Update: On July 31, 2024, Hiya released Hiya Registration, a free one-stop-shop for businesses everywhere to register their numbers. It includes everything that Free Caller Registry does, plus a self-service console to manage your numbers. Learn more and sign up for your free account today.
Many vendors offer services to register your numbers to help with spam labeling concerns. Before you waste your money, you should know about the availability of Free Caller Registry.
Even if you’ve heard of Free Caller Registry before, you may be a little unsure of what it is and what it does and doesn’t do. Below are some commonly asked questions about spam labels and Free Caller Registry.
Q: Can I buy a service that can whitelist all my phone numbers that have been labeled as spam by the carriers?
A: No. There are no services available to universally “whitelist” your phone numbers across all carriers in the U.S., despite what they may claim. Different carriers assess spam differently. For some, spam labeling is driven by user feedback and calling behavior and is dynamic based on each call — in essence, based on the call, not the number.
As a general rule, if a business has registered its numbers — whether directly or through a service — it still needs to make customer-friendly phone calls if it wants to safeguard its reputation. If a business’ calls don’t honor consumer preferences or laws, it can be labeled as spam.
Certain companies offer a service to register your numbers across carriers, which helps carriers know that your numbers are associated with a legitimate business. However, this process does not guarantee that these numbers will never be labeled as spam again — because calls still need to be customer-friendly, even if they’re from a registered business.
Q: I am not a scammer or a spammer. How can I make sure carriers know my numbers are legitimate?
A: All businesses should register their telephone numbers with carriers as a first step. This way you and your numbers can be known by all three of the major U.S. carriers. The easiest and most cost-effective way to do this is by using Free Caller Registry. But keep in mind that just because a company is legitimate, that does not mean they are immune from making calls that recipients consider spam.
Q: What is Free Caller Registry and what does it do?
A: Free Caller Registry enables entities making outbound phone calls to submit their data to the providers of spam protection services for the three major U.S. wireless carriers using a standard, centralized website. These services — often called analytics engines — power detection and flagging of calls with labels such as “Spam Risk” and “Scam Likely.”
Q: What does registering numbers do?
A: Analytics engines rely on information about callers to help determine whether an incoming call is spam. If they don’t know the caller’s identity, they need to make the best prediction about who the caller might be.
When a business has registered its numbers, it is known to be a legitimate caller, giving analytics engines better information to assess calls with the highest accuracy. This, in turn, means that their calls aren’t flagged as spam unless they violate consumer preferences or laws. However, they can still be flagged as spam if they don’t respect those laws or consumer preferences.
Q: What information do I need to submit to the Free Caller Registry?
A: For analytics engines to vet the company, Free Caller Registry asks for basic contact information, such as company name, address, email, website, etc., as well as the individual phone numbers that you want registered.
Q: What if I still get labeled spam despite registering my numbers? Will repeated registration work to get my numbers “clean?”
A: No. Repeatedly registering your numbers is not a solution. Analytics providers will review your appeal for redress. Still, even if you see temporary relief on some networks, your calls will likely get flagged again if you engage in spam-like calling behavior.
Q: What is spam-like calling behavior?
A: Spam-like calling behavior can include excessive calling, calling too early or late in the recipient’s time zone, calling from do-not-originate lines, calling numbers on the Do Not Call List, etc.
For more information, download Hiya’s Call Reputation Monitoring Checklist to see nine ways to prevent calling experiences that can lead to spam labeling.
Q: Who maintains Free Caller Registry?
A: The registry is maintained by the three analytics engines that provide data to the major U.S. carriers. They include:
- Hiya - Analytics engine for AT&T.
- TNS - Analytics engine for Verizon.
- First Orion - Analytics engine for T-Mobile.
Q: Do I have to pay to submit my phone numbers?
A: No, there is no charge to use Free Caller Registry.
Q: How do I know if my phone numbers are labeled as spam or fraud?
Hiya offers enterprises a complimentary call inspection. It allows you to see what customers may see on their mobile phones when you call them.
If you have specific questions about Free Caller Registry, email freecallerregistry@hiya.com.
