Getting Started with ARMOR® and Dialing Best Practices

ARMOR® protects all of your PhoneBurner purchased numbers, so first you will need to ensure you have numbers in your account.

To do this, log into your account > Select your image or initials in the right hand corner for the menu > My Account > Numbers.

You will be brought to the inventory page. Here is where you will be able to purchase your numbers by selecting “Get Numbers”. 

Keep these tips in mind when purchasing numbers:

1. Buy numbers that represent the areas where you have a business presence. You can search by state and select the proper area code(s).
2. Use different phone numbers for different call campaigns. For example, use a different number to call existing customers vs new leads and consider using a different number for special, short-term campaigns. This will help you have more consistent call patterns and ensure that callbacks are properly routed.  
3. More than 1 number per seat is recommended, especially if you are making a high volume of calls. You want to spread increasing call volume across numbers to help smooth out any suspicious spikes or changes in behavior. Also, if your calls are prone to be reported by consumers as spam, you will want to have established numbers to fall back on.
4. DO NOT delete your numbers, unless you absolutely have to. Established numbers that get answers signal to the carriers you are a legitimate business and using the same number will make calls more recognizable by your contacts. 

After you “Place your order” and purchase your numbers, you will have the option to add ARMOR or you can click here to activate ARMOR®. 

After you purchase one or more numbers you will want to set up your Number Pools. 

Selecting a Number Pool at the start of a dial session allows PhoneBurner to rotate calls across these numbers without you having to manually manage them. If a contact has been called before, the same number will be used for future calls. 

Numbers in a pool also share callback settings so that callbacks route according to your configurations. This makes it easier to balance your call volume, manage your numbers, and organize your call campaigns.  

Once everything is set up, you will want to make sure to select the Number Pool that contains your PhoneBurner purchased numbers as your Caller ID when starting a dial session. ARMOR® is only applicable to PhoneBurner purchased numbers, non-PhoneBurner purchased numbers will not be protected by ARMOR® and metrics for these numbers are not available in the dashboard. 

Already existing PhoneBurner customers who have been using PhoneBurner purchased numbers and sign up for ARMOR®, will be able to access 30 days of historical data. If a customer just purchased numbers and activated ARMOR®, data will start to display as you conduct dial sessions. Please keep in mind same day data is not available and it may take a little while for your data to load upon activation depending on the call volume. 

Dialing Best Practices

We have already mentioned some best practices around phone numbers, call volume, and consistent dialing patterns. But you may be asking, why does this matter?

Carriers pay close attention to their networks to try and catch “bad actors”, people who are displaying “bad dialing practices” and conducting spam/scam behavior. Each carrier has their own algorithm they use to predict which calls are likely to be unwanted in order to protect consumers. Sometimes legitimate businesses get caught in these algorithms as their calls may match the pattern of known spam calls. 

Often, numbers may have a negative reputation based directly on consumer feedback and behavioral observations about their calls.  When consumers report a number as spam, or add numbers to their block list, or quickly hang up on calls from a number, these send negative signals to the carrier that indicate a number may be making unwanted, nuisance calls. When many consumers take these actions, the feedback is even stronger.

Carriers maintain an objective to protect their consumers from spam, and to do so they analyze calling behaviors to predict which calls are unwanted. Some of these behaviors can include:

• Spike in call volume
• Inconsistent call patterns
• Dialing during off-hours
• Short call duration
• Low answer rates
• Lack of call backs
• Double, triple dialing in a short time period
• Reports by consumers
• Blocking by consumers

Carriers also look for positive signals associated with non-spam calls. Calls that are consistent in volume, with consistent answer rates, that turn into consistent conversations that are not overly short in duration tend to look like “wanted” calls - and wanted calls are less likely to be flagged as spam. 

This is especially true when the calls do not generate spam reports and/or number blocking. Use the ARMOR® dashboard to monitor the answer rates for your numbers, making sure they do not deteriorate as volumes increase. If that happens, you may want to level off the call volume until the answer rate is normalized again.

Here are some potential best-dialing practices to consider: 

• When you purchase a new phone number, it needs to be warmed up. Put it in rotation with other numbers and start with lower call volumes, increasing over time. This is where Number Pools is a big help and assigning certain pools to specific agents/campaigns. 
• Use numbers consistently and call during acceptable hours. PhoneBurner has default settings to not call before 8am and after 9pm based on the contacts area code. States may have more restrictive calling hours so be sure to check requirements in the states you are calling.
• Only call contacts who have expressed that they want to talk to you or are expecting your call. Cold calls are more likely to result in flags as they mirror “unwanted call behavior”.
• Make sure to leave voicemails. When leaving a voicemail, always include a clear and compelling reason for your call. Briefly explain the value or benefit you're offering, and make it easy for the recipient to understand why returning your call is important. Be concise, but make sure to highlight what's in it for them and create a sense of urgency or relevance to encourage a callback.
• Ensure your inbound routing is set up properly per Number Pool and on your account. The PhoneBurner Premium plan has an option which allows you to answer calls through the PhoneBurner app. 
• Consumers are able to report your numbers as spam or block your number, even if you are making legitimate phone calls. This is why you want to make sure you are calling those who want your call and you begin with courtesy, empathy and a strong offer they cannot resist. 
• Always provide clear identification of the calling party, along with clear-and-easy opt-out directions.
• Never use an auto-dialer in order to avoid dropped calls or delays in the connection.
• Respect "Do Not Call" lists and requests.

Consider any situations where someone answers your calls and then abruptly hangs up.  These are indications that the person does not want to take your call, and sometimes they may indicate the consumer is likely to block your number or report the call as spam. 

What factors may have caused the recipient to hang up abruptly or to log a spam report? Ask yourself these questions:

• Was the call too early or too late in the day?
• Was the call preceded by too many unanswered calls to the same person?
• Was the agent courteous, with a customer awareness and focus?
• Was this a cold call to a disinterested consumer?
• If your contact asked to be called, did your agent remind them when and where they made the request?
• Do you use the same phone number for B2C and B2B calls, or for sales and service calls?

Making calls in ways that are less annoying to the recipient may help to reduce the risk of spam reports.

ARMOR® is a comprehensive solution to protect your numbers and set your business up for success. If your number happens to be flagged, PhoneBurner has a team of dedicated experts to look into these flags on your behalf. Negotiating with the carriers to remove false flags will tell them these numbers belong to a legitimate business to help you build a positive reputation. 

This is why registering with the Free Caller Registry is so important. It makes it very easy for the human investigating the flag to see “this is a legitimate business making wanted calls” and remove the flag. Since this is done manually it is not an immediate turnaround and even if a flag is removed, the number can be flagged again.

Want to learn more about how to use ARMOR®, the dashboard, and why you need it to help protect your numbers from spam flags? Watch our ARMOR® Training module. 

For more information on ARMOR Frequently Asked Questions, please see our ARMOR® FAQ article. 

*The information and recommendations provided in this document are intended to assist you in developing strategies and making decisions regarding best practices. However, we cannot guarantee specific results or outcomes from implementing these suggestions. The effectiveness of any strategy will vary depending on individual circumstances and external factors beyond our control.

We strongly encourage you to consult with your team, as the information provided here is based on our general data and may not be suitable for every situation. It is your responsibility to ensure that any actions you take are appropriate for your unique circumstances. The suggestions provided here are for informational purposes only and should not be considered a guarantee of successful outcomes.