Phone Number Verification to Protect Your Business from Unwanted Calls

It’s no secret that phone calls convert at a higher rate than web leads, up to 50% versus only around 3%. But not all inbound consumer calls are equal: some are mismatched, some are low-quality, and some are downright fraudulent. And you’d like to eliminate all of them as soon as possible.

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This is why phone verification might be the best entry-level check for your call-reliant business, whether you’re an advertiser or an affiliate network. Imagine a business model where only purchase-ready call leads come through, and you don’t need to supervise it manually.

The good news is that products like iClear allow exactly that – a clear inbound call flow, where every call is thoroughly screened, and all the collected data is plugged into an all-encompassing lead management system. And then you can use these insights across marketing channels, far beyond call campaigns: email, social media, and other leadgen avenues.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about phone validation and verification.

Phone Number Validation vs. Phone Number Verification

To avoid confusion, let’s clarify terms used throughout this article:

• Phone number validation: It’s basic phone number check, which is used to identify whether the caller’s number format is correct, as well as its location and type (mobile, landline, etc.)
• Phone number verification: That’s an advanced phone number check, which, in addition to basic validation, also compares the caller’s number against the company’s internal and external databases, to identify whether the caller is purchase-ready and to what extent

However, even though phone number verification, in fact, includes validation, these terms are often used interchangeably, especially in a broader context related to phone number checks. But then again, from a business perspective, phone number validation is a cheaper and less granular check than verification, which may or may not be required, depending on how deep you’d like to go.

Trust, But Verify: How iClear Ensures 100% Clean Inbound Calls for Businesses

Did you know phone calls are the second most frequently used medium for digital fraud, with hundreds of thousands of cases reported annually? Consumers and businesses lose dozens of millions of dollars annually to call scams, a strong reason to get ironclad lead-gen protection.

The more inbound calls you handle, the higher the value of call verification becomes, which starts with identifying whether the call is legitimate and worth pursuing. So it’s not as much about the overall call volume but the calls that go through and convert.

iClear’s phone verification includes three features:

• Basic Phone Number Validation
• Phone Number Analysis
• Do Not Call Check

Let’s review each of these features and then see how you can go even further with advanced call analytics.

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iClear: Basic Phone Number Validation at $0.0005 per Ping

iClear’s Basic Phone Number Verification ensures the caller’s phone number includes the country code (+1 for the United States and +44 for the United Kingdom), the correct number of digits (local numbers typically have 7 to 10 digits), and the correct formatting.

Read also: A Guide to Virtual Phone Numbers

For example, a call lead from the United States should have a number in the format +1-XXX-XXX-XXXX. As a client with iClear, you can set the system to block leads with phone numbers that lack the proper structure or review them manually before accepting.

Speaking of blocking unwanted calls, as a Phonexa’s user, you can use an exclusive opportunity to run synchronous and asynchronous checks with iClear:

• The Synchronous phone number check is done in real-time before you buy the call lead. It’s recommended for new and untested campaigns or if you want to keep your lead flows clean and safe at all times, at additional operational costs
• The Asynchronous phone number check doesn’t stop lead processing, so the call lead is bought regardless of the results of the check. It’s recommended for analytical purposes instead of real-time real filtration, for example, for traffic coming from trusted sources.

Likewise, you can set the percentage of incoming phone calls you’d like to check, which might be the best strategy to reduce operational costs while still tracking your phone call flows.

Overall, the iClear: Basic Phone Number Validation feature doesn’t enable in-depth screening but rather helps prevent improper, fake, and fraudulent calls from reaching your call center or sales reps. In high-volume campaigns, this may result in multi-million-dollar savings over months.

iClear: Basic Phone Number Validation Use Cases

Validating Phone Numbers Submitted Through Forms	If you’re buying live calls or phone numbers, you need to ensure compliance with regulations like the TCPA and that the phone number itself is valid so you can make calls.Basic Phone Number Validation with iClear is the most cost-effective service on the market, allowing you to screen phone numbers before purchasing them.
Preventing Fraudulent Leads and Chargeback Scams	Malicious actors may use fake or temporary numbers to make purchases and then request a chargeback. With iClear, you can auto-block blacklisted or spam-associated numbers, which oftentimes present as improperly formatted numbers
Ensuring the Caller is from Your Target Location	For local campaigns, you can set up the system to only buy numbers with a proper country code and area code. Likewise, geographical limitations may be necessary to comply with telemarketing laws, such as the TCPA.

iClear: Phone Number Analysis at $0.001 per Ping

The iClear: Phone Number Analysis feature is the most profound phone number verification that includes everything the basic check includes, along with some more advanced checks:

• Risk score based on the caller’s historical behavior and reputation
• Mobile carrier and network information
• Real-time connection status – whether the phone number is connected or disconnected
• VoIP and disposable number detection – the detection of temporary and virtual numbers

Risk Score

The phone number risk score is an overarching metric, on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 being the most legitimate phone number, that reflects all collected metrics. With iClear, you can set a custom risk score to filter out risky callers, or you can adjust your targeting or price per lead.

But again, it all depends on the campaign you’re running and your risk tolerance, with almost unlimited customization potential. For example, for mobile-focused campaigns, you can reject calls from mobile phones with a score risk of 25 or higher while only accepting zero-risk desktop calls.

