Executive Summary

Customer trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. With 9 in 10 smartphone users¹ in the U.S. and robocall fatigue high, traditional voice communication faces serious challenges. However, First Orion’s branded calling solutions are reshaping how companies connect with customers at each stage of the journey—awareness, consideration, purchase, service, and loyalty—and unlocks benefits across key industries.

In this paper, we:

Highlight how branded calling creates transparency and trust
Address the effects of spam and scam labels
Present solutions for challenges at each stage of the customer journey
Demonstrate branded calling’s industry-specific impact

The Problem: Customers Aren’t Answering

Approximately 87% of consumers² admit they avoid answering calls from unknown numbers. This means critical sales, service, and support opportunities are missed daily. Despite investing heavily in digital marketing, businesses overlook one of the most personal engagement tools available: the phone call.

Customers Still Want Phone Calls

Even in the digital-first era, customers value phone calls for their immediacy, human connection, and ability to handle complex or urgent issues. Nearly 95% of hospitality consumers say branded phone calls are important to their experience, and over two-thirds prefer a call for urgent matters like travel changes or fraud alerts.³ In financial services, 48% of consumers favor phone calls over email for urgent issues, and 54% specifically trust them for fraud-related matters.⁴

Voice communication fosters trust because live tone and dialogue convey authenticity far beyond text. When integrated into the customer journey, especially during consideration, service, and loyalty phases, branded calls ensure timely, trusted contact, leading to higher engagement and satisfaction. This human touch bolsters first-call resolution, a metric that directly uplifts customer satisfaction and reduces operational costs.

Enter Branded Calling: Transforming Touchpoints Across the Journey

Branded calling solutions such as INFORM^® and INFORM with Logo, change everything. See the features of both:

INFORM

Personalized, 32-character display can include business name/or reason.
Reaches all major U.S. Carriers and over 21.5 million Canadian subscribers.
Display is shown in the call log.
Programmatic scheduling enables easy use across different departments, use cases, and users.

INFORM with Logo

Logo, and on some devices, the call reason
Call Authentication is included and required to brand calls
All outbound logo calls have A-level attestation
Available for devices on all major U.S. Carriers

The Buyer’s Journey Enhanced by Branded Calling

The buyer’s journey is no longer linear. Today, customers enter at any stage, from initial awareness to post-sale loyalty. Branded calling enables companies to personalize voice interactions throughout this journey.

Phase 1: Awareness

At this stage, prospects are discovering your brand and branded calling enables immediate recognition by displaying your company name and logo, reducing anxiety about unknown numbers and helping open the door to meaningful connection.

Problem

The Problem: If a potential customer’s first interaction with your brand is an unknown or mislabeled number, they’ll ignore it, or worse, associate your brand with spam.

Solution

INFORM and INFORM with Logo make your first impression count. You instantly build recognition and credibility by showing your business name, logo, and even a short call reason before the call connects. That visibility helps you stand out from anonymous numbers and reduces call anxiety, laying the groundwork for future engagement.

Phase 2: Consideration

Prospects like to compare options and require detailed answers. As prospects evaluate solutions, branded calls reinforce your legitimacy and professionalism, which is critical when people prefer phone conversations for complex questions. This gives your brand a competitive edge and increases the likelihood of engagement.

Problem

At this stage, prospects are researching options. If your outreach attempts are labeled as spam or scam, you’re unlikely to gain their trust, especially when customers evaluate critical service providers.

Solution

INFORM reinforces your brand identity during critical decision-making moments. Your name and call purpose provide the clarity customers need to trust the call and the company behind it.

Phase 3: Purchase

For businesses, this phase is critical. Any friction, such as an unrecognized phone number or a missed call, can delay or derail the purchasing decision. That’s why clear, branded communication is so powerful in this stage: it helps build last-minute confidence, reduces hesitation, and increases the chances of conversion.

Problem

Buying decisions rely heavily on trust. If the phone call that finalizes a sale appears spoofed or unknown, customers may second-guess your legitimacy.

Solution

INFORM displays a polished, verified version of your business at the right time. Whether it’s finalizing a loan, confirming a service, or answering last-minute questions, a branded call removes doubt and builds the confidence customers need to say yes.

Phase 4: Service

Post-purchase, ongoing support and follow-up calls are more effective when the caller is clearly identified. Branded calling builds trust and reduces friction in customer service interactions like policy renewals, invoices, or support resolutions.

Problem

After a sale, service matters. But if customers receive confusing or mislabeled support calls, they may not answer, or worse, fall victim to spoofing scams impersonating your brand.

Solution

INFORM Branded Calling ensures your service teams are clearly identified when reaching out. Customers know it’s you calling for things like appointment reminders, renewals, or issue resolution. Paired with SENTRY^® Call Blocking, spoof attempts using your number are blocked in real time, preserving the integrity of your customer relationships.

Phase 5: Loyalty

For loyal customers, branded calling enhances ongoing engagement and strengthens advocacy by making each interaction feel polished, personal, and recognizable.

Problem

Misleading or missed calls erode loyalty and hinder upsell or renewal opportunities. Customers may stop engaging altogether if they feel your communications are unreliable.

Solution

With INFORM and INFORM with Logo, your brand stays visible and consistent throughout every follow-up call. Whether you’re upselling, checking in, or offering special promotions, a recognizable, branded call helps keep customers engaged and loyal over time.

Industry Applications & Benefits

Conclusion: The Branded Call Advantage

The customer journey isn’t linear, but every interaction matters. In an era where trust is a differentiator, branded calling solutions help businesses cut through the noise and connect meaningfully.

With results like a 50% reduction in call declines and a 34% lift in answer rates, branded calling isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a competitive strategy.

Together, First Orion’s branded calling and call protection suite delivers a seamless, trustworthy voice experience, ensuring every customer touchpoint drives connection, not confusion.

Get started with branded calling.

Branded Calling is Reshaping the Customer Journey Whitepaper

Executive Summary

The Problem: Customers Aren’t Answering

Customers Still Want Phone Calls

Enter Branded Calling: Transforming Touchpoints Across the Journey