Verifying a mobile number database: why and how? Keeping an up-to-date contact database is essential for businesses. Indeed, verifying your number databases helps improve the effectiveness of your campaigns and the quality of your information. Your decision-making will also be more efficient and effective thanks to the relevance of your database. Table of Contents I – Why verify your contact database? 1- Cost reduction 2- Improved marketing campaign effectiveness The importance of reaching the right recipients Impact on conversion rates and customer engagement 3- Regulatory compliance Compliance with GDPR and other personal data regulations Risks associated with non-compliance II – How to identify obsolete numbers? 1- Analyzing SMS campaign returns 2- Verification requests with carriers III – How to use our HLR verification solution? 1- Overview of HLR number verification tools 2- What information do we retrieve after an HLR verification? Details of retrieved data Timeframe Analysis of international numbers IV – Steps to verify and clean your contact database from the platform 1- Import 2- Verification 3- Use Having an outdated contact list leads to several harmful consequences. The first is related to unnecessary costs generated by the presence of incorrect or invalid numbers in your database. Furthermore, an outdated database also impacts the quality of your communication. Errors may appear, or the content may no longer be relevant for some of your contacts. Finally, an obsolete database results in a lower conversion rate, affecting your ability to reach and convert your prospects. To avoid these issues and minimize risks, we have implemented HLR number verification. The Home Location Register (HLR) allows you to test the validity of your mobile numbers. By verifying your databases before running your SMS campaigns, you will improve their results. I. Why verify your contact database? 1. Cost reduction Having obsolete numbers in your contact databases increases the costs of your SMS campaigns and calls. Indeed, each SMS sent is charged at €0.045. Moreover, on average 15% of numbers are removed after a verification. Let’s say you send an SMS campaign to 30,000 numbers without verifying them — that would cost you €1,350. By verifying your numbers, you could save over €200 per send! A significant budget that you can reallocate to other aspects of your business. 2. Improved marketing campaign effectiveness The importance of reaching the right recipients. The effectiveness of your marketing campaigns is largely tied to your ability to reach the right recipients. That’s why it is crucial to keep an up-to-date contact list. Indeed, a contact database segments your audience according to specific criteria. It is important to reach the right recipients to avoid sending messages that won’t be relevant to all your contacts. By having current and reliable information, you can optimize your communication. Consult our article to improve the deliverability rate of your SMS campaigns. Impact on conversion rates and customer engagement. Verifying your numbers will also have an impact on your conversion rate and customer engagement. It is important to address the current needs of your customers. Up-to-date information ensures that your communications meet those needs. As a result, they will be more likely to purchase your services or products. Your conversion rate will therefore increase. Engagement will also improve. Indeed, the relevance of your messages will increase click-through rates and positive response rates. There will be a greater number of interactions and your campaigns will generate greater effectiveness. 3. Regulatory compliance The quality of your contact database not only helps you achieve good performance results. It is also a crucial element to ensure compliance with various regulations. Compliance with GDPR and other personal data regulations. The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a European regulation that came into force in 2018. This law imposes strict rules regarding the collection, storage, and processing of personal data. – Opt-in: The GDPR requires companies to obtain explicit consent to collect and use this data. Regular cleaning helps verify the validity of your contacts and remove those whose consent is no longer valid. – Transparency: Companies must be transparent about how they use their users’ personal data. Risks associated with non-compliance. In France, it is the CNIL that is responsible for ensuring compliance with the obligations set out by the GDPR. Failure to comply with these provisions can lead to various consequences, including financial penalties. In the event of a breach of GDPR principles, you may face fines ranging from €1,500 to €20 million, or 4% of total global annual turnover for the preceding financial year. The amount will depend on the nature, duration, and severity of the violation. These fines may apply in cases such as a failure to inform individuals, refusal to delete data, or using data for purposes other than those stated, for example. Regularly verifying your contact databases therefore allows you to ensure their validity and relevance, as well as avoid potential penalties. II. How to identify obsolete numbers? To identify obsolete numbers, you can proceed in different ways — either by analyzing your campaign results or by checking with carriers. 1. Analyzing SMS campaign returns Analyzing your campaign results is essential for understanding and adjusting the elements that did or did not work. From your SMS campaign sends, you can check the delivery receipts of your messages. To do this, go to the “Outbox” tab, then select the report for the campaign you wish to analyze. You have the option to export the results in CSV format. In this file, you will find the error column, which indicates the presence and type of error, if any. Example of verification with no errors: Example of verification with an error: Here are the 2 most commonly received error codes after an HLR verification and their meaning: – EC_UNKNOWN_SUBSCRIBER: This code indicates that the information provided about the recipient, such as the phone number, does not exist, or that the recipient is unknown in the network’s database. – EC_ABSENT_SUBSCRIBER: If this code appears, it can have three possible causes: The number is unreachable (not properly connected to the carrier’s network). The number is powered off. The number is located in an area with limited/weak coverage. The number is subject to roaming restrictions. 2. Verification requests with carriers The second solution for verifying your numbers and identifying those that have become obsolete is HLR verification. HLR verification consists of checking your contacts’ numbers with carriers. This method allows you to verify your contact lists with a single click. III. How to use our HLR verification solution? 1. Overview of HLR number verification tools From the online platform: number verification from the platform is done using a file. Please note that each contact file can only be verified once per day. From our HLR API: To verify your recipient numbers automatically, you can also use our HLR API. The API allows you to automate the verification process. (see the API documentation) To learn more about HLR verification. 2. What information do we retrieve after an HLR verification? Details of retrieved data Here is the main information retrieved from carriers: Carrier name mccMnc code Error code Ported number (1) or not ported (0) Timeframe Retrieving the various pieces of information can take up to 3 hours. Once you request number verification, carriers may take up to 24 hours to provide the status of a number. Analysis of international numbers Our HLR verification solution is available in 181 countries worldwide and for 1,159 carriers. IV. Steps to verify and clean your contact database from the platform 1. Import Before you can verify your contact database, you must first import your contact list. To do this, select your file in Excel or CSV format. Watch our video tutorial to learn how to import a contact database on SMS Partner. 2. Verification Once your file has been imported, you can launch the HLR verification. As a reminder, depending on the carriers, number verification can take up to 24 hours. 3. Use Do you prefer a visual guide? Watch our tutorial on YouTube where we walk you through how to verify and clean your contact database step by step. Keeping an up-to-date contact database is essential if you send SMS marketing campaigns. Indeed, it increases the deliverability rate and helps reduce costs by avoiding sends to inactive numbers. In addition, it allows you to more effectively target the right recipients and thereby increase engagement rates. Finally, an up-to-date contact database helps you comply with GDPR regulations. So, what are you waiting for? Start verifying your contact databases today. If you have any questions about using our HLR verification solution, contact us directly. For even more effective SMS campaigns, clean your contact databases regularly. This way, you can be sure you’re not limiting the performance of your marketing campaigns.
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