The Full Solution to Fraud: Branded Calling + Authoritative Number Ownership

In today’s digital age, where screen time dominates and communication methods evolve, phone calls remain a crucial channel for businesses to reach their customers. However, the rise of spam and fraudulent calls has left consumers hesitant to pick up the phone, causing important calls to go unanswered. Enter branded calling solutions—a modern tool designed to combat these challenges and restore trust in phone communications.

Unveiling Branded Calling: A Modern Communication Tool

Branded calling, also known as Branded Caller ID (BCID), is transforming how businesses connect with their audience. By displaying a company’s logo, verified identifying details, and call intent directly on a consumer's smartphone screen, branded calling enhances the authenticity of communication. This is not just about aesthetics—it’s a strategic move to increase call answer rates by nearly 70%, according to industry statistics. In an environment where fraudulent and spam calls are rampant, branded calling helps businesses stand out as legitimate and trustworthy.

The Mechanics Behind Branded Calling Solutions

The functionality of branded calling is rooted in the FCC-mandated STIR/SHAKEN framework, which authenticates caller identity and prevents spoofing. Branded calling involves embedding a data packet called a STIR/SHAKEN PaSSport into the call path. This packet carries verified information about the caller, ensuring that the data remains intact from origin to destination. However, this process is complex and requires precise insertion of metadata. Any deviation in the process can result in a failed branded call.

Boosting Consumer Trust with Verified Caller Identity

In today’s environment, consumer trust is crucial. Branded calling works by providing a verified caller identity, helping businesses reassure recipients of the call’s legitimacy and encouraging them to engage. This trust-building is essential for industries like healthcare, finance, and customer service, where phone communications are critical. With the growing apprehension towards unknown numbers, branded calling can be the deciding factor between a customer answering or ignoring a potentially valuable call.

The Limitations of Branded Calling: It’s Not a Complete Solution

While branded calling offers significant benefits, it’s not a silver bullet for solving all the problems of phone fraud and spam. One key limitation is the incomplete implementation of the STIR/SHAKEN framework across all carriers. This means that during transmission, data could be lost or altered, undermining the integrity of branded calls. Additionally, businesses often don’t have control over the STIR/SHAKEN certificates—or PaSSports—that authenticate their branded calls. This lack of control can lead to inaccurate or unverifiable caller information, negating the very purpose of branded calling.

How NumHub Complements Branded Calling to Combat Fraud and Spam

While branded calling alone is not enough to fully address fraud and spam, combining BCID with NumHub’s authoritative number ownership provides the solution. With NumHub, you gain direct oversight of the identifying information of the STIR/SHAKEN PaSSport. This empowers businesses with the ownership necessary to confirm that their branded calls are accurately displayed. With the data of our NumHub platform, we act as an onboarding and vetting agent for our BCID participants, ensuring the accuracy of your PaSSport information and its compliance with the FCC’s mandated framework. 

NumHub’s authoritative number ownership means you not only verify your business’s call identity but also gain insight into your numbers’ true data. By securing ownership at the regulatory level, businesses can prevent fraud, such as number spoofing, and ensure that their numbers aren’t hijacked or used maliciously. This partnership offers a level of transparency and security that goes beyond what branded calling can do on its own.

The Role of Trusted Telecom Providers in Secure Call Solutions

Branded calling solutions require careful attention to the entire call path, from origination to delivery. The Least-Cost Routing (LCR) network, which routes calls based on cost rather than quality, can introduce risks. In the current Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) framework, calls often pass through multiple carriers, opening the door for data manipulation. Without the right telecom partners, your branded calls can be altered, undermining the authenticity of your call and harming consumer trust.

NumHub mitigates these risks by ensuring that the call path is secure and reliable. By working with trusted telecom providers and emphasizing compliance with the STIR/SHAKEN framework, NumHub guarantees the delivery of accurate caller information and provides a reliable solution for businesses aiming to fight phone fraud.

The Full Solution: Branded Calling + Authoritative Number Ownership

In conclusion, while branded calling is an important tool for improving call answer rates, it isn’t a standalone solution to the spam and fraud issues that plague phone communications. When combined with NumHub’s authoritative number ownership and vetted, secure call paths, businesses can combat fraud and ensure that their calls are trusted and received. The synergy between branded calling and authoritative number ownership creates a robust, effective solution for businesses seeking to build lasting consumer trust and engagement.

As the landscape of telecommunications continues to evolve, businesses that leverage both branded calling and NumHub’s authoritative number ownership will have a competitive edge in reaching customers and maintaining a strong reputation in their industry.