Key Takeaways
- For one recruiting service, unrecognized numbers led candidates to ignore or decline calls, often requiring three or four attempts to connect.
- INFORM® Branded Calling gave candidates a verified name and reason for the call before they picked up.
- Connect attempts dropped from three or four calls down to one or two.
- Year two results included a 45.9% answer rate lift, a 63.5% talk rate lift, and a 39.8% decrease in decline rate.
A Recruiting Service's Hidden Cost of Unrecognized Calls
A technology consultancy and recruiting service had an answer-rate problem that showed up everywhere except in the metrics it was already tracking. Recruiters were dialing candidates, but most calls went unanswered on the first attempt. Then the second. Often, the third or fourth before anyone picked up.
The calls weren't the issue. The identity behind them was. Candidates had no way to know who was calling or why, so the safest move was not to answer. That gap between dialing and connecting changed once the service adopted INFORM Branded Calling.
Why Do Recruiting Calls Get Ignored in the First Place?
Recruiters work against a basic instinct: people don't answer numbers they don't recognize. A recruiter's outbound number carries no context on its own. It doesn't say which organization is calling, why, or how it differs from a scam or robocall.
That anonymity has a direct cost. Unrecognized numbers get labeled "Spam Likely" or ignored outright, and once a number picks up that label, answer rates can stay suppressed even after the flag is inaccurate. For a recruiting service, every ignored call is a missed shot at a candidate conversation, and every repeat attempt eats away time that could go toward actually talking to people.
The service's own numbers made the pattern clear before any fix was in place. Connecting with a single candidate routinely took three or four calls, not because the candidate wasn't interested, but because the candidate never knew who was on the other end.
What Pain Points Compound for a Recruiting or Consultancy Outreach Team?
Recruiting and consultancy outreach encounters a set of problems that compound with every unanswered call. Unfamiliar numbers get screened by default. Without a recognizable identity associated with the call, recipients have no reason to treat it any differently from spam.
Repeat dialing burns time without building trust. Calling the same person three or four times to make contact doesn't just delay the conversation. It also risks training that candidate to ignore the number altogether.
Spam mislabeling compounds the problem. A number that gets flagged, even in error, can see its answer rate drop and stay down until the issue resolves, which means the same unclear identity that caused the first missed call can keep causing missed calls.
Every unanswered attempt is time not spent recruiting. A recruiter who spends a chunk of the day re-dialing the same candidates has less time available to move new candidates through the pipeline or have the deeper conversations that fill roles.
How Does Branded Calling Solve the Recognition Problem?
Branded calling addresses the root issue directly: it gives the candidate a reason to answer before they pick up. When a call displays a verified organization name and purpose, the recipient can make an informed decision instead of defaulting to "ignore and block."
With INFORM Branded Calling, the recruiting service's calls stopped looking like every other unfamiliar number. Candidates could see who was calling and why, which meant the first or second attempt was far more likely to connect than the third or fourth attempt used to be.
"It used to take three or four calls on average to connect with someone," the service said. "Now it's down to one, maybe two, close to one-third of what it used to be. Now they're recognizing, okay, someone is calling from this organization, let me pick up the call."
That recognition also helps guard against spam mislabeling. A verified, consistent caller identity is less likely to get swept into the same filtering that catches unbranded numbers, which protects answer rates over time rather than just on the first campaign.
What Happened When the Service Made the Switch?
By year two of using INFORM Branded Calling, the recruiting service saw a 45.9% lift in answer rate and a 63.5% lift in talk rate. Decline rate dropped 39.8%.
Those three numbers describe the same shift from different angles. More candidates answered. Once they answered, they stayed on the line longer. And fewer calls got declined outright. Together, they point to the same underlying change: candidates recognized who was calling and treated the call as worth their time.
The drop from three or four attempts down to one or two attempts per connection is the operational version of that story. Fewer redials mean recruiters spend less time chasing a connection and more time in the conversations that actually move candidates forward.
What Should Recruiting and Consultancy Teams Track Instead of Raw Dial Volume?
Dial volume tells a team how hard it's working, not how well the work is landing. A recruiter making four calls to reach one candidate isn't necessarily under-resourced. They may just be calling from a number nobody recognizes.
Teams evaluating branded calling should look at attempts to connect alongside answer rate and talk time. Fewer attempts per connection mean less wasted dialing and more recruiter time available for actual candidate conversations, which ultimately leads to filling roles.
Start Getting Results with Branded Calling
Ready to stop losing candidate conversations to unrecognized numbers? See how INFORM Branded Calling helps your recruiters get past the first dial and into the conversations that move candidates forward. Get started.
INFORM Branded Calling Frequently Asked Questions
Who can use branded calling? Branded calling can benefit businesses of any size that make outbound calls. This includes retailers, banks, car companies, call centers, and concierge services. If your business contacts customers, we help ensure those calls are answered while strengthening your brand reputation.
How many devices does First Orion cover? There are nearly 400 million phones in the U.S., including iPhones and Androids. INFORM Branded Calling reaches customers on any connected device in the U.S. and Canada. Our branded calling solutions work across every major U.S. carrier, including T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, as well as select carriers in the U.K., the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Germany.
Is branded calling easy to activate? Yes! With INFORM, there’s no complicated integration or special software needed. Since it’s carrier-based, your branded calls reach iPhone and Android users across all major U.S. networks and over 22 million customers in Canada. Need something more custom? We also offer an API for businesses that want to automate.
What’s the difference between INFORM Branded Calling and traditional caller ID? Traditional caller ID is outdated and inconsistent. It relies on a patchwork of databases, and often customers don’t even see it. INFORM enables you to control how your business shows up with caller ID. You can even customize calls by department, such as sales, service, or delivery.
How do I register my business number? It’s easier than you think. Start by registering your number through the First Orion customer portal. Our free business number registration makes it simple! We guide you through the process to ensure your business is verified and your calls are not mislabeled. Register your number(s).
What networks does First Orion serve? All the big ones: T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and more, and select carriers in the U.K., Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Germany through the Global Exchange. With First Orion, you don’t have to worry about how your calls appear across different carriers. We’ve got it covered for both U.S. and Canadian subscribers with Rogers and Bell carriers.
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 – Deliver personalized, secure RCS messaging with verified sender identity and rich media.
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
Branded Calling vs. Unknown Caller ID: What Sales Teams Need to Know
Protecting Your Call Reputation Before it Costs You Customers
Protecting Brand Trust in the Age of Scams
Already Using Branded Calling? Add Your Logo to Build More Trust
