The client isn’t getting my calls and my number is listed as spam. What can I do?

All call centres dealing with a high volume of calls daily have faced the problem of being placed on a spam list. Are there any tips for how to handle this? Unfortunately there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but we’ve gathered some tricks & tips that can extend the life of your number and increase customer contactability by at least 30%.

There are two main reasons numbers are added to spam lists:

1. Your client is using apps like Truecaller, Hiya, Call Blocker etc. What does this mean for a call centre? It's quite simple: if you’ve called five customers who have the Truecaller app and all five report you as a telemarketing agent, when you call the sixth customer that has Truecaller they’ll be notified before connecting the call.

As a worst case example, you may be involved in debt collection and the client has indicated in the app that they don't want to receive calls from debt collection agents. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to call your client with that specific number (caller ID).

2. Mobile telecommunications operators (the same ones that issue SIM cards to customers) also monitor incoming and outgoing call flow, or traffic. If anything suspicious or illegal is detected during the process, your number will be blocked.

Don't give up at this point! Here we can draw parallels to email communication. In this case you can also block the sender's email or mark it as spam. Email providers also monitor the flow of emails and, when necessary, preventively blocks individual addresses.

In the more simple cases the goal is to make sure too many emails aren’t sent from a single IP address, reducing the possibility of allowing in spam emails. Or so that the Nigerian prince with a one million Euro inheritance won’t find naive people to swindle data from. That's why we've collected some tips to make your phone numbers last longer.

1. Make no more than 2,000 calls a day from one number to one mobile operator. If you have to, we recommend adding an additional number to reduce the number of outgoing calls from one number.

2. Add an incoming line to your number so customers can call you if needed. Mobile operators often call these numbers to check what service the company provides. An open company with two-way communication fosters confidence that everything is ok.

3. Divide call traffic volume by country or campaign. For example, if you’re a debt collection company, divide the volume by days past due. This way those who are five days late in repaying their debt receive a call from one number, while those who are more than 15 days late receive a call from a different number.

4. If you’re using an autodialer, be sure to add multiple outgoing numbers (caller ID). Operators see and record large call volumes. You might trigger one of their alarm systems, and as a result your number will be blocked immediately.

5. Be kind when communicating with clients! Often the first thing a customer does after speaking with an unfriendly or overly pushy telemarketer is call their mobile carrier. These complaints frequently tend to be exaggerated and even overly dramatic. Either way, your business will be the one to suffer. Avoid the time it takes to solve the problem with the mobile operator and wait for the number to be unblocked. We recommend that you always be kind and empathetic during communication with clients.

6. Be knowledgeable - always learn about the laws of each specific country you’re calling in advance. There are countries where each number must be registered with the local regulator. Or it might not be recommended to use local numbers for calling.

7. We advise that you use the option to rotate numbers (caller ID). We offer an automatic feature ensuring that every outgoing call to a customer is shown as a call from another one of your purchased numbers.

8. Definitely check your database before making calls. If you have a bad or old database, there’s a big chance that the answer rate will be very low. Then the mobile operator's system can see that you aren’t trying to make calls, but checking numbers. If you want to check the numbers, we recommend you do so before making calls.

9. Alert your operator about high call volumes or traffic patterns. What does this mean? Operators also divide their volumes, so it can result in confusion. If you register yourself as a regular office that takes calls at the beginning, but at some point start making large call volumes - what happens? One of the inter-operator systems analysing call traffic will detect the activity. This can negatively affect your operations or results.

10. Keep new numbers in reserve! For example, try creating two calling groups. One for making daily calls and another for when the client has "disappeared" and is no longer reachable. That way you'll always have a good testing tool close at hand.

11. We recommended that you start regularly monitoring the answer rate for your number (caller ID). If it drops or gets lower, it's reasonable to worry that one of the previous scenarios has played out and the clients you're targeting with calls simply aren’t getting them. 

Before you draw a line under the list of recommendations, take note of the main conclusions. Always discuss everything with your operator, from A to Z. Whether it’s Octella or any other operator - we’ll always be able to find the best solution based on the information received and your needs. Direct and cooperative communication is one of the main keys to success in this business.