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Is Your Number Showing UP as SPAM?

Close up Suspected Spam call on a smartphone. Cybercriminals pre

If part of your business is calling out to customers via phones, you may quickly find that you’re listed as a SPAM call, which greatly diminishes your ability to connect with people. Since smartphones and “Potential SPAM” notifications have become the norm, it has grown increasingly difficult to market via cold calling or even to reach out to current customers. How does a SPAM flagged business telephone number, get that flag removed, or avoid it altogether?

Before we discuss the options a business has, let’s go over what leads to being listed as SPAM and how it affects your business. 

How a Flagged Number Affects the Business

Whether your business is a call center or only has one branch, having company numbers flagged as SPAM will greatly reduce your answer rate, and certainly affect your bottom line.  This is especially impactful for organizations relying on time-sensitive communication or appointment information, particularly in the education or medical fields. 

Another way it has impacted businesses is through the hiring process. When reaching out to a candidate for a position they applied for or skilled talent you’ve come across on a professional platform, many people are missing out on jobs and companies on potential candidates due to their number being listed as SPAM. This is also a costly predicament, not only because the company is missing out on a valuable employee, but also because dollars are wasted in terms of time. 

Your Customer’s Carrier Listing Your Number as SPAM

Telephone carriers have built-in thresholds for call activity that they monitor to protect their customers – the same customers you are trying to reach. Historically, if a single number is making several calls per minute (short duration calling), or a high set of calls throughout a week (high volume calling), the carrier may flag the number as “Potential SPAM”.  More recently these thresholds are being determined by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and customer feedback through mobile SPAM apps, but the old rules typically still apply.  

To address the issue, some companies attempt to cycle through their outbound numbers.  This tactic is by no means full proof, and can not only be a costly solution but often a temporary one. Carriers quickly identify the source, and have the source flagged as SPAM. Think of the same company that always calls about your warranty from different numbers, but is still listed as SPAM. 

Your Customer’s Are Flagging Your Number

Dialing practices can help reduce the likelihood of your company being flagged by a carrier, your customers can still have you listed as SPAM. There are dozens upon dozens of call-blocking apps and let’s not forget that modern smartphones don’t require an app to block the call anymore. If several customers are blocking your number, the carrier’s AI can pick up on it and list you as SPAM to anyone else you reach out to that is on that carrier.

It is also important to note that your company could be flagged by customers if your number has been “spoofed” by spammers. If this is the case, it can have similar detrimental effects as having your identity stolen.  Much time and money may be spent trying to undo the damage the spammers did to your brand.

How F2F Can Help 

 With so many ways to have your business flagged as SPAM, and spammers being able to masquerade your number for their nefarious uses, what is a business to do?  Unfortunately, a “magic bullet” does not exist to solve this widespread and ever growing issue, and the first steps do require some work on your part.

  1. Let the Carriers and Database Providers Know:  

If you know which carrier is falsely identifying or blocking your number(s) or labeling you as SPAM in their databases, you can reach out to them directly. Many carriers have a business application form to prevent being listed as such. 

  1. If Face-2-Face Telecommunications is your carrier, and you have listed your business numbers with the carriers and databases above, and you are still being listed as SPAM, we are here to help.  
    • We will gladly open a repair ticket with our upstream carriers, however call examples will be needed to determine who may be falsely labeling your calls as SPAM.  

Face-2-Face Telecommunications continues to work with the industry through our participation in associations and partnerships with our customers to help resolve this issue while still working towards flagging, and stopping illegal spoofing, as well as robocalling.

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