How to Make Sure Your Calls Don’t Get Flagged as “Potential Spam”

Whether you’re running a non-profit reaching out to donors or a small business owner sharing a promotion, phone calls are still one of the best ways to connect. Emails and texts can be ignored, but a phone call helps you build a personal connection.

However, that can only happen if your potential connection picks up the phone in the first place.

If you notice that the donors you’re contacting aren’t answering, perhaps your phone number comes up as potential spam. This could explain why your calls are not going through.

The situation has gotten worse over the past few years, and some phone providers are trying to help customers by flagging potential spam calls. Unfortunately, many innocent businesses get caught up in the spam warning system.

What triggers a number to be flagged in the “scam likely” category? How can you avoid this? We’ll answer these questions and provide you with other helpful insights that could help you reach your potential donors or customers better. Let’s start!

What Does the “Potential Spam” Label Mean? 

Labeling calls as “potential spam” or “scam likely” is a relatively new phenomenon. With spam calls becoming a bigger problem, tech companies created apps to analyze calling patterns. These apps help users figure out if a caller is legitimate or likely a spammer.

There’s even independent spam software that you can add to your cell phone that will filter possible spam calls on your behalf.

Telecommunications providers such as AT&T and Verizon also realized that spam calls were a huge problem upsetting their customer base, so they began integrating this technology into their own systems.

Now, the “scam likely” label automatically flashes on the caller ID display for most smartphone users when they receive a call from a number the technology determined is spamming people.

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How Do Providers Decide Which Calls Are “Potential Spam”?

Once you know how major telecommunications providers decide which calls are spam calls, you can avoid making those mistakes and getting flagged by their software, right? Unfortunately, nobody knows for sure how these companies flag spam calls.

Every provider has a different algorithm that assesses several different factors.

• Amount of phone calls made: Phone companies sometimes block calls with suspicious patterns to protect their customers. So, the more phone calls you make, the more likely it is your number will get flagged as spam.
• Your connection success rate: You can also get flagged as spam depending on whether or not your phone calls result in successful connections and conversations. The less successful conversations, the more likely you will get labeled as spam.
• Reports from users: Many cell providers allow users to report certain numbers for spam. If one of the customers you reach out to reports you as spam, then the cell provider might label you as spam to warn their other customers.

The algorithms are also notoriously imperfect. Many spam calls get through the system undetected, angering unwitting customers who answer the phone thinking they’re receiving a legitimate call, only to hear a robocaller talking about a car warranty. Meanwhile, legitimate businesses get stuck with the “spam likely” warning.

Another thing to note. Blocked calls are handled differently depending on your service provider. Once you get blocked due to being labeled as spam, your calls might go straight to voicemail, ring once with caller ID info, or you might not get any notice at all.

This makes it hard for businesses to know whether you’ve been labeled as spam or everyone’s just busy that day, so no one’s answering your calls.

The positive side of this uncertainty is that it gives your business some flexibility when making larger volumes of calls to still avoid getting the spam label. There is also hope that you can move away from that label if you do earn it.

But how exactly do you earn it? Well, you need to earn and maintain a positive phone number reputation. Let’s discuss this in detail in the next section.

See how Talkroute’s services can help you avoid getting flagged as spam. Book a live demo now!

How to Maintain a Positive Phone Number Reputation

When phone providers look at the above factors and determine whether or not to flag your number as spam, that’s called evaluating your phone number’s reputation.

A positive phone number reputation means that you have a history of making legitimate phone calls and are not a spam bot. This helps your calls avoid getting blocked by both the provider and your customers.

There are a few tips that you can follow to improve your reputation and still gather the connections you need to keep your business running.

Switch Out Who You Call on a Given Day

Let’s say you decide to dedicate an entire day to reaching out to cold prospects. Some of them never pick up because they don’t know who you are.

Maybe some are people you’ve been trying to reach several times now but aren’t picking up even after the third phone call. At the end of the day, you notice even fewer calls going through, and suddenly, you realize you probably got flagged as spam.

Think about what this looks like from a provider’s perspective. They look at your phone number and see that you made a bunch of phone calls in an hour. Which either didn’t go through or didn’t result in a call that lasted longer than a few seconds.

You know you’re trying to do the hard work of turning cold prospects into warm ones. But to the provider, it just looks like you’re calling a bunch of people who don’t want to talk to you.

The solution? Alternating cold prospects with warm ones. Call a few new people, then reach out to a customer who has already expressed interest in your business. Talk to those who are more likely to stay on the line to talk about your latest offers.

To the provider looking at your phone records, alternating lengthy conversations with calls that either don’t go through or are shorter shows that you are a legitimate business.

Your best defense against a wrongful spam label is proving that people actually do want to talk to you.

Use Several Business Phone Numbers

Sometimes, you can’t avoid making a large volume of calls to uninterested prospects on the same day. One of the best defenses against cutting off all of your telecommunications capabilities with a wrongful “scam likely” label is to have multiple numbers.

There are a few benefits to having multiple numbers. First, you can divide outbound calls between several different numbers to reduce the volume that is coming from a certain phone. That means that the provider is less likely to see a huge number of calls coming from one number.

If your phone provider flags one as spam, you have alternatives while you try to get it fixed. Otherwise, your rate of success will tank, as even existing customers won’t pick up if you have the dreaded label.

Having several numbers is particularly important if you run a business that places many calls, such as a political campaign or nonprofit.

