In 2024, Google and Yahoo introduced stricter email-sending requirements to enhance consumer protection, making it more challenging for businesses to reach inboxes without proper authentication and a strong sender reputation. This shift mirrors the increasing scrutiny mobile carriers have applied to outbound calls, reinforcing the need for businesses to actively manage their communication channels.
For UK contact centre managers and directors handling high volumes of outbound calls, ensuring your calls reach customers is more challenging than ever. Just as email providers have tightened restrictions to filter out spam and phishing attempts, mobile carriers are taking new steps to protect consumers by blocking unwanted or fraudulent calls. This means that your ability to connect with prospects and customers is no longer guaranteed—even when your calls are legitimate.
If your contact centre is experiencing declining answer rates, increasing spam labels, or blocked calls, it’s time to think about call deliverability in the same way marketers think about email deliverability. Your reputation as a caller is constantly monitored, and if it's damaged, your ability to connect with customers will suffer. Whether through email or phone, maintaining trust and credibility is now essential to ensuring your messages are received.
The shift in call and email deliverability and the impact on businesses
Email marketers have long dealt with internet service providers such as Gmail and Yahoo, using algorithms to determine inbox placement based on sender reputation, engagement rates, and authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. If an email sender is flagged as spam, their messages never reach the intended recipient. Today, UK contact centres face a similar challenge.
Mobile carriers are now using call analytics engines to assess call patterns, answer rates, and customer feedback to determine if a call is legitimate or potentially unwanted. High-volume outbound call and contact centres are particularly scrutinized, and if your numbers are flagged, your calls may be labeled as spam or blocked outright.
Your reputation is constantly changing
One critical takeaway from email deliverability that applies to call deliverability is that reputation is never static. Fraudsters continuously evolve their tactics, forcing carriers and analytics providers to adjust their filtering criteria.
As a result, UK call and contact centres must take steps to build a good call reputation to ensure their outbound calls reach the intended recipient, as well as to avoid being mistakenly flagged as spam.
Key factors influencing call reputation include:
- Call frequency and patterns: Sudden spikes in call volume can trigger spam detection.
- Answer and engagement rates: Low answer rates may signal that recipients view your calls as intrusive or irrelevant.
- Customer complaints and spam reports: High complaint rates will quickly damage your call centre’s reputation and lead to blocked calls.
How UK call and contact centres can improve call deliverability
To ensure your calls connect with customers, take a proactive approach by following these steps:
- Create a free Hiya account to register your business phone numbers
- Get a free call inspection
- Follow the outbound call best practices
- Evaluate branded caller ID
The bottom line for UK call centres
In an era where mobile carriers are taking a stricter stance on call filtering, UK call and contact centre managers and directors must take action to protect and enhance their call deliverability. Just as email marketers have adapted to stringent inbox placement rules, call centres must implement strategies to maintain a strong reputation and maximize customer engagement.
By proactively managing caller reputation, leveraging branded caller ID, and optimizing outreach strategies, UK call and contact centres can ensure that their outbound calls reach customers, improve contact rates, and drive better business outcomes.
