, or bring back an archived one.
- Check someone else's lists, or check the national Do Not Call registry. Telemarketing
  and SMS searches already leave out Do Not Call numbers.

## Limits

| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Entries per add or remove | 5,000 |
| Suppression lists per search | 50 |
| Approval request lifetime | 15 minutes |
| List name length | 120 characters |

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Source: https://listshack.com/agents/guide/suppression-lists/