How to Avoid Showing Up as "Spam Likely" on Your Cold Calls?

Despite advancements in technology, cold calling still serves as a critical tactic for B2B lead generation and for outreach to sales qualified leads. With the increase in scam calls, many legitimate business numbers get flagged as "Spam Likely” by service providers. This can greatly reduce your call answer rates, negatively impact your brand image, and damage your business reputation. Understanding the reasons behind number flagging and the ways to prevent it can help in ensuring that your calls reach your prospects.

Why Is There A Need To Care About The “Spam Likely” Label?

Receivers of calls marked as “Spam Likely” are increasingly becoming unwilling to pick them. It not only impacts business in the short term, but hurts the long-term business reputation of the number. If the number continues to be flagged for long periods, it runs the risk of being permanently blacklisted, which will make future outreach efforts exceedingly difficult.

What Are The Reasons Behind Marking A Number As “Spam Likely”?

There are a few reasons which can lead to marking a number as “Spam Likely”:

1. High Call Volume: Calling a high number of contacts in a short time can trigger spam filters. For example, calling more than 100 numbers from a single number every day is very suspicious.

2. Short Call Duration: Calls that are less than five to ten seconds long are usually viewed as hang-ups or robo-calls that trigger spam filters.

3. No Answer Rate: A low answer rate is an indication that the people you are trying to call are deliberately avoiding your calls. This might be a cause of concern from the carriers perspective.

4. Frequent Voicemail Drops: Directing incoming calls to voicemail without answering poses a risk of being flagged as a spam action.

5. Negative Feedback: Carriers consider the action of blocking or marking a number as spam evidence of questionable activities.

6. Inconsistent Caller ID Information: Recipients may become puzzled which increases the chance of being flagged when businesses use “Sales” or “Service Team” instead of their actual business name.

7. Use of Toll-Free Numbers:  Although toll-free numbers are legitimate, they are often linked to telemarketers, making them easy targets for scam callers to spoof.

How To Avoid Getting Spam Tagged?

In order to retain a good calling reputation and enhance call answer rates:

1. STIR/SHAKEN Registration: These protocols, when followed, help validate the authenticity of the calls leading to lower chances of being flagged as spam.

2. Use Branded Caller ID: Trust and recognition can be fostered when a business name and logo are shown on the receiving end of an incoming call.

3. Maintain Consistent Calling Patterns: Steer clear of and gradually broaden your outreach to avoid sudden spikes in call volume.

4. Segment Your Prospect Database: Reduce the chances of being flagged by focusing on high-quality leads.

5. Avoid Using Neighbor Spoofing Methods: Using area codes that resemble your audience’s is frowned upon as it may create spam triggers.

6. Stick to the Guidelines: Approach local and international regulations on calling, respect Do Not Call Lists and consents, and calling guidelines.

7. Regulatory Monitoring: Ensure that your number is appearing accurately on various carriers.

Protecting Against The “Spam Likely” Tag

Implementing the following precautions can further safeguard your number's reputation:

·      Warm Up New Numbers: Prior to using a new number for bulk calling, make a few organic calls to build a positive history.

·         Limit Call Frequency: Do not call the same number repeatedly within a short period of time.

·       Engage with Recipients: Your calls provide value and have a purpose to lessen the risk of being marked as spam.

·     Use Local Numbers: Calling from numbers with local area codes boosts the chances of your calls being picked up.

·       Avoid Using Toll-Free Numbers for Outbound Calls: Earlier stated, these numbers are associated with spam and face higher risks of being spoofed.

Tools and Services to Enhance Caller Reputation

Your caller reputation can be enhanced with several tools and services such as:

Hiya Connect: Reduces the chances of your numbers being flagged as spam by registering them with major carriers.

Free Caller Registry: This is a one-stop solution for managing multiple outbound number protection services provided by different analytics engines.

CNAM Updates: Ensure your business name is shown on the calling device during call which helps in improving trust and recognition.

DNC Scrubbing Services: These tools ensure that the numbers you are dialing are not on the Do Not Call lists which lower the chances of receiving complaints.

Conclusion

To ensure your calls do not get flagged as "Spam Likely" requires a blend of best practices, compliance, and using the right technology. You can improve your caller reputation and achieve better outreach results by focusing on effective outreach, consistent calling cadence and leveraging virtual phone numbers, SMS verification and VOIP phone services.