April 29, 2026

How CIDR’s Call Optimization Tool Helps You Call With Confidence

STIR/SHAKEN was created to improve call authentication and reduce the number of robocalls and spoofed calls that reach consumers. The framework, however, isn’t perfect. Because of that, numbers from legitimate businesses can get flagged and blocked even when they use proper dialing behavior.

Unfortunately, this can create significant barriers between your agents and your customers. That makes flag mitigation a critical, ongoing process in today’s dialing ecosystem.

Customer Reports Drive Flag Trends

Call-blocking apps and crowdsourced data account for nearly half (49.4%) of the flags we monitored in 2025. This high percentage suggests that dialing behavior attracts negative flags. You have considerable control over your business’s dialing behavior, so adopting ethical dialing practices will significantly reduce the risk of your numbers being flagged.

Some of the most important strategies to avoid flags and call with confidence include:

Proper Agent Training

Train your agents to identify who they are and why they’re calling at the beginning of each call. Also, teach them how to use empathy during calls. How agents speak to people could make the difference between someone reporting your number and simply ending the call.

Diligent Data Hygiene

Proper data hygiene involves removing any leads on the Do Not Call Registry (DNC). You should also remove any numbers on your internal do-not-call list and remove any duplicate numbers from your lead lists.

Use the Reassign Number Database (RND) to ensure you don’t call the new numbers of people in the DNC.

You’ll also need to update your CRM to make sure it has the same information as your call lists.

Maintain Compliance Standards

All companies placing outbound calls must comply with certain rules. For example, agents can only place calls between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. (local to the consumer).

You might also need to follow additional regulations for your industry. For instance, your agents will need to follow HIPAA guidelines when making calls about healthcare topics.

Calling Behavior Doesn’t Always Mitigate Flags

You have control over your call center’s behaviors, but that doesn’t mean you always control whether your numbers get flagged.

Our data shows an increase in flagged numbers during times of high robocalling activity. Even when you run a legitimate business, carriers and analytics engines could flag your numbers to protect consumers. For instance, we found a spike in flags during 2025’s government shutdown. When government agencies like the FCC lacked adequate funding, criminals took advantage, placing a high volume of robocalls. Carriers and analytics engines responded by flagging more numbers that looked suspicious.

Since you don’t have complete control over whether your numbers get flagged, you need consistent monitoring and remediation. Otherwise, you run a risk of getting flags that prevent you from reaching consumers.

Importance of Phone Number Remediation

Call centers used to avoid flags by rotating phone numbers so they didn’t get “too hot.” The idea was that if you limited the number of calls each number made per day, it wouldn’t attract attention from carriers and analytics engines. This strategy might have been somewhat successful at the time, but it never addressed the underlying problems that lead to flags.

Instead of using a quick fix, focus on the total health of your dialing strategy. Data from our 2025 Phone Reputation Statistics Report suggests that customers who regularly remediate call flags end up receiving fewer flags over time. Remediation shows that your company takes its dialing behaviors and phone number flags seriously. When you’re willing to resolve issues, your risk of attracting negative flags decreases.

Remediation might sound like an inconvenience, but flag correction only takes about 24 hours, on average. When you submit your request, you can expect results within a day. Plus, you lower your risk in the future, so you save time by confronting issues head-on.

A Holistic Approach to Flag Mitigation

All businesses that place outbound calls need to take a holistic approach to flag mitigation. Snapshots of your calling activity don’t provide the whole picture, so you can’t trust that they’ll offer full transparency into your numbers’ reputations.

Remember that even legitimate businesses complying with regulations can receive call flags. Changes in the dialing ecosystem, spikes in robocalls, new regulations, and customer perception can influence your caller ID’s reputation. You don’t have full control over those factors, so you need data-driven insights that help you remediate flags as they appear.

Call With Confidence With CIDR

Caller ID Reputation’s suite of tools lets your company diagnose and assess symptoms that often lead to call flags. Instead of worrying about whether flags will prevent your calls from reaching customers and leads, you can rely on real-time reporting and caller ID screenshots to keep you informed.

Perhaps best of all, Caller ID Reputation’s monitoring and remediation diligence will reduce the amount of numbers that get flagged, saving you from future downtime that could prevent you from connecting with customers.

Connect with Caller ID Reputation today to learn more about how our products can help you call with confidence.