How to Prevent Spam Calls

Mastering Telephone Etiquette: Key Practices for Building a Stellar Caller Reputation

Maintaining a positive caller reputation is crucial in today’s competitive business landscape. Caller ID Reputation provides a comprehensive solution to monitor and manage the health of your outbound calling numbers. With real-time visibility and control, you can ensure accurate call presentation and improved connection rates.

Caller ID Reputation’s monitoring service enables businesses to quickly identify and address any issues or flags associated with their phone numbers. By adopting best practices and leveraging this solution, legitimate call originators can avoid being mislabeled or flagged, preserving their reputation and fostering stronger relationships with customers. In this guide, we will explore the essential strategies for mastering telephone etiquette and building a stellar caller reputation.

Leveraging Data for Enhanced Unwanted Call Detection

Consumer trust has been significantly eroded by the alarming surge in spam calls during 2020. In response, carrier services have implemented caller authentication technology to combat scam, robocalls, and unwanted calls. By analyzing a range of call behaviors, these authentication systems determine the legitimacy of outbound calls. In this article, we explore how call authenticators utilize data to effectively analyze calls, enhancing unwanted call detection and safeguarding users from fraudulent and intrusive calls.

Caller authentication is a vital tool in restoring consumer confidence and protecting individuals from unwanted call activities. Through the evaluation of various call behaviors, these systems can accurately distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate calls. Understanding the underlying data-driven techniques empowers businesses and users to proactively address and prevent unwanted call incidents, ensuring a safer and more trustworthy calling experience.

How To Avoid A Spam Classification

For legitimate businesses, the incorrect flagging of their calls as spam or fraud can be highly frustrating. While Caller ID Reputation aims to assist businesses in identifying and resolving such flags, it is important to acknowledge that they are sometimes inevitable, as the determination of whether a call deserves a spam reputation can be subjective. It is crucial to recognize that call analysis is dynamic, and a number that is currently free of designations or labels could be flagged in the future. However, there are a few tips we can provide to minimize the likelihood of a spam or fraud declaration.

1. Improve Your Call Strategies: Reduce Dependence on Neighbor Calls

Due to the alarming rise in scammers utilizing neighbor spoofing techniques, algorithms have responded with a heightened level of vigilance. Consequently, businesses must exercise utmost care when intentionally employing neighbor phone numbers in their call practices. By being mindful of the inherent risks associated with neighbor spoofing, organizations can safeguard their professional reputation and shield themselves from potential adverse consequences.

2. Spread the Load: Cap Call Volume per Outbound Dialing Number at Less Than 100

To ensure optimal call performance and adhere to industry best practices, it is recommended to limit the call volume per outbound dialing number to less than 100. By distributing the workload across multiple dialing numbers, businesses can mitigate the risk of overwhelming a single number and improve overall call efficiency. This approach aligns with American standards and helps maintain a smooth and balanced outbound calling operation while avoiding potential disruptions or negative customer experiences.

3. Separate Phone Lines for Different Purposes: Minimize the Risk of Flagging as a Telemarketer

In order to minimize the chances of being flagged as a telemarketer, it is advisable to avoid using mixed-use lines where a single phone number serves both customer service and marketing/promotional purposes. Carriers cannot discern the intent of each individual call, making it more likely for a number used for both functions to be mistakenly identified as a telemarketer. This would potentially impact all calls, including genuine customer support inquiries. To mitigate this risk, it is crucial to isolate phone lines based on the specific message being conveyed, ensuring a clear distinction between customer service and marketing efforts. This approach aligns with American practices and helps maintain the integrity of your communication channels.

4. Establish Do-Not-Originate (DNO) Lines: Safeguard Against Impersonation Scams

In order to effectively combat impersonation scams, scammers often exploit the phone numbers readily available on a business’ website. To mitigate this risk, it is highly recommended to configure a specific line as a “do-not-originate” (DNO) line. This means that the designated number should solely be used for receiving incoming calls from customers and should never be utilized for initiating outbound calls to individuals. By setting up DNO lines, specialized services can detect and flag any fraudulent attempts involving limited outgoing traffic from these lines. This proactive measure aligns with American practices and serves as an effective deterrent against impersonation scams, ensuring the security and trustworthiness of your business communications.

