With close to 90% of internet users also owning mobile phones, mobile marketing is thriving in 2022. But even the best strategies won’t work if all the numbers on your list are wrong!
That’s where phone number validation services come in. They help you clean your lists, ensuring you’re storing only correct numbers.
There are hundreds of phone number validation services available today—ranging from free to costly. If you don’t know how to verify a phone number or the benefits of this essential business practice, it can be challenging to choose a service.
Read on to learn more about how phone verification can save you time, money, and customers.
What Is Phone Number Validation?
Table of Contents
At its most simple, phone number verification helps you find out whether a number you’ve collected or are about to call is accurate and active. The process is an essential part of a smart customer data management system, which typically includes verifying all customer and contact details—names, phone numbers, emails, postal addresses, and more.
When verifying a phone number of a client, customer, or business contact, you’re trying to determine whether the number is in use and can accept calls and text messages.
Most companies need to employ the services of a phone verification company to validate phone numbers. Like any industry, some companies are better than others, and it’s advisable to look for a service specializing in your industry—everything from e-commerce to debt collection—to get the most return on your investment.
How Does a Phone Number Validator Work?
Once you upload your list or provide a phone number to a phone number validator service, they run the numbers through a database to check their accuracy and quality.
They aim to verify factors like:
- Recent activity
- Telecommunications carrier
- Phone and line type
- User consent
- Location: city, country, or territory
Some services can even identify disposable cellphone numbers!
The service then provides you with a report, which includes any missing details for the listed numbers and in-active or inaccurate numbers to delete.
Companies that regularly use phone number validation services integrate them into their data collection process. That way, each time a new phone number is added to their CRM (customer relationship management) system, it’s already been checked.
Three Types of Phone Validation
Today, there are three core ways to verify a phone number. They all offer different levels of accuracy and data, and each method has its pros and cons.
User Validation
User validation involves sending a code to a user via a text message or voice recording. The user then replies to the message with the code, verifying that they are indeed the owner of the phone number and that it’s an active number.
Though this validation method is highly accurate and provides valuable information for marketers and businesses, it can be slow and costly.
Network Validation
With network validation, service providers reach out to the carriers to find out whether a phone number is active, who the carrier is, and the roaming status of the number.
There are downsides to this method; it doesn’t cover every carrier globally, there’s no guarantee an active phone number is in use, and the verification process can be slow.
Number Validation
Number validation simply verifies that a phone number is authorized as valid by a carrier in the country designated by the country code. Some phone numbers may look accurate (for example, they have the correct number of digits), but they have yet to be assigned to a user by the telecom authority.
It will also identify the line type: satellite, landline, VoIP, mobile, toll-free, and others. It does not tell you if the number is active.
Why Validate a Phone Number? The Benefits
While free services are available online, they don’t usually return accurate results. Companies looking to invest in a phone validation service might wonder, “Is it worth spending the money?”
Improved Customer Experience
If you can’t get in touch with your customers, how will they know about your latest promotions or changes to your services? For example, a customer isn’t going to be impressed if they find a new charge on their bill, call to ask why they weren’t informed and be told you had the wrong number on file.
Knowing all the numbers in your client database are accurate gives you peace of mind that you can provide the best customer service possible.
Saves You Money
If your staff can’t reach customers each time they send out a text or pick up the phone to call them, you’re wasting valuable time. And, as the saying goes, time is money! In other words, your staff is making fewer beneficial calls within the hours you’re paying them to work.
On the flip side, if your sales team is working through a list of unverified leads, you miss valuable conversion opportunities every time they dial an incorrect or inactive number.
Work More Efficiently
Knowing exactly what lies behind those numbers in your database gives you invaluable information that can inform everything from marketing and sales strategy to staff training.
Those data points can tell you where a user is located, whether they’re using their phone regularly, what type of phone it is (line type), and so much more. For example, you can verify a phone number as mobile or landline, helping streamline your marketing strategy.
Ensures Delivery
Most importantly, validating phone numbers ensures that any messages you want to send to customers, clients, or leads will reach them! Your clients will get all those important messages, from notices of that latest discount to parcel delivery updates.
Customers—current and potential—will see your business as trustworthy and reliable and want to engage with you because they know you’re reachable.
Phone Number Validation Is a Smart Move
Phone number validation is more than just ensuring you have accurate numbers in your customer management system.
Verifying the phone numbers your sales and marketing teams collect helps you run your business more efficiently. When you don’t have to worry about your message not reaching customers, you save time and money and improve customer service.
If you’re keen to learn more ways to run an efficient company, browse the other articles on our website.
Learn more about Tech and Telecom at Digital Business Grow.
