Call centers strive to create a positive experience for customers.
We’ve gone over some best practices your call or contact center can implement to improve the customer experience, but is something else blocking your path to customer satisfaction?
For some centers, buying phone numbers in bulk is a common strategy to beef up your calling programs. But this practice can also break a company.
Sure, the company has good intentions, but many are discovering that some “used” numbers come with a “dark past” and are already marked as Scam Likely.
Yesterday’s Numbers, Today’s Scam Likely
Call and contact centers face the expectation to build a high call volume and run at top speed. That means they need a LOT of numbers. There are billions of people in the world, after all.
So, centers turn to carriers for their leftover phone numbers to keep up the operation.
What is a call center to do when they receive phone numbers previously used by other businesses?
And how do they prevent the dreaded Scam Likely tag from popping up thanks to a recent number tagged as a scam risk?
Misused Numbers Spell Bad News for You
You might be asking where these numbers originate. Some are purchased through carriers; others come from telephone services that offer Direct Inward Dialing (DID) – a virtual access number not directly associated with a phone line.
When centers buy a ton of phone numbers, there’s a chance these digits were misused at the hands of previous businesses. Maybe a company used poor practices or strategies, and consumers grew tired of negative FTC reports and complaints.
This spells bad news for your call center, already dulled by a previous company’s potential mistake.
Some common reasons phone numbers are flagged as a scam:
License and Registration, Please
Now, what can your company do to prevent future flagging?
One good tactic is to register your business phone numbers. Registered numbers provide legitimacy and help prevent spam or scam labels.
The registration process is quick and easy; First Orion provides a customer portal to walk you through the registration process. Rather than a lengthy process through a specific provider, you can get registered in just a few clicks.
Recycling or Creating More Waste?
With such a high volume of numbers at your center’s disposal, rotating numbers seems like a safe bet. That’s because people will likely report if they receive too many calls from the same number in a short period.
HOWEVER, there are issues with this strategy as well. Rotating, or essentially “recycling” a list of phone numbers, is a tactic scammers use to trick people into answering their calls.
Scammers do tend to overuse their numbers. Try to tone down the amount of calls per number to set your center apart and prevent red flags.
Prevent the Flag Tag – Try These Tactics
Some other ways to avoid flagged numbers:
Branded Communications Can Be Your Call Center Solution
Still having trouble getting people to pick up? Branding your phone calls lets customers know who’s on the other end. In fact, 90% of people are more comfortable with answering a branded call. Learn more about branded calling and how it can help identify your phone calls.
Learn About the Solutions Behind Every Trusted Connection
From small businesses to global enterprises, First Orion helps you increase answer rates, verify identity, and build customer trust and transparency.
INFORM Branded Calling
Show your business name, logo, and reason for call so more customers answer with confidence.
ENRICH® Branded Messaging
Send secure, branded RCS messages with rich media and two-way interactions.
AFFIRM® Reputation Monitoring
Monitor how your outbound calls appear and catch labeling discrepancies fast.
SENTRY® Call Blocking
Block bad actors from spoofing your numbers, protecting trust with your customers.
PROTECT+ Risk Detection
Detect suspicious inbound call activity in real time with intelligent risk analysis.
Related Resources
Building Brand Reputation: CNAM vs. INFORM
Learn the difference between CNAM (Caller ID Name) and First Orion's INFORM Branded Calling, why INFORM is superior, and how to get started with INFORM.
Case Study: A high-risk insurer boosted engagement rate 68% with INFORM Branded Calling
By deploying INFORM® Branded Calling, the insurer replaced their anonymous caller ID with their verified brand name and call reason.
Guide: Going Beyond Voice with ENRICH Branded Messaging
First Orion’s ENRICH Branded Messaging leverages rich communication services (RCS) to transform the native text app into a secure, interactive, and visually branded storefront. By providing verified sender identities and rich media capabilities, ENRICH delivers a brand experience. With engagement rates up to seven times higher than SMS, ENRICH is the essential upgrade for businesses looking to foster trust and drive measurable results.
First Orion in the News
First Orion Partners with Vodafone to Launch Branded Calling in the UK - First Orion has partnered with Vodafone to launch network-based INFORM Branded Calling for enterprises across the United Kingdom, helping businesses present verified caller identities to combat scam calls and improve answer rates.
Christine Hegg of First Orion Named to 2026 CRN Women of the Channel - First Orion's Christine Hegg, Senior Partnership Manager, has been named to CRN's 2026 Women of the Channel list, recognizing her leadership in expanding First Orion's channel ecosystem and driving partner-led growth.
First Orion Introduces SIP Redirect Call Authentication Integration - First Orion introduced a new patented SIP redirect-based, end-to-end call authentication integration method, enabling enterprises to more easily and securely authenticate outbound calls while delivering trusted calls at scale.