5. Restrict Contact Window for Engagements: Honor Individual Preferences

Although companies may have the legal allowance to contact individuals for up to a year after a prior engagement, it is important to acknowledge that many individuals start reporting such contacts as spam much earlier. Respecting individuals’ preferences and their desire not to be contacted is paramount. Therefore, it is advisable to consider limiting campaigns to a maximum of 90 days following the last engagement. By adhering to this practice, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to honoring individual wishes while maintaining a positive reputation and minimizing the likelihood of being flagged as spam. This approach aligns with American norms and fosters a respectful and considerate communication environment.

6. Honor the Do-Not-Call Registry: Avoid FCC Reports and Consumer Complaints

Violations of the National Do-Not-Call (DNC) list can result in reports to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which significantly increases the risk of being classified as spam. It is crucial to exercise caution and fully respect the provisions of this list to prevent consumer complaints. By diligently adhering to the DNC list, businesses can maintain compliance, foster trust with their customers, and mitigate the potential negative consequences associated with FCC reports and spam classification. This practice aligns with American standards and demonstrates a commitment to ethical and responsible communication practices.

7. Monitor Call Center Operations: Maintain a High Reputation and Minimize Spam Reports

One of the common triggers for spam reports against a business is call center abuse, which includes practices such as excessive calling (repeated calls multiple times a week or even within a day) and contacting recipients outside of acceptable hours in their respective time zones. Implementing robust call center governance is crucial to uphold a number’s reputation and prevent such issues. By closely monitoring call center activity, businesses can ensure compliance with acceptable calling practices, minimize excessive calls, and avoid contacting individuals outside of appropriate hours. This proactive approach to call center management aligns with American practices and helps maintain a positive reputation while minimizing the risk of spam reports.

8. Preserve Caller ID Reputation: Uphold Integrity with CIDR’s Services

CIDR’s comprehensive services empower enterprises to actively monitor, manage, mitigate, and maintain the reputation of their outbound calling numbers. By proactively checking for and addressing any flags or concerns before initiating calls, businesses can ensure a high level of integrity and credibility in their Caller ID practices. With CIDR’s solutions, you can make informed decisions and safeguard your reputation by being aware of potential issues before dialing out. This proactive approach aligns with American norms and helps businesses maintain a trustworthy and reliable Caller ID reputation.

9. Adhere to TCPA Regulations: Ensure Compliance to Avoid Spam Mislabeling

Maintaining compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is of utmost importance to avoid being incorrectly categorized as spam. These regulations serve as a guide for businesses and organizations when engaging with consumers, outlining best practices for consumer outreach.

Key TCPA compliance measures include:

1. Obtaining implied consent for conversational text messages.
2. Obtaining express consent for informational messages.
3. Obtaining express written consent for promotional or marketing messages. 
4. Utilizing a business messaging service that offers local 10DLC messaging.
5. Maintaining an up-to-date “Do Not Contact” list for all business contacts and honoring these requests for a period of 5 years.
6. Being transparent by clearly stating your business name, message frequency, and applicable messaging rates when contacts opt-in.
7. Providing an option for contacts to easily opt-out or stop receiving messages, using triggers such as “opt-out” or “STOP.”
8. Disconnecting calls if there is no answer within 15 seconds or after 4 rings, whichever comes first.
9. Staying informed about updates to messaging regulations.
10. Training employees to adhere to practices that customers may consider deceptive, unfair, or abusive.

By following these TCPA regulations, businesses can maintain compliance, foster positive customer relationships, and mitigate the risk of being mislabeled as spam. It is crucial to stay up-to-date with evolving regulations and ensure that all employees are well-trained in consumer-friendly practices.