If you schedule robo-calls or pre-recorded messages, you can assign one phone to that call. Then, let the rest focus on making more personal calls (sometimes people call back when they see a missed call, so that would tie up the phone).

Having multiple numbers also allows you to protect your official business number or a candidate’s personal number. Luckily, backup phone numbers or phones are not difficult or expensive to get at all.

Leave a Voicemail When Calling Someone

This is a surprising trick that actually goes a long way to proving that your phone call is legitimate. When customers don’t pick up, leave them a voicemail!

When phone providers notice you did so, they’ll see that you actually wanted to make a connection, instead of just spamming numbers until someone answers. It also allows you to communicate your message even if someone doesn’t pick up.

An important caveat: the success of the voicemail trick has declined somewhat in recent times as spam and scam callers have adapted and begun leaving them as well. That means that many people have stopped checking their voicemail boxes altogether.

So you may need to call back if you really want to communicate your message. Phone providers are also waking up to the fact that many spammers leave voicemails, so leaving one won’t automatically save your phone number’s reputation.

Prepare Your Business Communication Better

The sad truth about connecting with potential customers by phone is that nowadays, people are much less likely to answer than they used to. This is particularly true for younger generations, who grew up with instant messaging (and the bombardment of spam calls).

Phone calls should be part of a prepared business communication plan that always aims to build rapport with a potential customer or client.

Cold calls are less effective these days, so your goal should be to establish a relationship before you call them. Reach out with a personalized email or text that introduces your business and mentions how you got their information.

An example text is, “Hi, [Client Name]! Thanks for submitting your phone number through our website form. We’re adding you to our database, and we’ll call you with more information on our great deals.”

Reaching out via email and including your phone number in the signature is also a great way to game smartphone software. Often, the phone software will scan a customer’s text messages to give them the name of the caller, not just their contacts. If your email is already in their inbox, the phone software will read you as a legitimate business.

If you can, rely on personal referrals to get people’s phone numbers. Potential clients are much more receptive if you can point to a personal connection. Once you get on the phone, you can start with lines that show familiarity, such as “Your friend X told me you might be interested in our services.”

Lines like these help establish a connection with your intended receiver because they know you came from someone they’re familiar with.

Recommended Reading:

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Ways to Get Rid of a Spam Likely Warning

All these tips are great for maintaining a positive phone number reputation. But, they can’t turn things around if your phone number already got hit with the “scam likely” label.

Here are additional ways you can do to prevent your number from getting labeled as spam:

Check if Your Number Is Blacklisted

Maybe you made too many phone calls in one day, or a customer reported you as spam. Either way, one of the major phone providers is blacklisting your number.

The good news is that you’re not completely powerless in this situation. Reach out to a carrier you know mislabeled your phone number and ask how to petition to remove it. The problem is that every carrier uses a different system, so you may have to go through a few different processes.

You can also reach out to providers ahead of time to ask if they have databases of businesses that you can add your number to. Remember that their goal isn’t to make your life difficult but to protect their customers.

Most providers are happy to help you register your number (once you jump through their bureaucracy). Be sure to reach out to your own provider, as they will be more than happy to help a customer who also pays their bills!

Check Third-Party Call Listings

Some spam detection systems use third-party databases. People also install apps on their phones designed to tag numbers as potential spam calls.

Look up your number on services like Hiya, Truecaller, or Nomorobo to see if your number is listed as spam and follow their process to request removal.

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How to Solve Common Problems with Your Business Phone System

Avoid Being Labeled as Spam With TalkRoute

With Talkroute, your business communications always maintain a professional edge. By using your business phone numbers for calls and texts, you ensure that customers recognize and trust who’s contacting them. Here’s how Talkroute helps your business avoid being flagged as spam:

• Professional business numbers: Keep your personal number private and always display your official business number.
• Reliable caller ID: Use a consistent business name and number to build trust and credibility with customers.
• Text messaging compliance: Talkroute helps make sure your messages are delivered while adhering to SMS regulations, reducing the risk of being marked as spam.
• Customizable voicemail and greetings: Show professionalism even when customers can’t reach you directly.

Protect your reputation and connect with customers confidently. Book a live demo or sign up for a free trial with Talkroute today!

FAQs About Phone Number Comes Up as Potential Spam

Why is my phone number showing as potential spam?

Your number might show as “potential spam” because phone carriers or spam-blocking tools flagged it. This can happen if your number is used for frequent outgoing calls or someone mistakenly reported it as spam. Data brokers might also have associated your number with spam-like activity.

How do I unspam my number?

To remove the spam risk label, contact your phone carrier directly. They manage caller ID and can investigate the issue. You can also check if your number is listed with any data broker removal service and request corrections. If you’re making outgoing calls for business, ensure they follow industry standards to avoid being flagged.

What does it mean when you get a call from potential spam?

When a call shows up as “potential spam,” it means the phone carrier or a spam-blocking app identified the number as suspicious. Such calls are often linked to scam calls or telemarketing. It’s a way to warn you about a possible spam risk.

What happens if your number is reported as spam?

If your number is reported as spam, phone carriers might label your outgoing calls as potential spam for others. This can hurt trust with incoming caller ID. To fix this, contact your carrier and check for any blocking apps or services flagging your number.

Why am I suddenly getting so many spam calls?

An increase in scam calls might mean your number was leaked or added to a spam list. Data brokers often collect and sell numbers, leading to more incoming calls from spammers. To block potential spam calls, consider enabling “silence unknown callers” or using a spam blocking tool.