It happens to all of us: We get a call from an unknown number. Sometimes, the phrase “Spam Likely” even scrolls across the top. Without hesitation, we hit “decline.”
Who’s behind that smart little spam alert mechanism? Major cell phone carriers and, occasionally, third-party apps. They’re able to label every phone number — whether commercial, individual or otherwise — with a caller ID reputation score. This score helps determine the risk behind an unknown number, ultimately protecting customers from potentially malicious calls. The higher the risk profile of a phone number, the more likely it’s getting “spam” stamped across its forehead.
For everyday folks just trying to stay above the onslaught of weekly spam calls, it’s a beautiful tool. We take one look at “Spam Likely” and know to steer clear. For legitimate businesses trying to gain or nurture customers, it can be a nightmare. In fact, a staggering 81% of businesses reported revenue loss because their calls were incorrectly flagged as spam. A fifth of those businesses experienced loss that topped $100,000.
Adding insult to injury, IntelePeer found that, in 2023, more than half of businesses didn’t even realize their numbers had been marked inaccurately as spam or fraud. All this time, they’ve wondered and worried what they’re doing wrong — why the decline in clientele or sales? — without a clue that cell carriers flagged them as risky.
But why do legitimate businesses get marked as spam or a scam? What metrics or indicators are telling carriers that a company deserves a negative reputation ID score?
Let’s find out.
Here’s why business phone numbers get labeled as spam
Even if your company is doing everything on the up-and-up, something about your phone activity is ringing alarm bells for cell phone carriers. A few actions that negatively affect your caller ID reputation, thus adding your outbound calls to a spam/scam list, include:
- If your business uses automated dialing systems, also known as “robocalls,” these can be mistaken for spam-calling behaviors.
- If your company’s phone number was used in a spoof attack or it was reported by a handful of folks after an unfavorable interaction, your calls could be considered a potential spam risk.
- If your outbound calls are frequently less than 10 seconds long, on average, this tells carriers that recipients aren’t interested in your outreach. The more this happens, the closer your company reaches spam status. (Recipient answer rates are also scrutinized by carriers.)
- If your outbound calls have not received an “A” rating of attestation by an authorized STIR/SHAKEN provider, this can influence a carrier’s trust in your company. An “A” rating in attestation means the carrier has authenticated you as the caller as well as your ID number. (Learn more about STIR/SHAKEN protocols further down.) In fact, outgoing calls with “A” attestation can boost answer rates by a whopping 500%. There are even free services, like one from Caller ID Reputation, that allows a business to dial its own phone number and discern its attestation level. Try it here.
- To build trust with carriers, your company’s phone number must slowly increase call volume. Using outlier detection, cell phone carriers can identify numbers with large spikes in call volume. Spikes could be seen as a potential spam risk.
- If you’re calling nonexistent or idle phone numbers, this tells carriers you’re not providing value to recipients, as you’re likely dialing a random group of consumers or businesses.
Now that you’re armed with possible reasons your business landed (or could land) on a spam list, the next step is two-fold: Find out for sure whether your calls are, in fact, showing up as spam, then pin down what your current caller ID reputation is. Here’s how to get started:
- Test your phone calls. Make sure your business line is, indeed, showing up as spam for recipients. Using your company line, call a friend, a spouse or a coworker’s personal phone — what pops up for them when you call? Does the name of your business appear, or is it something closer to “Unknown Number” or, worse, “Spam Likely”? If the latter occurs, it’s safe to assume cell phone carriers have deemed your business’s outbound calls as risky. This suggests your caller ID reputation is suffering.
- Work with an online reputation checker. See what your business’s outbound calls look like through the eyes of a cell phone carrier. That is, find out exactly how they’re flagging your number. The most direct way to do this is through an online reputation checker. Several reputable checkers exist online, including through Quality Voice & Data, where we offer free caller ID testing that provides insight into how carriers are presenting your phone number when others receive it.
OK, so I’ve learned how carriers are flagging my company’s calls. Now what?
If you’re one of the many legitimate businesses affected by a carrier’s inaccurate spam labeling, here’s how you can climb out of enemy territory. Conversely, if you haven’t experienced inaccurate spam labeling but you’d like to keep your caller ID reputation “in the black,” this is also for you:
- For businesses with outbound calls already labeled as “spam” by cell phone carriers, here’s the most immediate solution: Cease any of the activities mentioned further up in the article. If you’re using automated dialing systems, return to making manual calls. If your attestation rate is anything less than an “A,” bring it back up (see next bullet on how). Avoid large spikes in call volume; increase it gradually instead. Bottom line: Start unlearning those “bad” habits that put you in spam land and, over time, your caller ID reputation should begin to improve.
- Boost or maintain your attestation rating: Under STIR/SHAKEN protocols, outbound calls can receive three rating levels: A, B or C. Achieving “A” attestation is ideal because it signals the lowest level of risk and yields higher answer rates, but it requires key elements to make it happen. Essentially, three things must be true about your company’s provider and call habits:
- You’re responsible for the origin of outbound calls on your IP voice network.
- You have a direct relationship with customers and you can identify them.
- You’ve established a verified association with your business’s phone number.
Also, here’s a little background on STIR/SHAKEN rules and why they’re considered the backbone of caller ID trustworthiness: “STIR” is an acronym for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited, while “SHAKEN” is an acronym for Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using Tokens. Both systems work together as a digital ID system for phone calls. Just as a bank uses secure protocols to verify credit card transactions, cell phone carriers do the same to verify calls. In essence, STIR/SHAKEN allows carriers to determine whether a call originates from where it claims to (or whether it doesn’t).
- Verify your business number: Like an “A” attestation rating, verifying your company’s phone number also boosts answer rates and customer trust. Compliant with STIR/SHAKEN requirements, phone number verification actually increases customer answer rates by up to 40%. It also leads to improved call routing and less risk of carriers flagging your outbound calls as spam. Verified ID says to both carriers and customers, “Our call is legitimate” because it’s no longer a random number popping up on screens; it’s now authenticated with the symbol, often with a check mark, to prove it.
- Explore branded caller ID options: Perhaps the most direct solution, employing a branded caller ID essentially means the name of your business will show up for customers when you call them. “Caller ID Name,” or CNAM, increases answer rates by up to 56%, because now customers can put a name with a face. Additionally, cell phone carriers are far less likely to mark your outbound calls as spam because they can see your company name front and center, just as call recipients can. One important note: The branded name you select cannot exceed 15 characters, so be judicious!
If your business has historically relied on successful outbound calling campaigns to secure new leads or nurture current ones, you don’t have to give it up in this new climate. It’s simply a matter of discovering where you stand in the eyes of cell phone carriers and, once armed with that information, knowing how to leverage the right tools to make sure your calls are never trapped in spam land.
Boost customer answer rates (and trust) by achieving an “A” attestation rating, verifying your business’s phone number, ditching the robocall system and consider applying a branded caller ID. It’s possible, and we can help: Outbound clients that leverage caller ID reputation services through Quality Voice & Data have seen improved answer rates by more than 48%. Get started today.