By Dean Garfinkel
Are your calls being tokenized? Yes, your carrier says! But wait, are your tokens being delivered to the carriers that count? That is the question.
Most carriers are still playing catch up. They didn’t think SHAKEN was going to become a real thing and delayed doing the hard work. Now they downplay the importance to you & your answer rate, while they do the work to deploy SHAKEN to their network.
They say tokens won’t stop your calls from being blocked or labeled. By itself, this statement is true, but disingenuous. Worse, their delays have already impacted your answer rate.
How, you ask?
Yes, it is true that a large part of the nation’s telecom network is not yet 100% SHAKEN. The FCC has even given rural carriers 1+ years to get there. It is also true that Call Labeling & Blocking software/algorithms are being utilized by many large carriers.
That said, the carriers that matter, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile & Comcast to name a few, are heavily invested in and utilize both SHAKEN and Call Labeling & Blocking software/algorithms to determine which calls are delivered and which calls are labeled or blocked.
Here are some facts:
- If your carrier is not SHAKEN and tokenizing 100% of your calls with an “A” Attestation, run, don’t walk, to another carrier.
- All algorithms give heavy weight to a SHAKEN call containing an “A” Attestation.
- If your calls are properly SHAKEN, when you call a buddy’s Verizon or T-Mobile cell phone expect them to see the “Check Mark” or “Verified Caller” on their handsets.
If you don’t see the “Check Mark” or “Verified Caller”, then your carrier either is not SHAKEN, or they do not have their SHAKEN routes in place to the carriers that count! – they are playing catch up on your dime. RUN, don’t walk!
Why do SHAKEN and Algorithms play in the same sand box?
Now with the industry’s launch of SHAKEN, the algorithm’s expectation is to see more SHAKEN tokens in the network. The token options are “A”, “B” or “C”. And whether the token is present or not present, and depending on if it is an “A”, “B” or “C” has special meaning to the algorithm.
As the percentage of SHAKEN calls increases on the telecom network, the algorithms are increasing the weight given to the token; particularly an “A” attestation when deciding whether to label a call as “Potential XXX”.
A SHAKEN call with an “A” Attestation validates:
a) this is not a spoofed telephone number
b) the caller is a known entity
c) the call can be traced back to the originating party.
A call with a “B” Attestation means you could be passing an unrecognized CID. Your carrier needs proof you are authorized to use it – like an LOA. Sorting it out is easy, but it is VERY important because a “B” means a potentially spoofed call!
Note that some intermediary carriers are now inserting “C” Attestation on calls that traverse their network that arrive without a token and therefore do not contain an Attestation. A “C” Attestation is a death sentence, even worse than a call with no token, because it says definitively “we do not know the calling entity, nor do we know if this was a spoofed number.” No worry, the algorithm knows exactly what to do!
Feel your leg may have been SHAKEN?
Let us demonstrate what an “A” Attestation looks like. Please give us a call today: 1 888 656-5111
Still not convinced?
The FCC acknowledged Quality Voice & Data as an early adopter of SHAKEN. That gave us plenty of time to get our SHAKEN routes in place, to the carriers that matter the most.
Quality Voice & Data is a full-service enhanced telecom solutions provider. By pairing our SHAKEN SIP Trunks with our Monitoring & Remediation service, we register each customer’s telephone numbers with the authentication hub, used by one of the leading algorithms. This service immediately remediates a bad algorithm decision and notifies our team to ensure proactive, timely corrective action, before other algorithms make the same bad decision.
Quality Voice & Data provides telecom services for companies that need their calls answered.
Our Trusted Call Completion® suite of services, making us the only authorized STIR/SHAKEN Service Provider that digitally signs & delivers your calls with the highest level of attestation.
Giving you total visibility & unparalleled reputation protection in the process
As the #1 supplier of telecom services to contact centers for over 10 years, we know a thing or two about OB marketing. Let us share best practices & benchmark your campaign’s performance. “Two of the most important factors in getting your SHAKEN calls delivered are ALOC and Velocity of dials, and we can help with both” – Dean Garfinkel, President and leading expert on OB call delivery.
Stressed?
Questions?
Contact us for a free benchmark, token test or to catch up. Give us a call at (888) 481-0522 or schedule a time that’s convenient for you.