The ultimate guide to phone number reputation

Ever wonder why your fully compliant outbound calls sometimes get flagged as “Spam Likely”? You’re not alone. While securing STIR/SHAKEN Attestation A verifies your ownership of a phone number, it doesn’t guarantee that your calls won’t be labeled negatively.

Phone number reputation, or caller ID reputation, is essential to ensuring your calls actually reach and engage your customers.

In this guide, we’ll dive into why maintaining a strong phone number reputation matters, common pitfalls, and actionable tips to keep your calling practices in shape.

What is phone number reputation?

On the flip side, a poor reputation could land your calls in spam folders, labeled as “Spam Likely,” or even blocked altogether.

Your actionable guide to protecting your phone number reputation

Maintaining a positive phone number reputation requires consistent, proactive management. Here are practical steps you can implement immediately to protect your calling activities and ensure your communications reach their intended audience effectively.

1. Smart number management

Properly managing your phone numbers can significantly mitigate reputational risks.

• Dedicated numbers: Assign specific DIDs (Direct inward dialing numbers) for sales, support, notifications, etc., to isolate reputational risks.
• Number warm-up: Gradually increase call volume for new numbers instead of heavy immediate use.
• Resting numbers: Temporarily retire flagged numbers (60 days to six months) to recover reputation.

2. Optimize your caller ID

Your caller ID is often your first impression, so you need to make sure it represents your business accurately and attractively.

• Accurate CNAM: Ensure your Caller Name (CNAM) clearly represents your business.
• Branded calling ID (BCID): Display your verified brand name and logo, significantly boosting call trustworthiness and engagement.
• Number reputation providers: Businesses can also leverage number reputation monitoring and management providers like TNS, First Orion, Hiya, and others available on a per-country basis.

For a deeper dive into how branded caller ID boosts your call trustworthiness and answer rates, check out our complete guide on Branded Caller ID.

3. Cultivate healthy calling habits 

Adopting healthy calling practices can protect your reputation and ensure greater recipient engagement. Regulations and consumer protections vary globally, making geo-aware compliance essential.

• Volume and pacing: Limit calls per DID to avoid red flags; generally, under 100 calls/day per number is safer.
• Respectful timing: Only call between permissible hours (typically 8 a.m.–9 p.m. local time).
• Pristine list hygiene: Regularly update your lists against national Do Not Call (DNC) registries.
• Clear call content and voicemails: Explicitly state who you are and your call purpose. Keep voicemails concise (20-30 seconds) and provide clear callback instructions.
• Secure and document consent meticulously: Remove invalid, disconnected, or “honeypot” numbers that signal spam activity.

4. Smart use of dialers and automated voice messaging

When leveraging dialers and automated messages, responsible use is key to avoiding regulatory and reputational risks.

5. Understand and follow regulations

Understanding and complying with local regulations is critical to maintaining a positive reputation and avoiding early spam labeling. Every country has its own rules governing outbound communications, ranging from consent requirements and permissible contact hours to limits on call frequency and messaging behavior.

Key examples include:

• GDPR and ePrivacy Directive (EU/UK): Require prior consent for electronic marketing and allow recipients to easily opt out.
• CASL (Canada): Mandates express or implied consent and clear unsubscribe mechanisms.
• PDPA (Singapore) and PIPA (South Korea): Impose strict rules on personal data use and marketing practices.
• Do Not Call registries (e.g., Australia, India, Brazil): Require real-time suppression of numbers registered against telemarketing.

Regardless of the region, staying aligned with regulatory expectations around consent, transparency, and responsible outreach is foundational to preserving trust, reducing complaints, and extending the life of your phone numbers.

How to monitor and quickly improve your reputation

Consistently monitoring your phone number reputation is crucial for maintaining effective communication with your customers. Early detection of issues allows you to address them swiftly, minimizing disruption and safeguarding your caller ID integrity. Here’s how you can proactively monitor and manage your phone number reputation:

• Regular checks: Monitor your number reputation regularly using external reputation management providers (such as First Orion, Numeracle, Hiya, TrueCaller, etc.). These tools will indicate how your calls are being labeled across various carriers and analytics providers.
• Testing calls: Periodically perform test calls using different networks and devices to verify how your caller ID appears in real-world scenarios.
• Rapid response: If your number gets incorrectly labeled as spam, act immediately. Quickly reaching out to carriers or analytics companies to dispute unfair labels helps restore your reputation promptly.
• Data-driven adjustments: Continuously analyze call engagement data. Identify patterns of low engagement or high negative feedback and adjust your calling strategies accordingly.

Improve your reputation with Infobip

Managing your phone number reputation effectively doesn’t need to be complicated. Infobip provides powerful tools designed specifically for number management, branded calling, compliance monitoring, and reputation recovery. These solutions help ensure your calls reliably reach customers and build greater trust.

Frequently asked questions