6 Ways to Reduce Spam Likely Flags on Your Calls

The reputation of your phone number is crucial for outbound call centers. If you are using new numbers or ones previously noted as spam, it can set off red flags for carriers and blocking apps. Having your legitimate calls marked as spam calls can be devastating to your outbound call reputation. This is especially true in light of STIR/SHAKEN regulations. As a result, you may not be able to reach potential customers interested in what you have to offer – ultimately resulting in decreased revenue.

Do Your Homework Before Buying New Numbers

Although you can buy phone numbers in bulk, many of these numbers might have been banned by carriers or call-blocking apps. Therefore, this would make it difficult for your team to get through to potential customers. Also, since the implementation of call labels (e.g., “spam likely” or “spam risk”), buying previously owned numbers wouldn’t guarantee that you’ll be able to reach more people.

“Tarnished” or otherwise-reputed phone numbers can damage the reputation of your legitimate business if you’re not careful. Let’s say, for example, that a number you plan to use has been used previously by a company with bad dialing habits like spamming. If your center uses that number, callers will see it as tarnished by association and be less likely to trust your business.

If you’re in this situation, you know that it’s not good. You may have already spent a lot of money on phone numbers, but trying to explain the situation to phone carriers takes up a lot of time and usually doesn’t lead to anything fruitful. Each carrier has different algorithms that they use to decide if certain phone numbers are more likely to be spam. If you don’t even know why your number got flagged in the first place, removing any negative call history will be a tough challenge.

While you could theoretically use the same numbers over and over, it’s not recommended because scammers will often utilize a similar strategy to trick people into answering their calls.

Use Good Dialing Habits

It seems unfair, but bad dialing habits from other companies can make it difficult to carry out outbound operations in your call center. Purchasing numbers that have accumulated flags or negative call labels is just one problem that might impact your company.

Some numbers you could have purchased might not have been flagged or labeled yet, but they may be once you start assigning them to call agents. Phone carriers might internally mark these numbers as potentially unsafe or fraudulent but need more evidence before flagging them to call recipients.

Here are some scenarios when this can happen:

Marketers who call people on the Do Not Call Registry (DNC) or those who have explicitly said they don’t want telemarketers to contact them are damaging their reputation, even if carriers haven’t flagged them yet.

Newly-purchased numbers have been dialed too frequently in the past, attracting the attention of carriers. Once your agents use these numbers for outbound sales calls or other customer calls, major carriers will take further action.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prevents companies from contacting people before 8 am or after 9 pm in the recipient’s time zone, yet many still do. For that reason, these numbers have terrible reputations which could result in them being flagged as unwanted calls.

Tips to Prevent Flags from Happening in the First Place

1. Buy Numbers from a Reputable Seller

Only buy phone numbers from reliable sources to avoid any issues down the road. You can always return the number back to the seller if you notice any red flags or discover that it was involved in bad dialing habits. The best businesses will scan these numbers beforehand and get rid of any that may give your company a black mark.

2. Check Your Recently Bought Numbers

Always scan newly-purchased phone numbers before adding them to your contact list. This way, you can avoid any flags or negative call labels that could prevent you from engaging with customers. If carriers have marked a number as spam-likely or potentially fraudulent, remove it from your rotation. Using a new number with a poor reputation degrades the customer experience and may actually negatively affect potential customers.

3. Register Phone Numbers with CNAM

In some cases, after you purchase a new phone number, the wrong information may appear on Caller IDs when someone calls that number. When carriers handle each call, they check various CNAM databases for the caller’s number. If one of these databases finds a match, then data will display on the recipient’s Caller ID. The problem is that if this information is incorrect, people might not answer the phone or choose to manually block your number.

Therefore, it is crucial to register your CNAM data (Caller ID name) for every number with carriers. Although this might be a tedious process, it will validate your phone numbers.

4. Keep Your Phone Numbers

To keep your campaign efficient, use already-registered phone numbers that are in good standing – this way, you won’t have to buy new numbers in the future and deal with companies that may have used them for bad dialing practices.

If your company has been using the same phone numbers for a while, then you know that they are safe and won’t trigger any flags or labels on call recipients’ devices. In addition, keeping old numbers can be a great way to increase answer rates.

5. Keep Things Clean With Good Calling Hygiene

Adhering to proper dialing procedures reduces the likelihood of your call being flagged or receiving negative feedback. Keep your numbers and Caller ID accurate by:

• Call list scrubbing (removing numbers from people who don’t want to be contacted by your company)
• Outlining proper calling etiquette for customer service agents (such as being respectful, providing an opt-out option, using the correct name, and not hard-selling)
• Stay DNC and TCPA Compliant
• Utilize software tools to automate call handling and improve dialing hygiene

6. Redressing Flags or Blocked Calls

The reputation of your phone number has never been more important for outbound call centers. By following the tips above, you can mitigate flags and other negative information associated with your business phone number. Additionally, be cautious when purchasing new numbers for your company. By improving the reputation of your phone number, you will be able to engage with more customers over the phone which in turn helps move them through sales and marketing funnels. Here are some resources.

To Sum Up

Looking to improve your phone number reputation and avoid getting flagged for unwanted calls in the future? Whether you are buying new numbers or using old ones, it is important to keep things clean with good calling hygiene. This includes scrubbing your call lists regularly, outlining proper procedures for agents, and staying DNC and TCPA compliant.

Additionally, be sure to register your CNAM data with carriers, so that information displays correctly on call recipients’ Caller IDs. And if you do encounter any red flags or blocked calls, be sure to redress them quickly to maintain efficient dialing practices. With these tips and tools at your disposal, you can optimize the reputation of your phone number and increase engagement with customers over the phone. So why wait? Take action today and start improving your outbound call center results!

If you have questions about your business phone, call Carolina Digital Phone at (336) 544-4000 and let our experts work with you.