How can number lookup benefit your business?

Why do you need a number lookup service?

Do you have a large customer database? Are you unsure of the validity of the mobile numbers? Are you dealing with a CRM where both mobile numbers and landlines are combined?

Businesses from a range of different industries need a number lookup service (also known as HLR lookup). The reason is that they might be spending more than necessary on their SMS messaging, without even knowing it. By using the service properly businesses can strengthen their SMS marketing campaign. They will be able to clean up their lists from the deactivated numbers, switched off, or roaming. In this way, they will be able to update their databases and only keep the numbers that are valid and active. Number lookup is a cost-effective service as it is less costly to perform than to send a text message to a customer who may never receive it.

Most common uses of number lookup service

The most common solutions businesses look for when using a number lookup service, are:

• Database Cleansing: Database clean-up, by checking for active/inactive mobile numbers to cut unnecessary costs
• Portability: Resolve a number of portability issues to optimize message and voice routing, and save money.
• Roaming: Provide info about the numbers in roaming to optimize routing, reduce costs, prevent fraud, and more.

Use of number lookup services across industries

1. Call centers

Wasting time and money calling dead numbers can hurt call centers. Taking the time to perform regular number lookups is an important task for them. With clean and contactable data they can reach higher returns from their campaigns. In addition, with the removal of inactive mobile phone numbers staff’s morale can be boosted. Hearing repeating dead-tones can be discouraging.

2. Retail

Retailers, both online and offline, regularly contact their customers with sale and purchase information, special offers, and discount codes. They must verify numbers, however big is their customer list. By doing so, they can ensure that the message reaches the maximum number of people.

Online retailers can use a lookup service to confirm their customers’ numbers before sending messages on order confirmation and shipping information. This way customers feel appreciated and see that the retailer went the extra mile to safeguard their online orders.

3. Banking

Banks face the continued threat and concern of fraud. That is why they commonly use SMS to complete the two-step verification process. A process that is required for account security and fraud prevention. It goes without saying that they need to make sure that the phone numbers they hold are valid and reachable. With a lookup service, they can verify the phone numbers of millions of people and optimize the delivery of OTPs.

4. Mobile Applications

App developers can make use of number lookup in a variety of ways. First and foremost, they can verify if their new or prospective customers are who they say they are. Sending a verification message to phone number owners is common to ensure that they provided them with a valid and active number.

Secondly, they can use it to ensure that leads provide them with a contactable number when signing up so they can reach them at a later date.

5. Healthcare

Medical centers, as well as private practice professionals, all have vast databases with patient data. They regularly interact with their patients to send information on appointments, clinical examination results, reminders, and information messages. An HLR (Home Location Register) service makes sure they reach the right people on the right number, cross-referenced with their CRM platform.

6. Education

Educational institutions regularly send text and phone messages to students, parents and alumni with news, information and appointments. These are often very costly. However, many of the recipients will not respond, as their contact information has changed. As cost-efficient is important to them, a phone number search using a lookup service will benefit educational institutions.It will help them improve the efficiency of their communications by reaching valid numbers. This is especially true with alumni communication and fundraising campaigns since this kind of service will ensure more alumni will respond.

To sum up

Implementing a number lookup service into the data cleaning procedures can help businesses across the spectrum. They can use it to uncover a wealth of valuable data about phone numbers and of course increase customer contact accuracy. It is a fast, effective, inexpensive, and accurate process, which can ensure that messages always reach the target.

With Routee’s Number Lookup Service, businesses across industries can gather data about any cell phone number worldwide. Our easy-to-use API makes it all a lot simpler. Businesses just have to submit the numbers they want to check. Then Routee will present them with information about the number validity, format, and location. That’s it! Their lists will be clean and up to date, while SMS marketing costs will be reduced.

Look (it) up yourself!