Effective communication is a constant throughline of any successful business. The ability to enable precise, timely, and trustworthy customer interactions ensures companies can thrive, even amid uncertainty. And when it comes to building successful relationships, the strength of your communication channels becomes paramount.
Today, the integrity of the voice channel as a pillar of communication is increasingly under threat, thanks to the surge in spam calls and unidentified numbers. Hiya’s most recent Global Call Threat Report showed spam calls increased from 6.55 billion in Q3 of 2023 to 7.3 billion worldwide in Q4.
Spam calls can erode customer trust and present significant operational challenges for businesses across industries. As customers grow wary of any call that may be potentially fraudulent, they become more hesitant to engage with legitimate companies and critical communications, complicating things like outreach efforts and customer service.
In this environment, organizations must reinforce trust and safeguard connections with their audience. The very first step in doing so is to register your business phone numbers.
Registration enables you to establish yourself as a legitimate caller, which helps support outcomes for your customer-friendly phone calls. Calls are considered customer-friendly when they respect consumer preferences and laws.
Learn more with our 10 Tips to Improve Your Reputation guide.
Below, we explore how and why businesses need to register phone numbers, what registration does, and how to get started.
What is phone number registration?
As phone scams and robocalls proliferate, more carriers turn to spam analytics providers to protect their customers from suspicious phone calls. These spam analytics systems use data modeling and AI to identify and label spam calls. Phone number registration is the process of submitting phone numbers and related details to these spam analytics providers. This information is then used to verify the identity and legitimacy of the business behind the number, aiming to ensure that any calls from these numbers are a legitimate business.
Ensuring the legitimacy of outbound calls is a growing need as spam and fraudulent calls grow more sophisticated. Hiya's 2023 State of the Call Report sheds light on this growing concern, revealing that an average of $431.26 was lost by people who were scammed in the United States and about $366 globally, and consumers lose more than 27 minutes on average and up to 16 hours annually from spam or fraud calls. This statistic underscores the urgency for carriers to protect their customers from this growing threat.
Spam calls are not just a nuisance; they erode trust with far-reaching consequences. For businesses, each unanswered call due to suspicion of fraud could mean a missed opportunity, a potential lead loss, or a customer service failure. Consumers, on the other hand, find themselves navigating a minefield of possible scams, leading to increased anxiety and a reluctance to answer calls from numbers not in their contacts.
By registering, businesses signal to network providers that they are a verified entity. This provides more information to spam analytics systems, making it easier to spot bad actors and protect consumers from them while enabling wanted calls to connect.
During the registration process, businesses provide verifiable information about their company to network providers and the spam analytics systems they use. Phone number registration is one factor used by spam analytics systems. When a phone number isn’t registered, spam analytics systems have less information and could classify a call as likely to be from a fraudulent business.
Once registered, a caller is recognized as legitimate, so they are treated with higher trust. This, in turn, ensures that their customer-friendly calls — which respect consumer preferences and laws — aren’t flagged as spam.
How to register your business phone numbers for free
With more network providers turning to spam analytics providers to help flag calls and protect customers, phone number registration allows businesses to identify themselves as legitimate entities.
At Hiya, we believe that identifying yourself as a legitimate caller is your basic right. You should never have to pay to register your phone numbers.
Hiya Registration is a new, free product from Hiya that registers a business’ phone number across the entire Hiya Network, ensuring that customer-friendly calls aren’t being labeled as spam or blocked.
Hiya Registration enables businesses to register their phone numbers through these steps:
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Set up a free account with Hiya and submit numbers for registration.
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Numbers undergo proper vetting.
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After successful vetting, numbers are registered across the entire Hiya Network.
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Businesses can add, retire, or view their registration status on any number anytime in Hiya Registration.
Today, qualified businesses can sign up for Early Access to Hiya Registration. Businesses can request access here.
Businesses need practical solutions to ensure their messages get heard in a world of spam calls and unidentified numbers. The line between genuine outreach and intrusive spam is increasingly blurred in today's digital world. Registering your business phone numbers has never been more crucial.
With registration, businesses signal their commitment to transparency and authenticity. Registration acts as a shield, helping to safeguard the business's reputation and the consumers who receive scam calls from untrustworthy actors.
To learn more about Hiya Registration and to request Early Access today, visit our website.
