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Answerability

What is an answerability score?

An answerability score predicts how likely a person is to pick up when you call their number. Here's what goes into one, what comes out, and how it differs from checking that a number is valid.

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Mira Quennell
+1 646 555 0128
Low chance
ValidYes
Line typeLandline
ActivityWeak
Name matchYes
Litigation riskNo
In plain English

What it means.

In one sentenceAn answerability score is a prediction of how likely a specific person is to answer a call to a specific number. It's about the person and the line together, not just whether the number exists.

A number can be perfectly valid and still be a poor call: it might be a landline at an old desk, a mobile that hasn't been used in months, or a number that now belongs to someone else.

Answerability looks at the signals that tell those cases apart and turns them into one answer you can sort a list by.

What goes in

The signals behind it.

SignalThe questionWhy it matters
ValidThe question: Is it a real, dialable US number?Why it matters: An invalid number can't be answered.
Line typeThe question: Mobile, landline, VoIP or other.Why it matters: A person's own mobile reaches them most directly.
ActivityThe question: Does the line show recent use?Why it matters: Quiet lines are picked up less.
Name matchThe question: Does the number belong to this person?Why it matters: A live number for someone else is a wrong-number call.
Litigation riskThe question: Is the number flagged?Why it matters: Flagged numbers are Bad data, whatever else is true.
How we use it

From signals to one outcome.

One outcome per contact: High chance, Low chance or Bad data. Contacts that can't be analyzed come back with no outcome and aren't charged.

  1. 1

    Read the evidence

    For each contact, five signals are checked: valid, line type, activity, name match and litigation risk.

  2. 2

    Decide one outcome

    The signals are combined into High chance, Low chance or Bad data. It's an outcome, not a number, so there's no threshold for you to tune.

  3. 3

    Attach the next step

    Each outcome comes with an action: Phone, Multi-channel, or Email & LinkedIn.

High chance
Phone

Most likely to pick up. Phone them.

Low chance
Multi-channel

Less likely to pick up. Call, and add email and LinkedIn.

Bad data
Email & LinkedIn

Not worth a dial. Reach them by email and LinkedIn.

Compared

Answerability vs validation.

QuestionPhone validationAnswerability
Does the number exist?Phone validation: Yes, this is the whole check.Answerability: Yes, as one of five signals.
Is it the right person?Phone validation: Not usually checked.Answerability: Yes. Name match is part of the answer.
Is anyone using the line?Phone validation: Not usually checked.Answerability: Yes. Activity is part of the answer.
What should I do with it?Phone validation: Left to you.Answerability: An outcome and a next step for every contact.
In practice

Where it helps.

Order a calling list

Put High chance contacts in the dial list and route the rest to the channel that suits them.

Protect dialer time

Keep numbers that won't connect out of parallel dialer sessions.

Judge a data source

See how much of a vendor's list is actually worth calling before you buy more.

Example

The three outcomes, on a real list.

The result table showing the three outcomes High chance, Low chance and Bad data, with the share of the list in each
An example of the three outcomes across a list, with how much of the list falls into each. Names and numbers are invented.
FAQ

Questions, answered.

Is an answerability score a number from 0 to 100?

It can be, but ours isn't. Will This Person Answer returns an outcome, High chance, Low chance or Bad data, because an outcome is something you can act on without picking a cut-off.

Is answerability the same as phone validation?

No. Validation tells you a number exists. Answerability tells you whether calling it is likely to reach the person.

Does a Low chance contact mean don't call?

No. Low chance means the phone works but shouldn't be the only channel. Call, and add email and LinkedIn.

Keep reading

Related pages.

GlossaryWhat is phone intent?Phone intent is a prediction of how likely someone is to answer a call on a particular number. It's used to sort calling lists so reps dial the most reachable contacts.Phone validationA phone number validator that tells you who to call.Check that a US phone number is valid, what kind of line it is, whether it's active and whether it belongs to the person you're calling. Then get one answer: High chance, Low chance or Bad data.Use casesImprove your cold call connect rate.Low connect rates usually start with the list, not the rep. Check every number before the session so dials go to people likely to pick up, and the rest go to email and LinkedIn.DevelopersA phone validation API that returns a decision.One POST with up to 100 contacts. Each comes back with a grade, a plain-language outcome and the action to take, so your code routes the contact instead of interpreting raw line data.Who it's forMore conversations from the same list.SDRs are measured on conversations and meetings, and dialing numbers that won't connect costs both. Check the list before the session and spend the dials where people pick up.Free toolsFree US phone number format checker.Paste a US phone number to check it's correctly formed and see it in the international format your CRM and API calls expect. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

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