Mobile Carrier and Network Information

Mobile carrier and network information is less obvious data, however, that can help zero in on your best leads. For instance, callers using postpaid plans are often associated with high-income users, while prepaid plans might indicate lower-income prospects. 

Likewise, you might want to prioritize leads from larger carriers, such as Verizon, for nationwide campaigns or local callers who may need a stronger connection. On a similar note, you might not want to acquire call traffic from high-risk carriers.

Read also: 7 Lead Generation Strategies To Get and Convert More Business Leads

Real-Time Connection Status

If you’re buying phone numbers, checking whether the lead’s number is registered with a carrier and is actually working allows you to save call center resources and, like with all metrics, eventually optimize your lead sources and price per lead. The most practical thing you can do, however, is disconnect inactive numbers before initiating outreach or purchasing them.

Read also: How Vanity Phone Numbers Can Help You Generate More Inbound Calls

Disposable Number Detection

Disposable phone numbers are a red flag for all lead buyers, so you might want to reject them by default, especially in high-risk industries or campaigns where you buy exclusive, high-quality leads.

Take a product tour to see how we use iClear within our eight-in-one web and call lead ecosystem.

iClear: Do Not Call Check at $0.005 per Ping

On top of handling live inbound calls – calls coming directly from consumers – you might also buy leads’ phone numbers for outbound calls because they are cheaper or if you want to make a call at a specific time or within a particular context (for example, you might be buying calls in advance for a campaign around Black Friday).

The point, though, is that outbound calls – calls initiated by your business – are regulated differently than calls made by consumers. For outbound calls, you must respect federal regulations enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC):

• The Telemarketing Sale Rule (TSR)
• The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
• The National Do Not Call Registry

Generally, you cannot make calls to numbers that are on the National Do Not Call Registry because these are users who have willingly opted out of receiving telemarketing communications. You can only call them if you’ve received express written consent from the consumer you’re calling, or if you’re calling a number with which you already have an existing business relationship (EBR).

In this context, iClear: Do Not Call Check is an immense asset to your outbound call campaigns, ensuring that the phone numbers you’re buying are not on the national or state DNC registry. In other words, you’re checking whether you’ll be able to call the leads you’re buying – and for those on the DNC registries, you can set the system to reject them automatically..

Caller’s ID and Background Verification with iCLear

Verifying the caller’s phone number already gives you tons of valuable insights, but you can go further than that with iClear’s Do Not Call Check feature, which identifies who the caller is and their history with your industry. In fact, this is a full lowdown on the lead.

Identity & Background Verification with iClear

iClear: Caller Identity	$0.16 Per Ping
iClear: Full ID Verification	$0.30 Per Ping
iClear: Simple ID Verification	$0.16 Per Ping
iClear: Background Check	$0.20 Per Ping
iClear: Criminal/Infractions Check	$0.11 Per Ping
iClear: Liens Check	$0.11 Per Ping
iClear: Judgments Check	$0.11 Per Ping
iClear: Foreclosure Check	$0.11 Per Ping
iClear: Bankruptcy Check	$0.11 Per Ping

As you can see from the table, with iClear, you can unlock industry-specific insights on your callers by comparing their phone numbers against third-party databases. At the same time, you can customize the level of insights you’d like to get for every call campaign based on your budget and parameters like, for example, the traffic source. For example, you might want to check all inbound phone calls deeply for new affiliates while saving on checking calls coming from verified partners.

Get the Most Out of Your Leads with Phonexa

Having an ironclad fraud protection solution like iClear is indispensable for handling high volumes of leads, and it’s even better when all your lead management solutions are united under one roof, with one dashboard covering it all and keeping you on top of things. And that’s exactly what we at Phonexa are doing with our eight-in-one suite for web and call leads. 

“Our ethos, our job is to build the most capable software possible and then get out of the way. Build all the features, all the functionality, give our clients pure flexibility, pure control, and failover redundancy – essentially, build a robust system that is never a thing that hinders our clients.” – David Pickard, CEO at Phonexa, from Phonexa’s Amplify webinar series

Whether you’re an enterprise-level advertiser, affiliate network, or affiliate, Phonexa can unlock otherwise unavailable details about your leads, from the very first ad display until conversion. At the same time, you only pay for what you’re using, cutting operational costs to a minimum.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you check if a phone number is real?

Checking whether a phone number is real involves comparing it with external databases, such as telecom provider databases, Do Not Call Registries, and litigator databases. With iClear, you can do all the checks automatically without disrupting the lead acquisition process, or you can choose to reject phone calls that do not pass the verification.

What is the best phone number validator?

iClear is the best phone number validation and verification software, enabling the largest number of checks, including industry-specific checks such as liens, foreclosures, or bankruptcy checks. iClear smoothly integrates with Phonexa’s LMS Sync and Call Logic, making up a well-protected lead management and acquisition system.

Are there free phone number validators on the market?

Free standalone phone number validators are insufficient for large-scale businesses because they lack depth and accuracy, and they cannot be integrated with lead management software, rendering them almost impractical. 

However, solutions like iClear can be integrated into Phonexa’s software for web and call leads, complementing your lead acquisition or lead generation ecosystem at a fraction of the cost you would pay for phone verification with other solutions.