Why Legitimate Business Calls Are Being Labeled “Spam” — And What You Can Do About It
Outbound calling still drives billions of dollars in revenue, customer engagement, and service operations every year. But something surprising (and costly) is happening to many legitimate outbound calls: they’re being labeled “Spam Likely,” “Scam,” or “Fraud”, even when the caller is compliant and trustworthy.
The Modern Call Labeling Reality
In the past, outbound call delivery was straightforward: you dialed, and the call was routed to the carrier, which delivered it to the recipient. Today’s ecosystem is far more complex.
Carriers, call-blocking apps, and reputation engines each evaluate outbound calls using dynamic scoring systems, and they don’t always agree. A call that looks safe in one system can still be flagged in another. Worse, many of these evaluations happen silently and automatically.
Unless you have visibility into how these networks are labeling your outbound calls, you may not even know there’s a problem until your answer rates drop or customers start expressing confusion or distrust.
The Common Misconception: “We Have STIR/SHAKEN”
One of the most widespread assumptions in the industry is that once STIR/SHAKEN is implemented, call labeling issues go away. That’s simply not true.
STIR/SHAKEN authenticates the caller ID, proving the number belongs to the calling party, but it does not control how calls are labeled or scored for reputation.
If you want to learn more about how STIR/SHAKEN works and what it actually solves, check out Sangoma’s dedicated compliance page on STIR/SHAKEN.
Caller ID Reputation — What It Is and Why It Matters
Caller ID reputation is the collective assessment of how your outbound numbers are perceived across carriers, call-blocking apps, and analytics platforms. It determines how those systems treat your traffic and it’s separate from STIR/SHAKEN authentication.
Factors that affect reputation include:
-> Calling patterns (frequency, time of day)
-> Volume spikes or unusual usage
-> Consumer complaint signals
-> Caller ID name (CNAM) accuracy and consistency
-> Number reuse or reassignment history
Even if your calls originate from legitimate systems and comply with regulations, negative reputation signals can cause carriers and blocking apps to downgrade or label your calls.
And unlike STIR/SHAKEN authentication, there’s no universal alerting system when reputation takes a hit, leaving organizations blind until it’s too late.
Real Business Impact You Can’t Ignore
Poor caller ID reputation has very real consequences for business and service performance:
-> Lower Answer Rates: Customers ignore calls labeled “Spam,” “Scam,” or “Fraud”, even when they should answer.
-> Lost Revenue: Missed sales calls, unconfirmed appointments, and failed engagement outcomes directly affect your bottom line.
-> Increased Operational Costs: More retries, more agent time, and more outbound volume waste resources your business can’t afford to waste.
-> Higher Support & Churn: Customers complain. Support tickets spike. Partners churn. All because of poor call labeling.
If these sound familiar, you may already be experiencing caller ID reputation challenges, even if you didn’t know it.
Why Most Organizations Don’t Know This Is Happening
Here’s the problem: there’s no dashboard that tells you your call reputation across networks.
-> Carriers don’t proactively warn you.
-> Call-blocking apps don’t send alerts.
-> You don’t get notifications when reputation scoring changes.
That means most organizations discover negative labeling only after performance metrics trend down, or worse, after customer complaints start rolling in.
You don’t want to be reactive. You want visibility.
Introducing Visibility as the First Step
Before you can fix reputation issues, you must see them.
That means monitoring how your numbers are labeled across carriers, apps, and analytics providers, not just checking a single system.
From there, you can:
-> Identify which numbers are affected
-> Understand why they’re flagged
-> Take action to remediate issues
-> Track improvements over time
This is where proactive caller ID reputation monitoring becomes a strategic advantage.
How Sangoma Caller ID Reputation (CIDR) Helps
Sangoma’s Caller ID Reputation (CIDR) delivers exactly that visibility, along with tools to manage and mitigate reputation issues:
Monitor
Scan your outbound numbers across carriers, call-blocking apps, and reputation providers. Get alerts when negative labeling or risk signals appear.
Manage
Understand exactly which numbers are flagged and why. Identify whether CNAM inconsistencies, attestation gaps, or call patterns are contributing factors.
Mitigate
Get guidance on how to restore call performance, including remediating labels with carriers and analytics partners. You can also opt for managed remediation services to have experts handle resolution on your behalf.
With CIDR, you stop guessing and start managing your call reputation intelligently.
Who Benefits from Caller ID Reputation Monitoring
Caller ID reputation isn’t just for one type of organization. It helps across the board:
For Businesses With Outbound Calling
-> Contact centers
-> Sales teams
-> Appointment reminder systems
-> Financial services and insurance
-> Healthcare follow-ups
-> Education notifications
For Service Providers & Channel Partners
-> Protect your own outbound traffic quality
-> Reduce support escalations related to spam labeling
-> Differentiate your voice portfolio
-> Offer CIDR as a valuable recurring service
-> Increase stickiness with clients
For partners, this isn’t just a tool; it’s a new revenue opportunity that aligns perfectly with voice services.
Key Takeaways
Let’s recap what matters most:
-> Outbound calls are being labeled Spam even when they’re legitimate.
-> STIR/SHAKEN is necessary but not sufficient to prevent labeling.
-> Caller ID reputation is a separate dimension that truly affects delivery and engagement.
-> Proactive visibility and monitoring are essential to protect performance.
-> Sangoma CIDR gives you the visibility, insight, and remediation paths you need to regain confidence and control.
Want to See How Your Own Calls Are Being Labeled? -> Contact one of our specialists
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is CIDR a replacement for STIR/SHAKEN?
No. STIR/SHAKEN helps authenticate caller identity. CIDR focuses on the reputation and labeling that impact whether calls are answered, labeled, or blocked.
2. How quickly can I see issues?
Many customers see actionable insights quickly once monitoring is enabled. Remediation timelines vary based on the root cause and source of labeling.
3. Can I use CIDR internally and also resell it?
Yes—partners can deploy it for their own traffic and offer it to end customers as a recurring service.
4. What information do you need to get started?
Your outbound use case, approximate call volume, and the numbers or number ranges you want monitored.
5. Does CIDR guarantee removal of all spam labels?
No tool can guarantee outcomes across every network and algorithm. CIDR provides visibility, diagnosis, and remediation paths to improve performance and reduce risk over time.