Let’s consider the current state of affairs for phone-based communications for a moment.
In just a short time, our world has changed substantially - we’ve gone from fixed-line phones to the initial brick-like mobile devices of the 80s, followed by simple flip phones. Now, we have 5G-enabled, highly intelligent and versatile smartphones that can bring us information from anywhere in the world straight to the palm of our hands in mere seconds. We live in a zettabyte world where data is created and transmitted to and from mobile devices in such astronomical quantities it’s hard to comprehend. Even us, as the end users, are now a data point in the ever-growing fabric of our digital world.
Now, let’s just admit that this reality has become a double-edged sword. We have tremendous power and capability on our side, but on the other side is an inconvenient (or even malicious) underbelly - the part of the tech-enabled universe that continues to push quick optimization or even wants to take advantage of our digital vulnerabilities. Every day, the mobile experience must be more seamless, quick, protected, intuitive — altogether more delightful — for smartphone owners across the world. It’s a blessing and a curse.
If the world of communications solutions is on a racetrack and every player is looking to advance the speed, efficiency and quality of their offerings, then they need to know which pieces of equipment and mechanisms will make their car faster, more agile and more capable. It just so happens that phone number intelligence data is the exact set of tools and equipment that every provider needs to boost their competitive advantage.
Examining the mobile phone landscape
As time has passed and the mobile world has evolved, it’s become clear that even smartphones aren’t immune to Newton’s third law: with every action comes an equal and opposite reaction. So it goes that with every benefit we gain from being so interconnected with the worldwide fabric of callers, businesses, online resources and beyond, there’s some sort of challenge that must be overcome.
Of course, mobile phones have given businesses a highly advantageous avenue for customer service — many organizations utilize a multitude of communication services, from phone calls and SMS to chat apps and RCS, allowing their customers to contact them about questions or issues via the channel they are most comfortable with. Still, this omnichannel approach now means that businesses must ensure every avenue of communication operates quickly and reliably so as not to disappoint or aggravate their users. Using a communication channel that is not the one preferred by the user can have downsides ranging from negative customer experience to missed sales opportunities — a big no-no for organizations looking to be more customer-savvy.
Beyond this, every communications provider must appropriately route all user communications properly and effectively, and that’s no small task given how difficult it can be to manage the associated data. Sure, any carrier or provider can access the data sets and registries they need to accomplish routing — but do they have the resources in time or skill to properly integrate and utilize them? The push for more cost-effective, efficient and high-quality service means that finding ways to optimize operations is crucial for survival.
On the user end, mobile phone numbers have practically become an extension of the self. They’re the location where some of our most personal details and data points reside, and they’re an indispensable way for everyone to contact the services and individuals that matter most. But this in itself also becomes a nuisance. For instance, consider how often users get one-time passcodes sent to their phones or utilize SMS for two-factor authentication. Our phones have become a major security vector, making it easy for us to add an extra layer of protection for our accounts and applications. Still, this means there’s another vector of exploitation for bad actors looking to impersonate individuals by porting a phone number or exploiting improperly secured application security protocols.
What’s more, robocalling and call spoofing are on the rise. In fact, since January 2022, spam text messages have remained in the billions or more month-over-month, and in 2021, the U.S. saw a 56% increasein the number of spam calls. Being on the receiving end of a spam call or text is the bane of the mobile user’s existence. At best, they’re annoying, and at worst, they’re highly damaging, resulting in successful phishing, information theft and even financial loss.
It doesn’t take long to figure out where the assets and liabilities of the mobile world reside. Sure, there are applications that end users can download to keep things like spam at bay, but the world is at the point where these challenges need to be solved at the source. Not to mention, taking care of any roadblocks on behalf of customers is quickly becoming a major competitive advantage for providers as well.
To keep pace and continue advancing their mobile offerings for a new mobile world, telecom and communications service providers (CSPs) and enterprises need to be able to bolster the areas that are already strong while patching up any weaknesses. Fortunately, that is the power of phone number intelligence.
Reinventing communications with phone number intelligence data
An optimized phone number intelligence data strategy (which employs the most granular, accurate and normalized information alongside proper expert insight and support) offers organizations a wide array of solutions and applications that have the capacity to totally reform and revitalize the world of phone-based communications. The right data from the right provider simplifies the carrier and communications provider ecosystem significantly. Using detailed number portability data, high-resolution identification capabilities and more attributed to different phone numbers, providers can capture and leverage crucial information that can improve service quality and security, streamline operations, reduce costs and more. The most advanced phone number intelligence providers can drastically reduce operational complexity for carriers and CPSs, offering extensive insight and refined data (as opposed to raw data) to optimize even the most complicated communications ecosystem.
Here’s a few examples of how that happens:
With proper phone number intelligence data solutions in place, omnichannel communication can be properly supported, so businesses never have to worry about customer service experiences suffering. To have proper routing for enhanced performance, enterprises and CSPs need accurate data about each number to select the right communication channel and the optimized route. Phone number intelligence data solutions offer access to authoritative registries that deliver real-time routing information and comprehensive sets of data that empower correct and efficient routing. With the right phone number intelligence data partner, what would originally become a complex process defined by multiple evolving parameters becomes simple, easy and more economical.
To combat fraud and spam, these solutions close any gaps in the authentication processes. For instance, intelligent phone data enables an efficient mechanism that determines if a phone number has been ported from one service provider to another, which is an indicator of account takeover risk. At the same time, despite robocallers getting more sophisticated in how they overcome traditional technological roadblocks, proper phone number intelligence data has helped craft advanced algorithms that better the fraudulent potential of each call, labeling them as “scam possible” or “scam likely”. This gives power back to the mobile user and helps build trust in the provider.
Of course, this is only scratching the surface of the advantageous potential phone number intelligence data offers carriers, CSPs and the customers they serve. This field of intelligent service also includes solutions that streamline the process of implementing STIR/SHAKEN processes for IP-based voice services, enable CSPs and messaging providers to route SMS and MMS traffic more accurately and beyond.
In truth, only the CSPs utilizing the most up-to-date number portability data can accurately terminate their voice calls and SMS messages and reap the subsequent benefits of cost efficiency, customer satisfaction and more. The world now unwaveringly depends on the accuracy and reliability of mobile and phone-based communication, making phone number intelligence data one of the most valuable assets in the new telecommunications landscape.
